Contorversy as Biden enters White House race
31/01/2007 - 23:04:20US Senator Joe Biden faced immediate controversy as he officially entered the presidential race today, after describing Democratic rival Barack Obama as the “first mainstream African-American” who was articulate, bright, clean and good-looking.
The experienced foreign-policy heavyweight said despite those “storybook” attributes he did not believe 45-year-old Obama, who would be America’s first black President if elected, could win in 2008 having served just one term in the Senate.
In an interview with the New York Observer, Mr Biden also branded fellow Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton’s plan for stabilising Iraq “nothing but disaster”.
He said of Mr Obama: “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.
“I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”
Mr Biden, who was forced to withdraw from the race for the 1988 Democratic nomination after it was revealed he had plagiarised one of then Labour leader Neil Kinnock’s speeches, later tried to play down his comments.
In an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, the Delaware Senator praised both Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton.
“We have a heck of a field out there,” he said.
Mr Obama brushed off news of the remarks when asked about them at a Washington press conference.
“You’d have to ask … Senator Biden what he was thinking,” he said.
“I don’t spend too much time worrying about what folks are talking about during a campaign season.”
His campaign spokesman, Bill Burton, told the New York Observer: “Senator Biden’s words speak for themselves.”
Mr Biden, who is in his sixth term in the Senate, has said for months he would be seeking the Democratic nomination for 2008.
He is leaping straight into the race without first forming the customary “exploratory committee”.
“I’m not exploring. I’m in,” he said.
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