Nothing clean or bright in Biden's '08 opener

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Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware yesterday made it official that he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination, but stumbled out of the gate with a memorable gaffe that became the focus of his day.

In a critique of the Democratic field, he said of Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," he told the New York Observer, a weekly. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."

The senator, serving his sixth term, tried to highlight his strong foreign-policy credentials, saying he is best equipped to fix the situation in Iraq.

Taking the remark as a slur against Mr. Obama or other black men who have sought the presidency is taking it "totally out of context," Mr. Biden told reporters after the remark was posted on the Drudge Report, a popular Internet site. He said he called Mr. Obama to explain the context. He issued a formal statement saying he deeply regretted if anyone was offended.

"He understood exactly what I meant, and I have no doubt that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and every other black leader will know exactly what I meant," Mr. Biden said.

Mr. Biden told the Observer interviewer that New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's plan for Iraq is "a serious mistake," but said she "is clearly qualified to be president." He jabbed at former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina: "I don't think John Edwards knows what the heck he is talking about."

Talk-show hosts and bloggers seized on the Obama comment, but they also invoked criticism from a leading liberal blogger. "Really, if we live in a just world, this will be the end of Joe Biden's political career," read a post on DailyKos.com "It's clear his career has dragged on one election cycle too many."

Mr. Biden, 64, discussed his second presidential bid on a conference call, an event sandwiched between hearings on Iraq as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a television appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."

In 1988, Mr. Biden withdrew from the presidential race before the nominating contests. Now, he polls in the single digits, well below the Democratic front-runner, Mrs. Clinton, and her two top rivals, Mr. Obama and Mr. Edwards.

Reporters on the conference call peppered Mr. Biden with questions about the Obama remarks, and he said the "clean" word probably came from an old saying his mother used: "Clean as a whistle, sharp as a tack." He described Mr. Obama as "crisp and clear."