2008 Election: Biden Taking Second Crack at Ballot

Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden Jr. will take a second crack at getting the Democratic Party's nomination for the presidential election in 2008.

Biden, who was born Nov. 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pa. is a lawyer and politician who hails from Wilmington, Del. At the present time, he is serving his sixth term as a senator in Delaware (making him the state's longest serving senator). He is the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in the 110^th Congress (a post he has also held in the past), and has served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

Since 1991, Biden has been an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on constitutional law.

Previous presidential campaigns

A plagiarism accusation ended Biden's candidacy for the U.S. presidency in 1988. Biden called off his campaign on Sept. 23, 1987.

The accusation stemmed from a video tape of Biden in Iowa repeating a stump speech that was originally given by British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock (he did slightly modify the speech, but not enough to make it his own).

After Biden dropped out of the race, it was discovered he had used Kinnock's words before and had correctly credited him, but tapes of him giving the infamous speech -- along with tapes of Kinnock giving the original one -- had been distributed to the media by aides of Michael Dukakis, who eventually became the 1988 Democratic nominee. A livid Dukakis fired his campaign manager and chief of staff over the flap, but Biden's campaign was ruined.

After his campaign ended, Biden asked for a review of the issue by the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Delaware Supreme Court. The board decided on Dec. 21, 1987, that Biden had not broken any rules. Biden did not reveal this finding until May 1989 -- well after the presidential election was over.

It came to light after that incident that Biden had failed an introductory class on legal methodology in 1965 while a student at Syracuse University Law School because of plagiarism allegations. Biden wrote a paper that used as a source -- almost exclusively -- an article from the Fordham Law Review (he cited the article). He took the course over and passed with exemplary grades.

Biden thought briefly about running for the presidential nomination in 2004, but decided against it. As a reason for not throwing his hat in the ring, he cited not having enough time to dedicate to fundraising. Biden was suggested by some as running mate for presidential hopeful John Kerry, but Biden urged Kerry to tap Sen. John McCain. In addition, there was talk that Biden could have been a Democratic administration's U.S. Secretary of State.

Committee on the Judiciary

Biden was the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 1987-95. He served as ranking minority member twice, from 1981-87 and from 1995-97. Some of the major topics he dealt with were drug policy, crime prevention and civil liberties.

He was a major player in helping develop some high-profile federal crime laws. He was a driving force behind the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (which is also known as the Biden Crime Law). He wrote the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, which provides a variety of measures to fight domestic violence, as well as making available billions of dollars in federal funds to combat gender-based crimes (part of this legislation was rejected as unconstitutional, but it was reworked in 2000 and 2005).

Biden was behind the creation of the United States' "Drug Czar" office (which oversees and coordinates national drug control policy). He was the chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus when he penned the laws that put that office into being.

He was also a vocal advocate of other drug control measures. In April 2003 he unveiled the Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act (commonly know as the RAVE Act), and today he is still working to stop the use of date rape drugs like Rohypnol, as well as Ecstasy and Ketamine.

In 2004, one of Biden's focuses was helping get a bill passed that outlawed steroids like androstenedione (a drug that has been used by many professional baseball players)

One of Biden's most high-profile projects in relation to domestic violence was the revamping of the National Domestic Violence Hotline based in Austin, Texas. In March 2004, Biden called on several major technology companies in the U.S. to find out what the hotline's problems were, then to donate necessary equipment and their time and expertise to it.

Biden has been an advocate of higher education, and it was his legislation that allowed families to deduct up to $10,000 annually on their income taxes for college expenses. In addition, his Kids 2000 legislation set up a public-private partnership to make available to low-income and at-risk youth computer centers, Internet access, technical training and teachers.

He has passionately opposed tort reform, but has been onboard with Senate Republicans to support stricter bankruptcy laws.

Biden had the distinction of presiding over two of the most contentious U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings in history -- those of Robert Bork in 1987 and Clarence Thomas in 1991.

Foreign Relations Committee

As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Biden has gained much expertise in the areas of foreign policy, national security, and arms control.

Biden became the ranking minority member of the Foreign Relations Committee in 1997, and he was the chair from 2001-03. One of his major initiatives was to fight hostilities in the Balkan Islands in the 1990s. Those efforts gained national attention for the issue and had great influence on presidential policy.

Biden went to the Balkans many times, and in one particularly noteworthy meeting there called Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic a "war criminal."

He made compelling and frequent arguments for such things as the investigation of war crimes, lifting the arms embargo, implementing NATO air strikes and training Muslim Bosnians. It was Biden's so-called "lift and strike" resolution that eventually convinced then-President Bill Clinton to use military force to fight against the systematic violations of human rights.

Views on the war in Iraq

Since the terrorist attacks on Washington, D.C. and New York on Sept. 11, 2001, Biden has backed the Bush administration's efforts. He was behind Bush's call for additional ground troops in Afghanistan and the president's opinion that Saddam Hussein should be eliminated.

In the days after 9-11, Biden and Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana worked on a resolution that would have authorized military action in Iraq only after all diplomatic efforts had failed. The resolution was rejected by the Bush administration, and in October 2002, Biden put his support behind the final resolution supporting the war in Iraq.

Although he has been a vocal supporter of the war effort and the necessity of appropriating money to pay for it, Biden has contended all along that larger numbers of soldiers are needed and the war should be internationalized. He has also left-handedly accused the Bush administration of not being particularly forthcoming with information about the war, saying it should "level with the American people" about how long the conflict may last and how much it is going to cost.

Slips of the tongue

On more than one occasion, Biden has made remarks about people or ethnicities that have been construed as politically incorrect or just plain in poor taste.

While speaking to a group of Indian-Americans in Delaware on one occasion, Biden said he had a great relationship with their community -- then put his foot in his mouth.

"You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking," he said.

That gaff was broadcast on cable news network C-SPAN. When Biden was taken to task for his comment, it was soft-pedaled by spokeswoman Margaret Aitken.

"The senator admires, supports and respects the Indian-American community," Aitken said. "The point Sen. Biden was making is that there has been a vibrant Indian-American community in Delaware for decades. It has primarily been made up of engineers, scientists and physicians, but more recently, middle class families are moving into Delaware and purchasing family-run, small businesses."

On Jan. 31, Biden made a remark about fellow presidential ballot hopeful Sen. Barack Obama that some political writers declared a "launch pad disaster."

In an interview with the New York Observer, Biden said of 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."

The Observer posted that audio clip on its Web site. In the audio clip, there is a pregnant pause after Biden says "African-American," which some have said suggests the printed article led to misconceptions about what Biden really meant. On the same day the interview was released to the public, Biden went into damage control mode, apologizing to Obama and expressing his regrets that night on "The Daily Show."

"Look, the other part of this thing that got me in trouble is using the word clean. I should have said fresh," Biden told host Jon Stewart.

Biden's assertion that his remarks were taken out of context was backed by Jesse Jackson, an African-American who was a Democratic presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988. Jackson spoke to Biden by telephone about the situation.

"Senator Biden assured me that he regrets that his remarks were misinterpreted," Jackson said. "He was serious and contrite. To me, this was a gaff, not a statement about his philosophy or ideology."

Prior to the beginning of the war in Iraq, Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector and U.S. Marine Corps captain testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, of which Biden was chairman.

Biden remarked to Ritter that "The decision of whether or not the country should go to war is slightly above your pay grade."

Family Background and History

Biden is the oldest of four children born to Joseph Robinette Sr. and Catherine Eugenia (Finnegan) Biden. His mother was an Irish Catholic, and Biden and his siblings were raised in that religion. Biden's father worked as a car salesman.

Biden moved from Pennsylvania to Delaware when he was 10 years old, and he spent his formative years in New Castle County, Delaware. Biden graduated from Archmere Academy in Claymont, Del. In 1961, and went on to study at the University of Delaware, graduating in 1965. He studied law at Syracuse University College of Law. He finished his studies there in 1968, and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1969.

Biden married Neilia Hunter in 1966.The couple were the parents of two sons, Joseph R. III (called Beau) and Robert Hunter (called Hunter), and a daughter, Amy. Neilia and the children were involved in an automobile accident in 1972 just after Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate Neilia and infant Amy died in the crash, while Biden's sons were both seriously injured (both made full recoveries; Biden was sworn into office while at their bedsides).

Five years after his first wife died, Biden married Jill Tracy Jacobs. They have a daughter, Ashley. He and his family are still active in the Catholic Church.

Biden was forced to take a medical leave from the Senate for seven months in February 1988, when he had two brain aneurysms and was hospitalized.