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[[Image:06 biden.gif|thumb|right|200px|Joseph Biden]] '''Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr.''' (born 20 November 1942) is [[Senator Obama]]'s Vice Presidential running mate in the [[2008 Presidential election]].  

[[Image:06 biden.gif|thumb|right|200px|Joseph Biden]] '''Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr.''' (born 20 November 1942) is the senior Senator from [[Delaware]]. In August 2008, Barack Obama selected him as the Democratic Party's Vice Presidential nominee for the [[2008 Presidential election]]. Biden is an expert on foreign affairs. He is noted for his long-winded speeches, which proved unavailing in the 2008 Democratic primaries; he dropped out after placing fifth in Iowa in January, 2008. Biden stresses his Irish Catholic roots in appeals to working class Democrats, who deserted Obama in the primaries.

A member of the [[Democratic]] Party, Biden currently serves as the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and

 

is the senior U.S. Senator from [[Delaware]] (since 1972).

Biden, senator from [[Delaware]] since 1972, formerly chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and currently chairs the Committee on Foreign Relations. Biden is a self-described northeast [[liberal]] and in 2007 was ranked as the third most liberal U.S. Senator by the non-partisan National Journal. He previously ran for President in 1988 but dropped out of the race after admitting he had [[plagiarism#Joe Biden|plagiarized ]] a speech by a British MP.<ref>

Biden is a self-described northeast [[liberal]] and an admitted [[plagiarism#Joe Biden|plagiarist]].<ref>

[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/50116538.html?FMT=FT&dids=50116538:50116538&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+20,+1987&author=JOHN+HARWOOD&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&desc=Biden's+way+with+words+now+seems+to+be+a+liability&pf=1 Biden's way with words now seems to be a liability] - St. Petersburg Times - Sep 20, 1987</ref> Joe Biden's son Beau, who was elected Attorney General of Delaware in 2006, is currently serving in Iraq.

[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/50116538.html?FMT=FT&dids=50116538:50116538&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+20,+1987&author=JOHN+HARWOOD&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&desc=Biden's+way+with+words+now+seems+to+be+a+liability&pf=1 Biden's way with words now seems to be a liability] - St. Petersburg Times - Sep 20, 1987</ref> He is also known as a long-winded orator. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/veepstakes]. In 2007, the non-partisan National Journal ranked Joe Biden as the third most [[liberal]] U.S. Senator.

==Early Life and Education==

==Early Life and Education==

 

Joe Biden, born in Scranton, [[Pennsylvania]] and grew up in New Castle County, Delaware, in a middle class family. His father was a businessmen who started rich, but had fallen on hard times when Biden was a youth. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965, and from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1968. (At Syracuse Law School, it is said that he had plagiarized a law review article in a class paper he wrote. Although he was permitted to retake the course after receiving an F.)

Joe Biden was born in Scranton, [[Pennsylvania]] and grew up in New Castle County, Delaware. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965, and from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1968. (At Syracuse Law School, it is said that he had plagiarized a law review article in a class paper he wrote. Although he was permitted to retake the course after receiving an F.)

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

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

Biden took office on January 3, 1973, at age 30, becoming the fifth-youngest U.S. Senator in United States history. He was later reelected five times. Biden calls himself pro-choice and opposed president [[George W. Bush]]'s two nominees to the U.S. Supreme court. However, he has voted in support of banning partial birth abortions and was given a 36% rating from the pro-[[abortion]] group [[NARAL]], indicating a mixed voting record. In 1998 he voted for a Balanced-budget constitutional amendment and for the GOP budget. Biden is a strong opponent of 2nd-amendment rights. He was rated F by the National Rifle Association. Biden has also voted to give Social Security benefits and citizenship to illegal aliens. On energy, he opposes more domestic oil production, saying proponents of offshore drilling want to "rape" the Outer Continental Shelf.

Biden took office on January 3, 1973, at age 30, becoming the fifth-youngest U.S. Senator in United States history. He was later reelected five times. Biden calls himself pro-choice and opposed president [[George W. Bush]]'s two nominees to the U.S. Supreme court. However, he has voted in support of banning partial birth abortions and was given a 36% rating from the pro-[[abortion]] group [[NARAL]], indicating a mixed voting record. In 1998 he voted for a Balanced-budget constitutional amendment and for the GOP budget. Biden is a strong opponent of 2nd-amendment rights. He was rated F by the National Rifle Association. Biden has also voted to give Social Security benefits and citizenship to illegal aliens. On energy, he opposes more domestic oil production, saying proponents of offshore drilling want to "rape" the Outer Continental Shelf.

As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden has been a voice on foreign policy. Joe Biden voted against the Persian [[Gulf War]] in 1991, but voted for the Iraq War Resolution in 2002, although he now criticizes the management of the war. He has voted against setting a timetable for troop withdrawal and is against cutting off funding for the troops on the ground. In a 2005 interview with Meet the Press, Biden said, "I’ve been calling for more troops [in Iraq] for over two years, along with [[John McCain]] and others subsequent to my saying that." Biden has also proposed dividing the Iraqi Population by giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis their own regions.  

As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden has been a major player in making foreign policy. He voted against the Persian [[Gulf War]] in 1991, but voted for the Iraq War Resolution in 2002, although he now criticizes the management of the war. He has voted against setting a timetable for troop withdrawal and is against cutting off funding for the troops on the ground. In a 2005 interview with Meet the Press, Biden said, "I’ve been calling for more troops [in Iraq] for over two years, along with [[John McCain]] and others subsequent to my saying that." Biden has also proposed dividing the Iraqi Population by giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis their own regions.  

He is a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which he chaired from 1987 until 1995 and served as ranking minority member from 1981 until 1987 and again from 1995 until 1997. He almost never supports a supreme court nominee who's not in his party and presided over two of the more contentious [[U.S. Supreme Court]] confirmation hearings ever, [[Robert Bork]] in 1987 and [[Clarence Thomas]] in 1991.

He is a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which he chaired from 1987 until 1995 and served as ranking minority member from 1981 until 1987 and again from 1995 until 1997. He almost never supports a supreme court nominee who's not in his party and presided over two of the more contentious [[U.S. Supreme Court]] confirmation hearings ever, [[Robert Bork]] in 1987 and [[Clarence Thomas]] in 1991.

* Biden is [[Catholic]], and Obama is weak with that key voting bloc; however, the [[Catholic Church]] may take offense at Biden's pro-[[abortion]] positions (see below).

* Biden is [[Catholic]], and Obama is weak with that key voting bloc; however, the [[Catholic Church]] may take offense at Biden's pro-[[abortion]] positions (see below).

* Biden was born in [[Pennsylvania]], a must-win state for Obama where he is weak;<ref>[[Hillary Clinton]] defeated Obama by a wide margin in the [[Pennsylvania]] primary; in August polls show Obama leading McCain by an average of only 5.8% in [[Pennsylvania]] [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/pa/pennsylvania_mccain_vs_obama-244.html RealClearPolitics Pennsylvania Tracking]</ref> however, Biden's roots are in the rural northeastern part of the state.

* Biden was born in [[Pennsylvania]], a must-win state for Obama where he is weak;<ref>[[Hillary Clinton]] defeated Obama by a wide margin in the [[Pennsylvania]] primary; in August polls show Obama leading McCain by an average of only 5.8% in [[Pennsylvania]] [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/pa/pennsylvania_mccain_vs_obama-244.html RealClearPolitics Pennsylvania Tracking]</ref>

* Biden's son is going to [[Iraq]], which may help rehabilitate Obama's image as anti-military; however, Biden himself never served.

* Biden's son is going to [[Iraq]], which may help rehabilitate Obama's image as anti-military; however, Biden himself never served.