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[[Image:Biden_on_Meet_the_Press.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Biden on Meet The Press]] 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.

[[Image:Biden_on_Meet_the_Press.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Biden on Meet The Press]] 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 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." On July 23, 2007 Biden said, "there's not a single [[military]] man in this audience, who will tell this Senator he can get those troops out in six months if the order goes today, lets start telling the truth." <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wylferBh3IA</ref> He 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." On July 23, 2007 Biden said, "there's not a single [[military]] man in this [[audience]], who will tell this Senator he can get those troops out in six months if the order goes today, lets start telling the truth." <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wylferBh3IA</ref> He has also proposed dividing the Iraqi Population by giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis their own regions.  

Biden 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 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.