what a non scandal.

This is sad. What was he supposed to say F*** Hillary, she sucks I got the VP slot nah nah nah!

Argh!

It's true.

Transcripts of quotes can be deceiving - I'll bet Biden was pulling for a laugh there. I mean, it looks like classic self-depracating humor there.

I don't get why this is supposed to be such a big deal. He was saying something nice about a friend of many years. It's called self-deprecation.

Isn't she? What's the story here?

Minutes after i post that Biden is no longer a "Pit Bull" but a "poodle" THIS COMES OUT???

Yip yip. Arf Arf!

It's after 5 o'clock. Time for a deep breath. Relax and have a cold one!

To react like that to such a mildly self-deprecating comment like that is a sign that it may be a little too early in the fall to be feeling so highly wound.

I'm reacting pretty well to that comment, actually. Perhaps viewing the video may change my mind, but it coomes off to me as kind of a Jimmy Stewart-esque, Aw-Shucks-I'm-Just-a-poor-country-lawyer-from-Wilmington line.

I have a hard time believing that was his entire response. Can we get some context please?

Fuckin' yikes!

I don't see why that is a gaffe.

Context? NOT from a propagandist.

Who cares? The fact of the matter is, the Democratic field this year was an embarrassment of riches, as opposed to the Republican field, which was - and remains - an embarrassment.

it is off-message and implies that Obama didn't show the best judgment in picking Biden. It also doesn't help win over the HRC people. It's a dumb, dumb statement any way you slice it. If he wants to pay a self-depricating compliment to HRC, he can call her or whisper it in her ear sometime when no one else is listening.

This is why I rolled my eyes when Biden was named as the VP pick. There's a reason why he's been running for president since God-knows-when but has never polled more than a couple of percentage points. Now he needs to go back under the rock where he's been hiding for the past two weeks.

Why do we even bother with elections? The press wants to give it away to republicans. I knew we should be nervous when they fell in love with Obama because it was then inevtiable that they would try to tear him down. McCain was pissing them off by not playing their little games anymore (and being a grouchy jerk) and Palin represented the perfect opporunity for our fickle friends to turn.

I wonder how many Americans think Palin is at the top of the one of the tickets?

It is going to take serious grass-roots work to turn the tide against hate and fear.

I would like to see video of the statements quote here since it seems like the question elicited a lot of outrage from Biden. Why is that? Was is it a snarky comment from the audience?

I'm not sure there would be anyway that Biden could answer this that would satisfy the editors of Salon. But I would like to understand before jumping to conclusions. Crazy idea, I know!

How is this a gaffe? I don't get it. Isn't self-deprecation normal speech in everyday life and especially in politics??

What (some)previous posters already said--and then some. Have we completely lost our taste and ear for self-deprecation and nuance?

You see, it's like this: Joe's a good guy, who appreciates talent and capability in others and doesn't hesitate to say so.

Another words, in today's political parlance, he's a LOSER!

(Salon's new mantra seems to be "to beat the Republicans we have to become the Republicans!").

Long time lurker 1st time poster......

I will admit to being dispirited by Obama's reversal on campaign financing. And demoralized by his reversal on FISA. But I was repulsed by his choice of Biden. That choice moved me from being a donating active Obama voter to a non-donating future non-voter.

I vowed not to donate again when he made the horrible decision on FISA.

With his choice of sleezeball, drug warrior, banker's inside man, and general blowhard Biden my first reaction was that I can't vote for the ticket. It completely sunk Obama's message of "change" whatever that means, and gave credence to McCain's charge of inexperience.

If any Democratic muckety mucks read these letters, please know that I am your coveted demographic. I am progressive, but not uber-left-wing. I really am independent and tend to vote Libertarian, but cannot this year, since Bob Barr was chosen as their candidate.

I have democratic sympathies and no love for the mainstream Republican'ts. But Biden really took the wind out of my sails.

I bought into Obama's message and mystique and left the rally I went to during the primaries really believing that he would be president and that rays of sunshine would start peaking out all over the country. I thought all the Hillary PUMAs like locait and ShawnWM were quackers and wished Hillary would just go away. But now I really really miss her, and though I wouldn't change my primary vote (in Texas) from Obama to her, I think they might have been right. Obama seems to suffer from the same disease that killed Bob Dole, Al Gore and John Kerry's aspirations. Overmanagement, overthinking, and bowing to the powers that be in their party.

There is no "maverick" in this race....just more of the same.

Obama has to change his message and quick.

"Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am."

This is very true. Isn't the whole idea is to pick from a whole GROUP of qualified people? I mean....did somebody think Biden was the only guy capable? I don't think ANYONE could argue that Sen Biden or Sen Clinton are INCAPABLE of the job. And I think it's kind, respectful and honest of him to not act like an arrogant ignoramus and say otherwise. More of the weird non-news.