The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 5

THURSDAY, FEB. 1,2007 THE NEWS JOURNAL A5 www.delawareonline.com Biden facing a rocky, uphill campaign trail I think he's got a good chance of Rough start just a sign of what awaits Delaware's six-term senator equaling" former Sen. John Edwards, who won the 2004 South Carolina presidential primary, in the 2008 primary, Bales said. "I think he could do as well or better." While Clinton is strong among women and Obama among progressives, Biden's campaign staff believes his message and background will resonate with middle-class voters. He also has strong Labor ties.

"He's going to be more of an issue candidate rather than a voting bloc candidate," Joseph A. Pika, a political science professor at the University of Delaware, said. Biden will need to either place in the top three or exceed expectations in the early voting states, including Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. In the next round of contests, he'll have to win somewhere other than Delaware, Pika said. Contact Nicole Gaudiano at ngaudianogns.gannett.com.

By NICOLE GAUDIANO News Journal Washington Bureau WASHINGTON Even before the furor over comments about Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, Sen. Joe Biden's quest for the White House seemed like a vertical leap of the first order. Polling at about 3 percent among the many Democrats seeking the 2008 nomination, Biden's obstacles include the amount of money that has to be raised to AMAYI compete, and the need MWHLI Ola to perform well in the early caucus and primary states. Though he was first to declare his candidacy in June 2005, the Delaware Democrat faces low rankings among his party's contenders in national polls and a crowded field with candidates such as Sens.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Obama who are claiming a large portion of Democratic funding and the media spotlight. Biden's chances for rising above the field depend on his ability to concisely it's doable. He's electable." Biden left the 1988 race amid accusations he plagiarized part of a speech in Iowa; he said he forgot to provide attribution. The incident is "not Dennis Goldford, a political professor at Drake University in Iowa. But there are other obstacles for Biden.

A six-term senator, he has a long voting record that can be used against him. And he'll have to present a concise message when he's known for wordiness. "You want a way of saying in a sentence what really wraps up and explains the meaning of your candidacy," Goldford said. "I think it's hard for him to do." But Jimmy Bales, a South Carolina state representative, said he admires Biden's "understanding of the world." Those who attended a barbecue with him on one of his seven South Carolina trips since 2005 were very supportive of his openness, Bales said. primary voters.

Biden acknowledges Obama and Clinton's strong name recognition. "But it really comes down to who can do well in those early primaries, and I feel confident we'll compete very well," he said. "I think the issue hopefully is going to be, can they compete with the ideas that I have? Can they compete with my experience? Can they compete with my track record?" Biden made good friends in New Hampshire during his first campaign for president in the 1988 race and kept them, said Mary Carey Foley, a Portsmouth high school English teacher who will be on his steering committee. His first post-announcement campaign trip will be a Monday visit to New Hampshire. "I believed then and I still believe now that he would make a wonderful president of the United States," Foley said.

"We've got some work to do, but articulate a theme, capitalize on the missteps of his opponents, and above all, project his strength in foreign affairs, some political observers say. "The best way for him is to do a good job on foreign policy," said Donna Brazile, Democrat Al Gore's presidential campaign manager in 2000. "You can't write off anyone because of low name recognition and they don't have enough money in the bank." Biden began assembling his campaign staff about a month ago, naming Luis Navarro Sen. John Kerry's political director in Iowa in 2004 as his campaign manager. He recently secured prominent Democratic pollster Celinda Lake.

His stumping began much earlier, making 25 trips to early voting states since 2005. That includes 10 trips to New Hampshire, where the last Granite State Poll in October ranked Clinton most popular among likely Democratic Large field of 2008 candidates emerges early camnaian. Never has such a broad and deep field of contenders emerged nearly a year before the first votes are cast By CHUCK RAASCH, GNS Political Writer The flurry of interest in Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's trip to Iowa and ex-New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani trial run in New Hampshire this past weekend was indicative of the unprecedented early start of the 2008 presidential The Iowa caucuses are tentatively scheduled to kick off Jan. 14, 2008.

Here's a look at the declared candidates or others who have expressed a desire to succeed George W. Bush. DEMOCRATS i I I I1. 5, I llVgJ LsZ- Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, 60, '04 candidate.

The take: He's back with an anti-war message that could press Clinton and others who voted to use force in Iraq. Sen. Chris Dodd of 62. The take: Veteran senator is a good debater and comes from a long political pedigree but could easily get overshadowed by Democratic Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, 62, '04 candidate.

The take: Well liked for his credentials and stage presence, he's considering another run, but he'd have to play catch-up. Sen. Barack Obama of 45. The take: Rarely has a politician emerged with such national fanfare and buildup as the glib and telegenic Obama. But his lack of experience could be a problem.

Ex-Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska, 76. The take: A long-shot candidate advocating withdrawal from Iraq and pushing a national initiative to allow citizens to more directly challenge federal laws. Rev.AISharpton,52, '04 candidate. The take: He says he will run if he decides urban issues are being ignored.

His impact would likely be on the tone of the debate rather than as a contender for the nomination. Ex-Sen. John Edwards of N.C., 53, '04 vice presidential candidate. The take: Edwards has organized heavily in Iowa, where he finished second in 2004. He'll be formidable, but it's questionable if he's got the right Ex-Iowa Gov.

Tom Vilsack, 56. The take: Serious and persistent, he's making a national energy plan a centerpiece. Good news: He's an lowan. Bad news: If he doesn 't do well in the caucuses, the road out of town may be blocked. Gov.

Bill Richardson otN.M.,59. The take: He could emerge as the most appealing second choice among Democrats: Hispanic governor, ex-energy secretary, U.N. ambassador. He'd need others to stumble to win the nomination. Sen.

Joe Biden of 64, a senator since 1972. The take: Biden has serious foreign policy credentials but can be his own worst enemy. His 1988 presidential campaign collapsed after allegations he used, without attribution, quotes from a British politician. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of N.Y., 59, the front-runner in polls.

The take: Hopes are sky-high for Clinton, and she may break fundraising records. But, expectations may be too high for someone with so many political scars from eight years in the White House. REPUBLICANS IH nj t'vj ft -V ti "1 Rp 5 Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, 63. The take: He'd be formidable, but the '94 GOP revo-: lutionheledtooka hit in November. Rep.

Ron Paul of Texas, 71. The take: He's run for president before as a Libertarian, and made some votes -he opposed the Patri-otAct- that might i not endear him in GOP primaries. Rep. Tom Tancredo of 61. The take: Its hard to see where he goes beyond providing a protest platform against il-; legal immigration.

Tancredo could make noise in GOP debates. Former Va. Gov. Jim Gilmore, 57. The take: Not that well known, he'll run as a Southern conser-: vative.

ButArkan-: sas' ex-Gov. Mike Huckabee may have claim on that spot. Sen. Sam Brownback of 50. The take: He'll run as a social conservative and has support on the GOP's right wing.

Some may view him as soft on illegal immigration. Rep. Duncan Hunter of 58. The take: He got in early, but it's difficult to see him going far. He could divide the get-tough-on-illegal immigration voters with Colorado Rep.

Tom Tancredo. Ex-Gov. George PataMof N.Y.,61. I The take: He's got credentials, having run a big, blue state in the i Northeast, where Republicans have been hemorrhag-: ing. But he was of-: ten second banana to Giuliani in New York.

Sen. Chuck Hagel of 60. The take: If he decides to run, Ha-: gel would be the biggest anti-Iraq war candidate in the GOP field. Re-'. publicans usually nominate the heir apparent, not the most independent and outspoken.

Ex-Gov. Tommy Thompson of 65. The take: He was one of several innovative GOP governors in the 1990s and was George W. Bush's secretary of Health and Human Resources. But will GOP voters will go back to the '90s for their nominee? Ex-Gov.

Mike Huckabee of 51. The take: He may have the diet caucus locked up, having lost 110 pounds, but he'll also try to come off as a heavyweight conservative. He presided over a rise in sales taxes a red flag in GOP Ex-Gov. Mitt 59. The take: Like Pataki, he has cre-: denttals as a North-; eastern governor in a blue state and is viewed as a serious contender.

But he has shifted posi-: tions on abortion, which could hurt him among social conservatives. Sen. John McCain of 70, '00 candidate. The take: Nor- mally, he'd be a heavy favorite for the GOP nomination because he was second in 2000. But his age and his support for a path to citizen-i ship for illegal im-: migrants could I hurt him.

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, 62. The take: His leadership after 911 makes him i arguably the most popular politician in either presidential field. But GOP primary voters are unlikely to support a pro-abortion rights, pro-gun control candidate. GNS Biden: Senator called articulate, verbose Biden jumps into race via various mediums Getting out of Iraq, helping middle class emphasized I The News JournalJENNIFER CORBETT Sen. Joe Biden poses with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (left) and Sen.

John Kerry of Massachusetts. FROM PAGE A1 "You've been practicing tact in the car, haven't you," Stewart chided. Stewart then asked about his description of Obama, which garnered a few boos from the audience. "What I was attempting to be, and not very artfully, is complimentary," Biden said. "The word that got me in trouble is using the word I should have said Earlier in the day, the Delaware Democrat said during a conference call his comments reflected his mother's expression: "Clean as a whistle, sharp as a tack," he said.

Four hours later, he issued a statement saying, "I deeply regret any offense my remark in the New York Observer might have caused anyone. That was not my intent and I expressed that to Senator Obama." For some, Biden's comments about Obama, the first-term senator whose political celebrity has been likened to rock star status, reflect the latest in a series of foot-in-moufh flare-ups. "I don't think this is going to go down well with African-Americans," said Ron Walters, a University of Maryland government and politics professor, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson's deputy campaign manager in 1984. "He's going to have to be more sophisticated about these issues, because he's likely to make more mistakes." Last summer Biden found himself explaining a comment to an Indian-American activist that in Delaware, "you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent." On "Fox News Sunday," asked what chance he would have against a Southern Democrat for the nomination, he shot back, "You don't know my state.

My state was a slave state. My state is a bor- Anv nor, tt cntn Vine VlO oicrhyi-lnrXTPQt black population in the country." On Wednesday, Obama said in a statement, "I didn't take Senator Biden's comments personally, but obviously they were historically inaccurate. African-American presidential candidates like Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, Carol Moseley Braun and Al Sharpton gave a voice to many important issues through their campaigns, and no one would call them inarticulate." Joseph Pika, a political science professor at the University of Delaware, said he predicts Biden's latest gaffe was the first of many along the campaign trial. "This is Biden's Achilles' heel," he said. "On the one hand, he's enormously articulate.

On the other hand, he talks a lot." Pika referred to a recent newspaper article that focused on the senator's inability to stop talking. The article noted a Bden statement ast week was 3,000 He downplayed his comments on "Good Morning America," saying the other presidential hopefuls create a "heck of a field out there" for the American public. By 6 p.m., he issued a statement saying he regretted his remarks about Obama. Joseph Pika, a political science professor at the University of Delaware, said Biden's decision to launch his campaign using various mediums was a smart one. "It certainly is an attempt to get the maximum splash and maximum coverage," he said.

"But now he's got to do things that all the other candidates have to do. He's got to raise money. He's got to hone his message." Nobody questions Biden's credentials in foreign policy, Pika said. But the senator will need to define his domestic policies more clearly. Pika also pointed out that in the race to the White House, Biden doesn't have history on his sida Only two sitting senators -Warren G.

Harding and John Kennedy -have ascended to the nation's highest office. "If you take history as a guide, that jump is a big one," Pika said. "In the last 30 years, when you think of who became president, Washington insiders have not done well. It's been outside governors." Delaware Democratic Party spokesman Alexander Snyder-Mackler said he thinks Biden already has a strong domestic-policy plan it just hasn't been heard. "He's got a full year to make himself wpll-knnwn he said "Oncp people see him as he participates in the debates and gets his name out there, they will see he's got the domestic message." On his Web site, Biden's message stresses his intention of easing the burden on middle-class families, particularly when it comes to health care and college costs.

But the issue segments in both areas are short on specific programs or costs. Pika and Snyder-Mackler agreed that Biden's biggest challenge will be raising enough money. He will transfer $3 million from his Senate account to his presidential campaign, and said he believed he needed to raise $20 million total to be competitive in next year's early primaries. Analysts believe Clinton and Obama are likely to raise $100 million each this year. TV Associated Press contributed to this article.

Contact Angie Basiouny at 324-2796 or abasioundelawareonlinecom. By ANGIE BASI0UNY The News Journal Delaware Sen. Joe Biden officially joined the 2008 presidential race Wednesday morning with a five-minute video message launched on his Web site depicting him sitting by a marble-tiled fireplace in his Greenville home with his tie removed and collar unbuttoned. His message, delivered in dim lighting beside a low fire, focused on his strategy for withdrawal from Iraq and sharp criticism of President Bush. He also pledged to focus his long-shot campaign on efforts to help the middle class.

"In my view, President Bush has dug America into a very deep hole," he said. "This administration's mishandling of the war in Iraq may be the greatest foreign-policy disaster of all time." Biden said a change is needed in both domestic and foreign policy to "restore America's place in the world," and he vowed to roll out more specific policy ideas in the coming months. The video message, which went live at 10 a.m., was part of a busy day for the six-term lawmaker in at least one way, busier than he had planned. Biden began with an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" and CNN's "American Morning." and topped off his television tapings with a visit to Comedy's Central's late-night program, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." In tne aiternoon, he heiu a telephone conference with dozens of reporters before hosting former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright, who spoke to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Biden chairs. Despite his efforts to direct media attention to his campaign message, Biden found himself facing repeated questions about his published comments on three fellow Democrats: former Sen.

John Edwards of North Carolina, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. In an interview printed Wednesday in The New York Observer, Biden called Clinton's position on Iraq a "disaster," said Edwards didn't know what he was talking about when it came to the Middle East and described Obama as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and cjpan and a nice-looking guy" CRINGE-WORTHY Sen. Joe Biden's comment on Sen.

Barack Obama was the latest in a string of verbal missteps for the six-term Delaware senator. Captured talking to an Indian-American political activist about the growth of Delaware's Indian-American population saying: "You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent" Responded to questions about the Indian-American cuinmeiii. on CNN's "Tne Situation Room" with: "I could have said that 40 years ago about walking into a delicatessen and saying an Italian accent in my state." Answered a "Fox News Sunday" question on what chance a Northeastern liberal such as he would stand running against a Southern Democrat for the presidential nomination by saying: "You don't know my state. My state was a slave state. My state is a border state.

My state has the eighth-largest black population in the country. My state is anything but a Northeast lib-ef al state." words and he used the word 88 times. "That's classic Biden," Pika said. The issue of inaccuracy seemed to be dominant for others who read or heard the comments, including Delaware state Rep. Donald Blakey, R-Camden.

"I understand he's looking at Obama as someone who's untainted, doesn't have a record of impropriety," said Blakey, who is black. "But there are a lot of people like that." Walters said this blunder isn't in the same category as that of Sen. Trent Lott, who lost his leadership post when he announced the U.S. would have avoided "all these problems" if the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, a segregationist, had been elected president.

Biden's comments, while "unfortu- ically fatal, said Melanie Campbell, executive director and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. "Candidates have won elections and lost elections in the last two weeks," she said. During the Wednesday call, Biden spent as much time discussing the virtues of the Democratic candidates he critiqued in the Observer article as his own. He called Obama "probably the most exciting candidate that the Democratic or Republican parties have produced" in a long time. "This is a very special guy," Biden said.

"This is like catching lightning in a jar. That was the point of everything I was saying." Asked why he doesn't endorse Obama for president, Biden said: "I think I'm better." Contact Nicole Gaudiano at ngau1nogns.gannelf.com..