WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Biden officially joined an increasingly crowded field for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday, as he has been promising for months.

"After nine months of doing this, there is no exploratory committee — I'm running," the Delaware senator told The Associated Press.

A 34-year Senate veteran known for his foreign policy expertise and somewhat windy oratory, Biden acknowledged his campaign would generate little of the buzz surrounding the celebrity candidates New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

However, Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, entered the race touting his plan for resolving the top political issue of the day — what to do about the war in Iraq.

His campaign Web site, www.joebiden.com, prominently displays a map of Iraq alongside a photo of the candidate, inviting viewers to read more about "Joe Biden's comprehensive plan to end the violence in Iraq."

Biden said he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission establishing a campaign committee.

"You have to file the formal papers to meet the legal requirements to be able to raise money and that's what I've done today," Biden told ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday.