Biden enters race with verbal gaffe about rival Obama

WASHINGTON (MCT) — Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, a foreign policy expert and Iraq war critic, entered the Democratic race for president Wednesday with a clumsy comment about Illinois Sen. Barack Obama that was taken by some to be racially insensitive.

Though he touted his foreign affairs experience during a press conference with reporters, Biden was forced to explain why he had described Obama, a rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."

Biden made the comments to the New York Observer and said his use of the word "clean" to describe the African American politician was "taken totally out of context."

Obama initially told reporters that they would have to ask Biden what he was thinking when he made the comment: "I don't spend too much time worrying about what folks are talking about during a campaign season."

But by day's end, the senator took a sharper tone, issuing a public rebuke to his more senior colleague.

"I didn't take Senator Biden's comments personally, but obviously they were historically inaccurate," Obama said. "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."

Biden called Obama to explain his comments and Obama told him directly that he did not take the comments personally, aides to the Illinois senator said.

"This guy is a superstar," Biden said, effusively praising Obama's attributes in what was supposed to be his own presidential debut. "He is probably the most exciting candidate this party has had in a long time."

"My mom has an expression, 'clean as a whistle, sharp as a tack.' He is crisp and clear. I think a lot of him," said Biden, describing Obama as "lightning in a bottle" and adding that Obama had captured the imagination of the country like no other politician.

In an interview, Jackson called Biden "a decent man" who had made a verbal gaffe while trying to slight the competition.

"He was saying in effect that Barack is more style than substance, that he is just coming onto the scene," Jackson said. "In doing so, he seemed to be dismissive of our 1988 campaign and diminishing Barack's potential campaign."

As he kicked off his candidacy, Biden, 64, said he believes he would be a better president than Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., two of the top candidates in the race.

"I make no apologies for saying I believe I am the best prepared of all the candidates," said Biden, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee who has served in the Senate for the last 34 years.

"The next president, left with the debacle this president will leave us, will have no margin for error and will need a fully thought out, comprehensive notion of what he or she will do with the problems in the world," Biden said.