Free Republic

With most Democrats keeping an eye on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for hints about her 2016 plans, Vice President Joe Biden's appearance at Iowa's 36th annual "Tom Harkin Steak Fry," may one day be viewed as a telling sign of his presidential intentions. "It's amazing when you come to speak at the Steak Fry a whole bunch of people seem to take notice. I don't know why the hell that is," Biden said.

As the Obama administration considers how to respond to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday that there is "no doubt" that Syrian President Bashar al Assad was responsible for the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus. "We know that the Syrian regime are the only ones who have the weapons," Biden said, "have used chemical weapons multiple times in the past, have the means of delivering those weapons, have been determined to wipe out exactly the places that were attacked by chemical weapons."

It's a common sight when Joe Biden walks into a restaurant: big, glowing white teeth smiling, a squint in his eyes, aviators off, and cheese-ball antics in full force. The vice president loves this kind of thing, but it doesn't always work. Take Thursday afternoon, when Biden, traveling overseas in Singapore, stopped at a local food stall known for its prawn noodle soup and fried rice. Veep did his normal routine, greeting the owners and onlookers. Then Biden sat next to one diner so the two could take a photo. The problem: The man didn't know who Biden was. "Who...

Joe Biden said on Friday that White House officials have been briefed on the situation in Detroit, but told reporters it was unclear whether the administration could help. "Can we help Detroit?" Biden said in a response to a question from a reporter. "We don't know."

There is a keen Kennedy-like vigor to Joe Biden that overwhelms any room. As was once said of Theodore Roosevelt, he, too, wants to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral. Unlike President Obama, who speaks in interviews with Hemingway-esque sparseness, Biden rambles like Thomas Wolfe, painting a robust picture of an ever-changing America where coal miners will soon be working in clean-tech jobs, gun-safety laws will be tougher and China will be reined in by the White House from poisoning the planet with megatons of choking pollutants. Never before have a president and vice...

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice speaks for President Obama, as Vice President Joe Biden pointed out on Tuesday night. But what was surely intended to be a nice pat on the back for the ambassador has created an awkward position for the administration in regard to the Benghazi attacks. “[Rice] also has … the absolute, total, complete confidence of the president of the United States of America,” Biden said, as POLITICO reported. “So when she speaks, when she speaks in the discordant world we reside in right now, no one wonders, no one wonders, whether or not she’s...

Newly discovered human bones prove the first permanent English settlers in North America turned to cannibalism over the cruel winter of 1609-10, US researchers have said. Scientists found unusual cuts consistent with butchering for meat on human bones dumped in a rubbish pit. The four-century-old skull and tibia of a teenage girl in James Fort, Virginia, were excavated from the dump last year. James Fort, founded in 1607, was the earliest part of the Jamestown colony.

On Wednesday Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder at the Montgomery County Executive Office Building in Rockville, Md. announced the distribution of 12 federal grants totaling $2.3 million which will help local city and county governments reduce domestic violence homicides through an evidence-based early warning initiative designed to find potential victims and their attackers before homicides occur. “Every single day in America, three women die at the hands of their boyfriend, or their husband, or their ex-husband,” Vice President Biden stated in his remarks as noted on the White House statement.

ST. AUGUSTINE — Vice President Joe Biden left no doubt about the people he and President Barack Obama are representing in the upcoming election. In his speech to more than 900 spectators Saturday at Ketterlinus Gymnasium, Biden continually hammered home his message that the Democratic Party is best for the country’s middle class. Speaking for about 35 minutes — sometimes virtually yelling — Biden pointed out the president’s plans for keeping taxes lower for the middle class while raising them for the wealthy.

CANTON, OH — Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to appear Monday at the J. Babe Stearn Community Center, President Barack Obama’s campaign confirmed. The campaign is urging people to carpool due to limited parking. With additional seating and the bleachers, the J. Babe Stearn’s gym has a capacity of possibly 1,000.

video at link... Charlie Spiering Commentary Staff Writer The Washington Examiner @charliespiering Charlie on FB Popular in Politics Chris Matthews: Is challenging Obama unconstitutional? Firewall in ruins? Obama hints at handgun restrictions too Whoopi Goldberg to Ann Romney: Isn't it against the Mormon religion to fight in wars? Bill Clinton: The economy is not fixed. Obama knows it. Speaking to voters in Las Vegas today, Vice President Joe Biden began speaking about United States veterans. "How many of you know someone who served in Iraq or Iran," asked Biden. As people in the crowd including Senator Harry Reid raised their...

During the vice presidential debate last week, Vice President Joe Biden seemed to significantly overstate his role in the 1983 negotiations over Social Security. Asked about Medicare reform, the vice president said, “Look, I was there when we did that with Social Security in 1983. I was one of eight people sitting in the room that included Tip O’Neill negotiating with President Reagan." But according to the historical record, Biden was not one of the small group of people in “the room,” or in “the meeting” — nor was he even a key player in reforms. The vice president’s office...

If Vice President Joe Biden channeled his inner pit bull, Rep. Paul Ryan brought his inner puppy to the debate stage, according to facial expression expert Chris Kowal. Kowal, an assistant professor at Purdue University, used computer software to analyze the facial expressions produced by the nearly 400 muscles in the human face during Biden and Ryan's face-off. As Biden's big laughter took Twitter by storm, the computer model lit up with readings of frustration and discomfort—the emotions you might experience laughing at a funeral, Kowal said. "It's not an uncommon reaction when people see something that really makes them...

The humorists of TV will have the final say in determining who won the vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan Thursday night — and that's probably bad news for Biden. The Democratic vice president's behavior — his smirking, his derisive bursts of laughter, his habit of shaking his head in disagreement, his interruptions — made him ripe for caricature as a rude know-it-all and perhaps as a would-be bully. These aren't traits that impress many swing voters, including women, who prize civility and treating others with respect. And in contrast to the more somber Ryan, a Republican congressman...

Poll asks: Who do you think did better in last night's vice presidential debate? Jackass Joe or Paul Ryan

DANVILLE, Ky.— The old lion tried to whup the young pup. He tried by sneering, laughing, smiling, snickering and interrupting. He yelled. He dropped his voice. He crossed his arms and threw himself back against his chair in frustration. But the young one had a few tricks of his own. He kept his cool, stuck to his script, patiently explained things in his wonky way, and looked at his overwrought opponent with kindly concern.

<p>If the question is who did more to help his ticket, Joe Biden won the vice presidential debate by a mile.</p> <p>Republican Paul Ryan performed pretty well. He made no major mistakes, and a CNN instant poll of viewers actually had him winning narrowly, 48 percent to 44 percent. But my assessment of the debate agreed with that of a CBS instant poll of uncommitted voters, who saw Biden as the landslide winner by 50 percent to 31 percent.</p>

(Reuters) - Joe Biden's spirited performance in the vice presidential debate had Republicans criticizing him for snide grins and a comment on Libya, but it set the stage for President Barack Obama to try to regain his footing during a rematch with challenger Mitt Romney next Tuesday. Greg Valliere, who analyzes politics for investors at Potomac Research Group, said he thought Ryan "won on points," but that Biden energized the Democrats and stopped the slide. "This entertaining debate was all about Biden, who easily cleared a low bar," Valliere said in a note to clients on Friday.

(CNN) -- Mitt Romney led fresh Republican attacks on Friday over Vice President Joe Biden's debate remark about security concerns at the U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya where four Americans - including Ambassador Christopher Stevens -- were killed in a terrorist attack. The GOP presidential challenger accused Biden of contradicting State Department officials when he said at Thursday's debate against Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, that "we weren't told they wanted more security" at the diplomatic facility in Benghazi. The mission came under attack by armed militants on the 11th anniversary of the September 2001 al Qaeda attacks on...

... Throughout the debate the vice president explained to the American people what all the president has accomplished and, in the process, inspired Democrats to recall the president’s success and remember that although Obama may have had one bad day of debating, he has had an amazing four years of leading. This powerful closing statement, coupled with Biden’s statements during the debate, exemplified the fundamental differences between Obama and Romney, between a “We are in this together” mentality and “You are on your own” mindset. More importantly, Biden repositioned the theme of this election to the singular challenges facing America...