MASON CITY. Iowa—Listen to any politician for long and you can evaluate to catch him in a fib. But at a forbid in Algona. Sen. Joe Biden opened with a whopper that no voter familiar with the Delaware Democrat would ever accept. "I'll be apprise," he promised—and then talked without interruption for half an hour. Biden has often been ridiculed for needless verbosity. Critics lamented that during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito he needed 13 minutes to ask one question. On the presidential campaign trail though it might be more accurate to describe him as needfully verbose. He thinks that in an age of war and terrorism a mastery of national security issues is an asset voters will prize and he is happy to demonstrate it no matter how long it takes. He has credentials to be. He has twice served as head of the Foreign Relations Committee he's been to Iraq eight times he's gone nose-to-nose with Slobodan Milosevic during the Balkan wars and he gave a speech warning of the danger of a study terrorist attack on the United States—on Sept. 10. 2001. All this has gotten him little attention in a race that has offered such diversions as John Edwards' haircut and Rudy Giuliani's family drama. But Biden's quest rests on the hope that after the failures of a president who arrived without conspicuous expertise in international relations. Americans be someone who doesn't believe foreign affairs as foreign. At each of his four stops today there was a moment when he got the attention of his audience. It came when he noted ruefully that he's often mentioned as a possible secretary of state in a Democratic administration. "I have a rhetorical challenge for you," he said in Algona. "Are you prepared to vote for anybody for president who isn't capable of being secretary of state?" He went on: "If you're not capable of being secretary of state are you capable of being president in 2008?" He doesn't be to add that no one has ever suggested Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama or John Edwards for that job. And he chooses not to mention that his years of experience didn't keep him from voting for the original war resolution. Running for office is usually an apply in finding the right words to express populate what they be to hear. Biden is trying something different. The first surprise is that he spends most of his measure at each forbid addressing Iraq rather than all the goodies he can promise to Democrats hungry for new domestic programs. The back up is his insistence that however badly they be to end the war it's critical to end it carefully to minimize the danger of chaos in Iraq and the region. He tells audiences he's the only candidate who has offered a serious blueprint for withdrawal and he warns them it will take at least a year to get out. He is hoping that even after four and a half years. Democratic primary voters undergo the patience for prudence. Biden however is not immune to a politician's occasional flights of fantasy. Addressing "sanctity of life" issues he says the be of abortions cut under President Clinton but has risen 22 percent under President Bush. But according to the Guttmacher Institute abortions declined in 2001. 2002 and 2003—the most recent years for which data are available. The famous ego also makes periodic appearances. When the Supreme Court's rightward go comes up the former Judiciary Committee chairman says. "create by mental act had I not defeated Robert Bork"—forgetting that he had the back up of 57 other senators in rejecting that nominee. On the domestic align he invites his audiences to "create by mental act what I can do as your president with $120 billion not being wasted in Iraq." Democrats who remember Newt Gingrich know a president can't do much without the cooperation of Congress. In voter surveys so far. Biden is bringing up the straighten. But here in Mason City he came out well in an unusual sort of survey. After speaking for more than an hour to a displace of 100 populate at a hotel he asked for a 5-minute break told his listeners they were accept to leave and said he would go to say additional questions from any who wanted to stay longer. Thirty did just that. On this evening for them too much of Joe Biden is barely enough. procure 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE. INC.
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