Biden says he'll run for president

Biden says he'll run for president
Tells Iowans of plan to return next fall to campaign

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., bucked a trend by announcing his intention to run for president over the weekend - distinguishing himself from other visiting hopefuls who have dodged the question on their respective visits to Iowa.

Biden swept through eastern Iowa on Sept. 23, stumping and raising money for Democratic congressional hopeful Dave Loebsack during a two-day tour of the state.

"I'm coming back next year to do something else," Biden said near the end of his speech in Cedar Rapids, referring to next fall's run-up to Iowa's January 2008 caucuses, which signal the official start of the presidential election cycle.

Delaware's senior senator touched on health care, the minimum wage, the balance of power in Congress, and the overall direction of the country to the crowd of roughly 40 Democratic supporters.

Interestingly, Biden took a page from the Republican playbook by accusing President Bush of not having a plan for certain issues - a tactic that has often been used against Democrats.

While pacing across the living room of supporters Dave and Stacey O'Brien, Biden also spoke to the attentive backers on the broader outlook of the American people.

"It is a hallmark of Americanism that we're full of grit and optimism," Biden said. He asserted that the optimism is being worn away, more than partly because of Republican policies - a point that has been pushed lately by many Democrats.

"Taxing wages and not taxing investments has caused the economy to contract," Biden said as his animated speech rose to a yell, clenching his fists to illustrate his point.

Loebsack introduced and opened for Biden, after conversing and handshaking over shrimp and cheese platters.

Loebsack, a political-science professor at Mount Vernon's Cornell College, currently trails his opponent, U.S. Rep. James Leach, R-Iowa, by more than 10 percent, according to a recent Cedar Rapids Gazette poll.

"I have to tell people who I am, what motivates me, what drives me, what my message is," Loebsack said. He cited data that says Leach has low approval ratings and is aided by Loebsack's lack of name recognition.

Harvey Ross, a supporter at the event and longtime Democratic activist, agreed with Loebsack.

"The question is, will he raise the money to get his message to all voters?" Ross said. "He needs to get their attention."