As often as Senator Biden puts his foot in his mouth, I’m beginning to think it must taste like cotton candy. The Democrat from Delaware has unintentionally brought attention to his 2008 campaign for the presidency with a racist comment about Barack Obama. In an interview with the New York Observer, Biden described Obama as “the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that’s a storybook, man.” However, Biden was able to take a break from the topic of Obama’s race to add, “I don’t recall hearing a word from Barack about a plan or a tactic.”

Realizing that he’d just shot himself in the foot before the race began, Biden attempted to do some damage control during an afternoon press conference. Calling Obama a “very special guy,” Biden said he meant no offense to his Democratic rival who had caught “lightning in a jar”. Biden said he had called Obama after the interview became public. In an email, Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton wrote: “Senator Obama opposed the Iraq War from Day 1 and has articulated clear principles in how to address the tragic mistakes President Bush has made there.” And as for rest—including Mr. Biden’s use of the words “articulate” and “nice-looking” to describe the Senator from Illinois—the spokesman said, “Senator Biden’s words speak for themselves.”

After Obama’s statement, Biden backtracked further, saying, “I deeply regret any offense my remark in the New York Observer might have caused anyone. That was not my intent and I expressed that to Senator Obama.” Senator Biden is also known for an exchange he had with an Indian-American supporter in June, when he poorly attempted to connect with the young man by saying, “You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.”

Senator Biden then fired some condescending, non-racially motivated comments towards his white Democratic rivals. He criticized Senator Clinton’s proposal to cut funding for Iraqi security forces. “From the part of Hillary’s proposal, the part that really baffles me is, ‘We’re going to teach the Iraqis a lesson.’ We’re not going to equip them? O.K. Cap our troops and withdraw support from the Iraqis? That’s a real good idea.”

Biden then took aim at Democratic rival John Edwards for being more interested in American lives than American interests. Biden was asked about Edwards’ plan to immediately withdraw 40,000 American troops from Iraq. He mockingly responded with: “John Edwards wants you and all the Democrats to think, ‘I want us out of there,’ but when you come back and you say, ‘O.K., John, what about the chaos that will ensue? Do we have any interest, John, left in the region?’ Well, John will have to answer yes or no. If he says yes, what are they? What are those interests, John? How do you protect those interests, John, if you are completely withdrawn? Are you withdrawn from the region, John? Are you withdrawn from Iraq, John? In what period? So all this stuff is like so much Fluffernutter out there. So for me, what I think you have to do is have a strategic notion. And they may have it—they are just smart enough not to enunciate it.”

h/t Truthdig
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