Biden Musings on Hillary Clinton

By John M. Broder
NYT blog

NASHUA, N.H. - Maybe he should have spoken up sooner.

Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee, said this afternoon that perhaps Senator Barack Obama should have chosen someone else as his running mate.

Responding to a question at a town hall-style meeting at Nashua Community College, Mr. Biden said, “Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me.”

He added, “She’s qualified to be president. I mean that sincerely, she’s first rate.”

Mr. Biden did not elaborate and it is not clear whether he was being genuinely (or falsely) modest. He may also have been responding to suggestions from some analysts that Mrs. Clinton’s selection would have protected the Democrats from some of the apparent defections of women voters to the Republican ticket after Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was tapped to be Senator John McCain’s running mate.

According to a press pool report, Mr. Biden said at a fund-raiser earlier in the day that he had offered to defend Mr. McCain during the 2000 campaign when he was being smeared by Republican operatives working on behalf of President Bush’s election.

“What really disappoints me is the very tactics used against him, they’re trying to use against Barack Obama,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s literally saddening. I didn’t expect it. But I guess I should learn to expect everything.”