Joe Biden declares candidacy for Presidential race

On June 9, 1987, age 44, having already served in the Senate for 14 years, Sen. Biden announced his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. However, Biden's bid ended abruptly in September 1987 after a video from the Dukakis campaign showed that he had plagiarized from British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock.

Biden now has about 20 years of additional experience in the Senate; he chaired the Judiciary Committee from 1987-95 and chaired the Foreign Relations Committee from June 2001 until Republicans regained control of the Senate following the 2002 mid-term elections. Now the ranking member on the Foreign Relations Committee, he has been one of the Democrats' leading voices on Iraq. On May 1, 2006 he proposed a five-point plan for Iraq, the first point of which is "to establish three largely autonomous regions with a viable but limited central government in Baghdad."

Biden quite possibly has more political experience than any of the potential presidential candidates of either party. As he stated at the International Association of Fire Fighters' Legislative Conference in Washington, DC in March 2006, "I've been a Senator here for 33 years--I might note that there's still 50 Senators older than me; that's very important for you to know that." Biden's long Senate experience is a great asset, but it's also a bit of a liability among Democratic activists looking for fresh face. For example, unlike some potential 2008 Democratic candidates, Biden inspired scant independent activity on the web in 2005 and the first part of 2006. At the same time backers of his earlier run could provide an initial base of support.

In 1987, Biden ran as a Democratic presidential candidate, formally declaring his candidacy at the Wilmington train station on June 9, 1987. When the campaign began, Biden was considered a potentially strong candidate because of his moderate image, his speaking ability on the stump, his appeal to Baby Boomers, his high profile position as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the upcoming Robert Bork Supreme Court nomination hearings, and his fundraising appeal: he raised $1.7 million in the first quarter of 1987, more than any other candidate. Biden received considerable attention in the summer of 1986 when he excoriated Secretary of State George P. Shultz at a Senate hearing because of the Reagan administration's support of South Africa, which continued to practice the apartheid system.

Fifteen years ago, only a few blocks from here, many of you and I began a journey.

We began as young men and women, following of enthusiasm and fired more with passion and purpose than with political wisdom. We announced what most seasoned observers considered a hopeless candidacy. But through the unceasing labors of many of you here today – and the willingness of the people of this state to take a bold and generous chance – you elected the second youngest candidate ever to the United States Senate.

While the world has changed dramatically for me and for you during the decade and a half of our journey, in many ways, it remains the same, for although some progress has been made, many of the same issues that brought us together in 1972 now summon us again. The issues we spoke of that day: public confidence in our political institutions; the threat to environmental; the danger of ideological foreign policy; the dwindling commitment to education; the pressing needs of our unemployed and poor; and of the crisis of drugs confronting our children – remain today at the heart of our national agenda.

I ask you once again to join me, this time in an even more arduous and improbable quest, for you are my friends and this is my home. Your unyielding confidence and unbending support in good times and bad has been a source of strength and a never-ending joy. And it’s your help I seek first, as today, I announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America.

Fifteen years ago, we said that the key to restoring confidence in our traditions and our institutions was public officials who would “stand up and tell the people exactly what they think.” And to paraphrase what I said on that day, I mean to be that kind of candidate, and with the grace of God and the support of the American people, I mean to be that kind of President.

Today, on the surface, America seems to be a tranquil and prosperous nation. But though it is barely discernible to th...