This has been a season of short political campaigns on the Democratic side. Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner: out before he was in. Indiana Senator Evan Bayh: in and then out. But Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware might outdo both. Today he announced his presidential campaign. But also today an interview with Biden appeared in The New York Observer, and here's what Biden had to say about fellow presidential contender Barack Obama:

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy....I mean, that's a storybook, man."

It's not just that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are going to see the remark as a put-down and be peeved. But Biden appeared to be saying that there have been no impressive black guys in "mainstream" public life. And he committed the sin of referring to a black man as "articulate."

Years ago, the rap was that sports broadcasters would reach for that word to describe black athletes but not white athletes. Why? Because they assumed black athletes couldn't put a sentence together and were unduly impressed (that is, surprised) when they came across a black man who could. "Articulate" became a word tainted with the prejudice of low (and unfounded) expectations.

Yes, Obama is "articulate"--far more than most of the white people in the Senate. But Biden's use of this word comes close to that offensive usage. There were no articulate mainstream African-Americans before Obama? Paging Vernon Jordan or Colin Powell. True, neither one ran for office--and the "first" in Biden's comment could be taken to mean "first presidential candidate." Still, Biden's going to have trouble here. He didn't stick his foot in his mouth. He placed his entire tuckus there.

Biden is a smart fellow. He thinks long and hard about foreign policy matters--even if he doesn't always come up with the right answer. But his mouth has always been his greatest enemy. He has a reputation for droning on at hearings. His 1988 presidential campaign was derailed when he recited--without attribution--a line that had been used by a British politician. He seems to have done it again.

BLOGGINGHEADS AWAY! There's more Bloggingheads.tv with Jim Pinkerton and me. In our latest diavlog, we discuss the Libby trial, George W. Bush's veiled tax hike (which Pinkerton predicted), the president's lack of support for the troops being "surged" into Iraq, and whether Chuck Hagel is the new John McCain (and John McCain is the new Bob Dole). Pinkerton raises the prospect of Hagel mounting a presidential bid as an independent. I respond, "Hah." (Click here to watch.) On a more serious note, Pinkerton very kindly paid tribute to my father who passed away recently. It was quite a nice moment, and I appreciate the gesture. Thanks, Jim.

Posted by David Corn at January 31, 2007 11:21 AM