Biden Swears at Bill Signing: Just Biden Being Biden?

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Check out the video at left: In it, it appears that Vice President Joe Biden is telling President Obama at the bill signing for health care reform legislation this morning that passage of the bill is a "big f***ing deal."

Asked for clarification on what, exactly, Biden said, the vice president's office referred CBS News to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' Twitter feed, where Gibbs wrote "and yes Mr. Vice President, you're right..." (Meanwhile, the t-shirts are already starting to surface.)

Biden's performance in introducing President Obama at the bill signing showcased both his strengths and weaknesses: It was rousing, compelling, and, by the time he was quoting the poet Virgil, just a bit over the top.

AP

There was the good: "Our children, and our grandchildren, they're going to grow up knowing that a man named Barack Obama put the final girder in the framework for a social network in this country to provide the single most important element of what people need, and that is access to good health," he said. "And that every American from this day forward will be treated with simple fairness and basic justice."

And the bad: "Mr. President, I've gotten to know you well enough that you want me to stop because I'm embarrassing you," said Biden, a hand on the president's arm. "But I'm not going to stop for another minute, Mr. President..."

Biden had a reputation for talking too much -- and occasionally saying the wrong thing -- long before he became vice president; his 2008 presidential run was sunk almost before it began when he called then-candidate Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice looking guy."

But Biden got the gaffes under control as the campaign went on, performing well in debates and eventually winning over Mr. Obama, who was impressed by how working class audiences reacted to Biden. Yet Biden's propensity for saying the wrong thing still troubled the Obama team: When they offered Biden the vice president slot, as John Heilemann and Mark Halperin report in the book "Game Change," they did it on the condition that the gaffe-prone senator stay on script for the campaign.

Joe Biden will never stop being Joe Biden, however, as his apparent swear word and windy introduction this morning demonstrated; instead of keeping the focus squarely on the substance of the bill, which Democrats are trying to convince a skeptical American public is in their best interest, he gave media outlets a new potential gaffe to focus on.

This time around Mr. Obama did not issue the sort of stony look that he offered when Biden made a joke about Chief Justice John Roberts back in January (watch at left), but you can't imagine the president was happy that his #2 had become a distraction on a day that was supposed to be all about the historic passage of health care reform.

Then again, it's not like he didn't know what he was signing himself up for. Quipped John McCain when he heard that Mr. Obama had tapped Biden to be his running mate, according to "Game Change": "Well, good for Joe. But, boy, Obama will never get a word in edgewise now."

More Coverage of Health Care Reform:

Health Care Bill Signed by Obama
Poll: Most Say Health Care Fight About Politics, Not Policy
Poll: Most Give Obama Credit for Health Care Bill
GOP Looks to Courts, Polls to Repeal Health Care Bill
Obama Has Work Cut Out for Him to Sell Health Care Bill
RNC's Steele: Dems Thumbed Their Nose at America
Health Care Reform: Which Party Comes Out on Top?
Marc Ambinder: Nine Events That Led to Passage of Health Care Reform
Mark Knoller: Health Care Debate Shows Ideological Split
The Historic Health Care Push: A Look Back
Rush Limbaugh: "America is Hanging by a Thread"
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

Details of the Bill:
Summary of What's in the Bill
Provisions Which Take Effect in Short-Term
Uninsured? What the New Bill Means for You
Already Insured? Get Ready to Pay More
Calorie Counts Coming to Many Food Menus
College Aid Reform Passes with Health Bill
Read the Text (PDF): Complete Senate Bill | Reconciliation Measure

[gunslug50]

Joe biden, you idiot!, This swearing will haunt you the next election..
As a highest Public Servant you uphold integrity and family value to the highest virtue not display in a egotistic manner.
Seeing that smile to ear to ear like the Joker makes me want to puke all over your suit.
oh,.. your health care reform you were grinning about will only drive US Debts to the ground rapidly, next taking our all private properties will be on the next agenda to pay toward the national debts thus a direction to a One World Socialist. We will all be equally poor in USA...
you are only a "YES" man to the President who himself is in love with his own voice... they talk the talk but can't walk the walk.
I pray that our dollars value don't get weaker and be replace by Euro money.

[babooph]

Wow news of a man swearing--seems the propaganda system hiding the war stuff all these years would be a better story...

[floydp75423]

Due to Vice President Bidens limited vocabulary maybe the Obama Administration can use some of the stimulus money to purchase a good Thesaurus for him.

[NYPD1966]

we have an immoral administration...we all know it
so who cares...they support killing fetuses; lesbian proms; transsexuals in congress; they take oaths on the Koran; they are running up the deficit; raising taxes...etc etc etc..i am so happy that we now have change that we can believe in.

[bobnjersey]

[we have an immoral administration...we all know it
so who cares...they support killing fetuses; lesbian proms; transsexuals in congress; they take oaths on the Koran; they are running up the deficit; raising taxes...etc etc etc..i am so happy that we now have change that we can believe in. ]

and we have a large percentage of the republican party w/ a serious personality disorder ... which uniquely defines their deluded world view ... so maybe you can call it even.

[flsunjnky]

The thing is, that we need not forget what the Republicans have said, like:

?Kevin Brady of Texas predicted rationing was now in store.

?John Linder of Georgia said the legislation would destroy healthcare for the vast majority of citizens.

?Devin Nunes of California slammed Democrats for laying the cornerstone for "socialism" and "totalitarianism."

Hey, let the Republicans live with it.

And they think that they have a shoe in when it comes to the November elections?

HAHAHAHA!!

[retiredgustav]

Unfortunatly for us in Brady's district, it was redrawn in 2004 into a district where he can't loose. He only cares about the Woodlands in Texas and nowhere else. Maybe when the lines get redrawn in 2010 we will get rid of him in East Texas.

[flsunjnky]

When we look at the bill that was passed, it looks like a work in the making.

Moving forward is the reality of this bill. We have take a step.

[ronaldr5-2009]

A step away . . .
What could be more perfect??

[flsunjnky]

You prey on those less fortunate than you. You care about yourself, but do you see others? I think not. Do you think or even care about other Americans that have less than you. I think not.

Go prey.

[flsunjnky]

Well, WEEZEROFOZ, the world embraces our leaders so much more than when your God Bush was President!

Go prey.

[Ron-in-Siberia]

by Leaderless March 23, 2010 9:47 PM EDT
A lot of bidenobama apologists seemed ok with the boorish behaviors.
If it was a Republican, they will be frothing at the mouth with contempt.


Oh yeah? Was it rat Cheney who, on the floor of the Senate, shouted out "go f__cu_k yourself" to a Democrat? At least Biden said what he said in a good spirit and didn't say it publicly - it was picked up by a mike.