Obama To Nation: Don't Mess With Biden

By: Mark Knoller
Topics: White House

(CBS)

They seem to fancy themselves as something of a "dynamic duo," but President Obama and Vice President Biden are no Batman and Robin. Yet in his address to Congress last evening, Mr. Obama cast Biden as the back end of a good cop/bad cop team.

"Nobody messes with Joe," he said of Biden and his role as overseer of expenditures from the $787-billion dollar economic stimulus package signed into law last week.

"The line came from the president," a senior White House official said. The source said Mr. Obama added it to the text of his speech while doing a rehearsal on Monday. "It is 100 percent Obama, not a staff-written line," the official insisted.

And nobody in the House Chamber seemed to get a bigger kick out of it than did Biden – laughing heartily in the seat occupied for eight years by Dick Cheney, who rarely cracked a smile during a presidential address.

And the vice president was quick to seize on the image of enforcer-in-chief when it comes to the massive amount of government funds contained in the stimulus package.

"I'm gonna be a bit of a pain in the neck," he served notice this morning to Cabinet members at the first round of talks on dispensing money from the stimulus.

"We have to make sure this is done by the numbers, man," Biden said during appearances today on each of the network morning shows. "We have to make sure we know where the money's going."

The Administration is promising unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in spending the stimulus funds. At every opportunity, officials are telling Americans they can check how much of their money is being spent and for what purpose by logging on to a special website. But this morning, Biden had some trouble remembering its name.

Video:
VP Biden Defends Stimulus

After referring to the website on CBS' The Early Show, anchor Maggie Rodriguez asked Biden for the web address.

"You know, I am embarrassed," he said. "You know the website number?" he asked aloud. "You know, I should have it in front of me, and I don't. I'm actually embarrassed."

Rodriquez tried to help him out of the situation, saying she'd get it later – by which time an aide helped the Vice President out.

"It is recovery.gov," he said, "recovery.gov!" It's up and running, he assured us.

Nobody messes with Joe. Or his memory.

(CBS)

Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here.

Mark Knoller
Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent.
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by bigwhtpony February 26, 2009 1:28 PM EST: Reality check for Vice President Joe Biden
KSLA News 12 Headlines More >>

By Fred Childers - bio | email

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - And That rhetorical question to Governor Jindal on the Early Show, was followed with this. "in Louisiana there's 400 people a day losing their jobs, what's he doing?" asks Biden.

But that claim is wrong, if you look at the numbers from the Louisiana Workforce Commission. "In December, Louisiana was the only state in the nation besides the District of Columbia, according to the national press release that added employment over the month," says Patty Granier with the Louisiana Workforce Commission. According to her, not only is Louisiana not losing jobs. "The state gained 3,700 jobs for the seasonally adjusted employment," Granier said of the most recent figures.

BIDEN must be around for comic relief. He is, for sure, a buffoon!; Reply to this comment


by dragonlordd February 26, 2009 9:52 AM EST: I've said this before and I'll say it again, all of you people are ignorant. You expect Oboma to just wave his hand and make it all go away, lets see anyone of you try to do what this man is attempting. over the past few years that republicans have been in office our country fell further and further in to recession. Obomas trying to fix that, but yet just a few weeks in office and you guys are already critisising him.

We just need to give our president a little support and faith, if we help eachother our nation can becone the once great economic empire it once was. (go ahead and post a comment abou this one ;P); Reply to this comment


by wvu74621 February 26, 2009 8:26 AM EST: WONDER TWIN POWERS ACTIVE...FORM OF A MOUNTAIN OF DEBT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!; Reply to this comment


by bigwhtpony February 26, 2009 8:24 AM EST: ?You know, I am embarrassed,? he said. ?You know the website number?? he asked aloud. ?You know, I should have it in front of me, and I don?t. I?m actually embarrassed.?

Why don't they just play calliope music behind this dimwit's appearences? If he were dressed in a clown suit, it couldn't be more appropriate.

Wiat!!! I know!!! Let's put this assclown in charge of handing aout billions of dollars!!!! We're all doomed.; Reply to this comment


by wvu74621 February 26, 2009 7:38 AM EST: Batman and Robin....more like Mutt and Jeff

Posted by mjvwsr at 11:46 AM : Feb 25, 2009
+ report abuse + permalink

More like Dumb and Dumber....Ya wanna hear something really annoying....eeeeeeeeyyyyyaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Is what I hear when the Wonder Twins open their mouths.; Reply to this comment


by mjvwsr February 25, 2009 2:46 PM EST: Batman and Robin....more like Mutt and Jeff; Reply to this comment


by BCW444 February 25, 2009 1:57 PM EST: Or as Katie Couric described him last night....as the White Guy. I thought electing a black president we'd get past the racism but she obviously still holds tight to the black / white stereotype. I'm sure President Obama cringed at that comment by her.; Reply to this comment