All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

Vice President Joe Biden assured Americans that, following the Obama administration's announcement that it will close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, potentially dangerous detainees will not be released within our own borders.

"We won't release people inside the United States because all but one I believe is not an American citizen," Biden said during his 53rd interview (and first as vice president) on CBS' Face The Nation. He told host Bob Schieffer that the release and replacement of these prisoners will be completed within the administration's first year.

Read full post…

"It is worse, quite frankly, than everyone thought it was, and it is getting worse every day," Vice President Joe Biden said about the American economy on CBS' Face The Nation Sunday morning. "There has been no good news," he admitted. Yet he said that "we are off and running" regarding the stimulus package designed by the Obama administration.

"We have already had a lot of bipartisan support," Biden argued, saying that the bill expected to come out of the Senate includes elements to satisfy (or dis-satisfy) both Republicans and Democrats. He argued that there is a "genuine effort here" for bipartisan cooperation.

Read full post…

Robert Gibbs, the future White House press secretary to Barack Obama, discussed the inauguration and whether Vice President-elect Joe Biden was offered the chance to be secretary of state on The Early Show this morning.

Yesterday, Jill Biden said on Oprah that her husband was offered both positions, but the campaign later denied that was the case.

Here's what Gibbs had to say: "Then Senator Obama and then Senator Biden sat down to talk about how Senator Biden could be most helpful to this ticket. They talked about a number of things including staying right here in the Senate. But the one job that then Senator Obama offered then Senator Biden was the offer to be vice president of the United States should they win this election. That's the job that was offered and the one he accepted and the one he'll assume with President Obama today. We're excited about the team we've put together."

Gibbs also said this about the speech today: "I know he's tinkering around with this word and that. But the bulk of it, he cleared his schedule last weekend and spent two full days working on it and writing it… He's excited about the road ahead. He understands the moment that this country's in, and he's anxious to get to work."

You can watch the whole interview below.

---

Click Here For All Of CBSNews.com's Special Inauguration Coverage

---

By CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller

Nearing the end of eight years as Vice President, Dick Cheney bluntly dismissed the frequent suggestion that he was the one calling the shots in the White House.

“It’s an urban legend,” he said. “It never happened.”

In a radio interview with CBS News, Cheney decried reports to the contrary, viewing them as the biggest misimpression about his relationship with President Bush.

“This whole notion that somehow I exceeded my authority here, was usurping his authority, was simply not true.”

Cheney said “there was never any question about who was in charge: it was George Bush and that’s how we operated.”

Asked what the biggest misimpression people have about him, Cheney cracked a smile.

“I’m actually a warm, lovable sort,” he said with tongue in cheek – before conceding he’d have to give that question some additional thought.

Listen to portions of the Cheney Interview:

Cheney: I'll Miss Being VP

Cheney On Career Highlights

Cheney On The VP Job

For more on Knoller's interview with Cheney, including how he feels about being left out of the presidential gathering at the White House today, Click here.

By CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller

This is one of the few times Vice President Cheney has been left out of a big White House event: the big lunch with Barack Obama. But in a radio interview with CBS News, Cheney said he doesn't feel left out.

"No, I'd love to be there, but the Vice Presidents weren't invited." He said today's lunch is "just for the big dogs."

Interviewed in his office by CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller, Cheney did have some advice for Mr. Obama.

"He was rather critical during the campaign of some of the policies we pursued for example in terms of terrorist surveillance or interrogation of terrorist prisoners," said Cheney.

He said those programs "are absolutely essential to maintaining our capacity to interfere with and defeat all further attacks against the U.S."

He urged Mr. Obama "before you start to implement your campaign rhetoric – you need to sit down and find out precisely what it is we did and how we did it."

Cheney said those policies are "vital to keeping the nation safe and secure in the years ahead."

Read full post…