Biden Eyes 2008 Presidential Bid

Delaware Democrat Tells Face The Nation He Intends To Run

(CBS/AP)  Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, said Sunday on CBS News' Face The Nation that he intends to run for president in 2008.

But Biden, who also sought the nomination in 1988, said he would give himself until the end of this year to determine if he really can raise enough money and attract enough support.

Going after the nomination "is a real possibility," he said.

"My intention, as I sit here now, is, as I've proceeded since last November as if I were going to run. I'm quite frankly going out, seeing whether I can gather the kind of support," Biden said.

Biden said he was taking his "game on the road, letting people know what I think."

He added, "If, in fact, I think that I have a clear shot at winning the nomination by this November or December, then I'm going to seek the nomination."

Biden dropped out of the 1988 presidential race after a series of disclosures that he had liberally borrowed from other politicians in his stump speeches and after questions about his law school records.

Biden also weighed in on the situation in Iraq on Face The Nation, and he was asked if the administration has been telling Americans the truth about what's going on in that country. He said, "No, they're not telling the truth. ... I think the American people know how tough this is going to be."

"I think the American people, if you lay out a plan and tell them the truth about how hard it's going to be, and why you think it's important, they'll stick," said Biden, who recently visited Iraq for the fifth time.

"I think the administration figures they've got to paint a rosy picture in order to keep the American people in the game. And the exact opposite is happening," said Biden, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Biden said the Iraq border cannot be guarded adequately and the country is turning into a training ground for terrorists bound for other parts of the region. The military is also having difficulty making greater progress securing cities and in generating a counterinsurgency, he said.

"It's nowhere near the last throes," Biden said. "Matter of fact it's getting worse, not better."