Sen. Joseph R. Biden, D-Del., along with seven other Democratic candidates for president, debated issues such as the Iraq War, Social Security and health care Tuesday night at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
The two-hour debate focused heavily on campaign front-runners Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who both answered more than 10 questions. Biden, on the other hand, answered only five questions.
When asked about the possibility of Iran acquiring highly-enriched uranium to assemble a nuclear bomb and how he would stop Iran's nuclear progress if he were elected president, Biden said the role of the president is to make decisions in the circumstances of which he or she is a part.
"Presidents make wise decisions informed not by a vacuum in which they operate, by the situation they find themselves in the world," he said. "I will do all in my power to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but I will never take my eye off the ball.
"What is the greatest threat to the United States of America - 2.6 kilograms of highly enriched uranium in Tehran or an out-of-control Pakistan?" Biden asked.
He suggested that Pakistan would be the greater danger.
"It's not close," Biden said.
He said he is not running against Clinton, Obama or any of the other Democratic candidates, but rather is running for president to lead the nation.
Biden said he wants to be the leader of the country and put the nation back on track. In doing this, Biden said he would help the country regain the control of the world.
"I'm not running against Hillary Clinton. I'm running to lead the free world," he said. "I'm running to lead this country."
Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, is the least-qualified Republican candidate, according to Biden. He said he would look forward to facing Giuliani in the general elections if both were nominated.
"There's only three things he mentions in a sentence - a noun and a verb and 9/11," Biden said. "There's nothing else, and I mean this sincerely. He is genuinely not qualified to be president."
Education was another issue discussed during the debate.
Biden said he believes American children should be mandated to attend school longer. Sixteen years of required education should be the minimum American children receive, he said.
He also stressed the importance of focusing on eliminating the socio-economic disadvantages of children in inner-city schools.
"We pretend they're the same circumstances as every other kid in America," Biden said. "They start off with half. Half of the education gap exists before they set foot in the first classroom. That should be the focus."
Wes Oliver, law professor at Widener University in Harrisburg, Pa., is a Biden supporter who is currently involved in the candidate's campaign.
Oliver said people typically do not watch the debates but instead focus on sound clips on the news after the debate is over. Often, the issue is who had the best sound byte and not who answered the questions in the most thorough manner. He said Biden, however, did both.
"He somehow is managing, as we go through these debates, to encapsulate some very complex ideas into some wonderful sound bytes," Oliver said.
Pete Romano, a Delaware resident, said he has supported Biden for as long as he can remember. Romano said he arrived in Philadelphia hours before the debate.
He said he has always enjoyed watching Biden during debates because of his attention to detail and the way portrays himself to the public.
One of Biden's major strengths is his ability to bring people together, Romano said. He has actually made policy that has been carried out.
"He can work across party lines and got 75 senators to vote on his last bill," Romano said. "He's very charismatic. He's very real."
Junior Mark Brainard organized a bus trip to bring local residents and college students to Philadelphia to support Biden. He said he has been involved in politics his entire life but going to an event like this was a new experience for him.
Brainard said the night was enjoyable and thought-provoking. His father is involved in Delaware politics and he said the debate reminded him of previous events and rallies, but this experience was unique.
He said if he is able to, he will go to Iowa to support Biden.
"If there's a way to get there, I'll be there," Brainard said.
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our feed
Contact us through email
Be the first to comment on this article!