On the day he should have enjoyed (free) media coverage of his Big Announcement (as he promised Tim Russert 3 weeks ago (yawn), he wants to be President), he managed to make what was widely perceived as a racist comment about Barack Obama. He also dissed Hillary Clinton, calling her Iraq plan a "disaster." While few politicians can re-constitute themselves and run for President every 20 years, Biden has made the most of his time in the U.S. Senate representing Delaware. Biden has racked up seniority and alliances in the U.S. Senate, building his fan base, but also providing fodder for his detractors. The late, great Ann Richards might have said, Joe Biden was "born with a silver foot in his mouth." Leaving aside his opening day gaffes, Biden has tendency to talk like he really enjoys the sound of his own voice. The tapes released today only further that perception. His comments about Obama are clearly intended exactly as they sound, and as Obama himself eventually retorted, they are inaccurate in the extreme as related to African American politicians/candidates. Biden blathers on his typical overtalking manner that an African American who is articulate, clean, attractive, etc. is a rarity, which does nothing if not further outrageous stereotypes. They are simply not something that you can apologize for, because they betray (or give the perception of betraying) a perspective that finds the articulate African-American to be a rarity, something unique, worth mentioning, and thus reveals the speaker as most assuredly not color blind. Or at the very least, lacking the discipline to choose his words carefully. Words matter when you're President. I'm sorry, Joe. There is simply no chance that you can be taken seriously in this primary process with such amateur league opening missteps.

There is a reason Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are in the lead, while Biden is an obscure, in his own words, "the 800th candidate" to announce.... Save us the pain, save the donors their money. Withdraw now.

(Below, as further evidence, are Biden's awkward comments made this summer and caught on video by C-SPAN in which he offers a strange observation about Indian-Americans, 7-11 and Dunkin Donuts in his home state of Delaware.)