What Has Biden Done as Senator?

Last week I promised to continue providing resume information for the 2008 Presidential election candidates. We started with Gov. Sarah Palin, in part because everyone seemed to be so surprised by her pick as Sen. John McCain's running mate. Now, let's look at Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Barack Obama's VP pick. Don't worry, it's in bite-sized bits.

Educational Background. Biden attended the University of Delaware, where in 1965 he obtained a double major after studying history and political science for 4 years. He then studied law for 3 years and obtained his law degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 1968.

Public Service. Two years after graduating from law school, Biden was elected to the New Castle County Council, where he served from 1970-1972. At age 30, Biden took office as a U.S. Senator, representing Delaware, becoming the the fifth-youngest senator in U.S. history. He has won additional terms easily, usually with about 60% of the vote. He is considered one of the least wealthy members of the Senate, with a net worth somewhere between $59,000 and $366,000.

Sen. Biden Legislation. Sen. Biden has been involved in crafting many federal crime laws over the last decade, including the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, also known as the Biden Crime Law. He also crafted the landmark Violence Against Women Act of 1994, designed to combat domestic violence and to provide billions of dollars in federal funds to address gender-based crimes.

Sen. Biden on Foreign Relations. Biden is also a long-time member and current chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. His efforts to combat hostilities in the Balkans in the 1990 influenced presidential policy. He called Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic a "war criminal" and pressed for investigating war crimes. His record on foreign relations is too extensive to list here. But it has been a primary focus for more than 30 years. For more detail, remember you can check http://www.votesmart.org/.

Sen. Biden on the Environment. Sen. Biden has co-sponsored the "Sense of the Senate" resolution calling on the U.S. to take part in the United Nations climate negotiations and the Boxer-Sanders Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act", the most stringent climate bill in the Senate.

Look at Joe Biden's writings and consider the range of his expertise in matters important to this election:

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (2007). Promises to Keep. Random House. ISBN 9781400065363.

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (2001-07-24). Administration’s Missile Defense Program and the ABM Treaty: Hearing Before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. U.S. Government Printing Office.

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (2002-02-12). Examining The Theft Of American Intellectual Property At Home And Abroad: Hearing before the Committee On Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. U.S. Government Printing Office.

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (2002-08-01). Hearings to Examine Threats, Responses, and Regional Considerations Surrounding Iraq: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 0756728231.

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (September 2003). Strategies for Homeland Defense: A Compilation by the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. Diane Publishing. ISBN 0756726239.

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (2001-07-08). Putin Administration's Policies toward Non-Russian Regions of the Russian Federation: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. U.S. Government Printing Office.

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (2001-09-05). Threat of Bioterrorism and the Spread of Infectious Diseases: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. U.S. Government Printing Office.

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (2002-02-27). How Do We Promote Democratization, Poverty Alleviation, and Human Rights to Build a More Secure Future: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 0756724783.

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (January 2003). Political Future of Afghanistan: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. Diane Publishing. ISBN 0756730392.

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (January 2003). International Campaign Against Terrorism: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. Diane Publishing. ISBN 0756730414.

Biden Jr., Joseph R. (2002). Halting the Spread of HIV/AIDS: Future Efforts in the U.S. Bilateral & Multilateral Response: Hearings before the Comm. on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. Diane Publishing. ISBN 0756734541.

Biden Jr., Joseph R.; Jesse Helms (April 2000). Hague Convention On International Child Abduction: Applicable Law And Institutional Framework Within Certain Convention Countries Report To The Senate. Diane Publishing. ISBN 0756722500.

Nicholson, William C. (ed.) (2005). Homeland Security Law and Policy, with a foreword by Joseph Biden, C. C Thomas. ISBN 0398075832.

Here you have it. An abbreviated resume for Sen. Joe Biden. Do you think he would be qualified to serve as Vice President and to step in as President if necessary?

I plan to compile a side-by-side comparison of Sen. Joe Biden's qualifications with Gov. Sarah Palin's qualifications in light of the Vice Presidential responsibilities. Watch for the postings!

In the meantime, I invite your comments and contributions!

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Source: Joe Biden - Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden