Pro-Abortion Sen. Joe Biden Inches Closer to 2008 Presidential Bid 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 8, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, an abortion advocate, moved closer to making his plans for a presidential bid official. He told a television program on Sunday that he will be setting up an exploratory committee later in the month and he said he could hold his own against better known rivals for the Democratic Party’s nomination.
"I am running for president," he said during an interview. "I will file for an exploratory committee before the month is out."
Biden said he can stand his ground against pro-abortion Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, the two candidates who lead in most polls.
"I’ll be Joe Biden and I’ll try to be the best Biden I can be," he told NBC’s "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "If I can, I have a shot. If I can’t, I lose."
Biden has traveled several times to leading primary states such as New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada and has $3.5 million in his campaign account. Setting up an exploratory committee will allow him to raise more.
Biden ran for president 20 years ago but his candidacy fizzled when revelations surfaced that a campaign speech had been plagiarized. He can obtain a different kind of press during 2007 as the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he plans to hold hearings on Iraq and other issues.
Biden has traditionally scored low marks from the National Right to Life Committee on pro-life legislation, and has a zero percent pro-life voting record in 2006.
He voted to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research, to spend tax dollars supporting organizations that perform or promote abortions in other nations, and voted twice against parental notification before a teenager can have an abortion.
Biden recorded a 0% pro-life voting mark in 2005 and a 17% rating from 2003-2004. He has consistently voted in favor of using taxpayer funds to pay for abortions in various circumstances.
Though he voted in favor of the ban on partial-birth abortions, Biden backed an amendment endorsing the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized unlimited abortions.
The presidency will be up for grabs in 2008 and both Democrats and Republicans will be jockeying for position as the top contender for their party’s nomination.
Other potential Democratic candidates include Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 nominee; former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the vice presidential nominee in 2004; former Vice President Al Gore, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut; and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
