Democratic Vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden attacked the Republicans in a speech in Florida, taking on Sen. John McCain, campaign manager Rick Davis, President Bush and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson.
Biden told a crowd of several hundred at a community center:
BIDEN: "I don't think I would run into a single Floridian who would walk up to me and say, 'Joe, the economy is doing great' ... unless I bumped into John or maybe Fred,"
Referring to Bush's speech praising McCain, Biden cast them as the Minnesota Twins.
"George Bush said, quote, 'The man we need is John McCain,' John has earned this endorsement; he's voted with him 90 percent of the time."
Biden also criticized a remark made by Davis that "This election is not about issues -- this election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."
BIDEN: "Not about issues! That means to them this election is not about whether you're able to scrape up the tuition money to send your kid to college. It’s not about whether or not you’re going to fill up your gas tank."
Biden tried to mimic Thompson, who he referred to as "Red October" :
BIDEN: "Fred went there up and said, 'Well, the Democrats are going to raise your taxes. I don't know why we need to give another tax break to Exxon Mobil. Fred, look at me. We’re going to make sure you don’t get another tax break because I’ve going to give a tax break to the people right here in this room."
"If Barack Obama is the agent of surrender, George Bush is signing the surrender papers,"
Biden said.
Off course the WaPo (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/03/biden_takes_on_red_october_tho.html) cannot leave the scene without taking a swipe at Biden by stating that much of his rhetoric in his first solo campaign swing has consisted of passionate and at times rambling defenses. I on the other hand like a number two who fights back. That's something LIE-berman and Edwards lacked in 2000 and 2004. It's something the NYT also noted because they're saying that Biden clearly is relishing his role as combatant and Obama’s envoy to middle America in the campaign.
BTW Biden also threatened to ask Lieberman to go down to the gym with him...