With intrigue building that he will launch a bid for president, Vice President Joe Biden was in New York Thursday. His speech before a public-private partnership touched on major issues of the day, but not so much on his political future. Josh Robin filed the following report.
The vice president attracted attention, but his speech was less on the 2016 election than on grim headlines: a massacre at an Oregon community college.
Joe Biden says dysfunction in Congress is holding back sensible gun control.
"We're basically the only civilized country in the world where we have these massive murders," Biden said.
Biden also touched on climate change, infrastructure spending, Ukraine and Russia.
"Europe is not enamored with continuing to impose sanctions on Russia because it's costing them some at home," Biden said. "The only reason they are is because the president has been emphatic."
Substantial topics all, but nothing about what comes next for him.
The first nominating contests of the 2016 race are in February. Other candidates have been raising money and organizing for months. So how long can Biden wait?
"I think he's got another one or two months," said Lawrence Mandelker, an attorney specializing in election law. "In the meantime, Hillary Clinton is twisting in the wind. She's going to testify before Congress the end of the month. And he's never going to be more popular than he is now."
The frankest Biden has been is an interview last month with Stephen Colbert, noting the recent death of his son. In the interview, he said, "Nobody has a right, in my view, to seek that office unless they're willing to give it 110 percent of who they are."
Still, even without declaring, Biden is polled in double digits, behind Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Speaking of Clinton, she - and, presumably, her Saturday Night Live impersonator - will appear on SNL's season premiere this weekend.