CNN Larry King Live-Transcript

Interview

CNN Larry King Live-Transcript

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: Senator Biden, words have, in the past, gotten you in trouble, words that were borrowed and words that some found hateful.

Can you reassure voters in this country that you would have the discipline you would need on the world stage, senator?

BIDEN: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Thank you, Senator Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: One of the great definitive moments in debate history.

Yes.

In a little while, John King will chime in with his thoughts on this.

But Senator Biden, did you think about maybe doing a longer answer?

BIDEN: No, Larry. Look, I mean this is all about the people are going to make up their mind. The media is not going to determine for them whether I talk too much or I'm too candid. They'll make that judgment.

And -- and I'm satisfied with the judgment they'll make. I'm confident.

KING: All right, how do you -- how do you win this thing? What's the strategy? What does Joe Biden do?

BIDEN: Joe Biden demonstrates that he's the only person that has a coherent plan to deal with the single biggest issue facing this country. Iraq is like a big boulder in the road, Larry. Unless we deal with it and settle it without mortgaging our future in that part of the world for a generation, we're not going to have the flexibility to deal with our domestic problems or the credibility to deal with our foreign problems. And I predict to you, everyone is going to come around to my position. You have to separate the parties, let them have their own regions inside a clearly defined government, a clearly defined country with a limited central government. Never in history has it worked any other way. And we are just draining our resources and our blood while we continue to adhere to -- like a number of my colleagues in the stage do tonight -- to this notion that if we leave, somehow the Iraqis are going to get together and they're going to have a strong central government. That is simply not going to happen.

KING: How much money do you have to raise?

BIDEN: Oh, I don't think I have to raise nearly as much money as the frontrunners do. You need to have enough money to compete in the first four contests, Larry. I'm confident we'll be able to do that. And whoever comes out of South Carolina a winner, I think, is going to be the Democratic nominee.

You remember what happened with Kerry. He was in debt. He won New Hampshire, $50 million came over the transom in about 13 days.

This is not going to be a problem of money. It's going to be who of us can connect with the voters of Iowa and Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

KING: Thanks, Joe.

Senator Joe Biden, Democrat of Delaware.

BIDEN: Thank you.

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