Fox News Channel "Fox And Friends" -Transcript

Interview

Fox News Channel "Fox And Friends" -Transcript

MR. DOOCY: Now joining us for our final talking point, the esteemed senator from the great state of Delaware, Senator Joe Biden.

SEN. BIDEN: Come on. (Laughs.)

MR. KILMEADE: Steve, get over here because we have to talk a little bit about women and song.

What is going on?

First, congratulations on the book.

MS. CARLSON: Good morning. Yes, and congratulations.

SEN. BIDEN: Thank you.

MS. CARLSON: And I just want to say that our makeup person back there, Maureen (sp), said, "Hello, blue eyes," when she saw him. So, you know --

MR. KILMEADE: Is that appropriate?

MS. CARLSON: That was very appropriate

MR. DOOCY: Senator Sinatra.

MS. CARLSON: Yes. She did --

SEN. BIDEN: Right. I wish I could sing. (Laughs.)

MS. CARLSON: Since we're going to be talking about the Romney girls --

MR. KILMEADE: Right.

MS. CARLSON: -- it is appropriate to talk about it.

MR. KILMEADE: Right.

MS. CARLSON: And of course the senator's book, which we're going to talk about in just a minute.

MR. DOOCY: That's right.

MR. KILMEADE: "Promises to Keep."

MR. DOOCY: There's this brand new -- there's this brand new viral video out there on the Internet. We've been talking about the Obama girls -- well, now there's a new one out that questions the integrity of the actual Obama girl. And this particular video that is now out there is in support of -- hold on -- see? There I was.

MS. CARLSON: You're on the video?

MR. DOOCY: Yeah, just for a second.

MS. CARLSON: I told you you were a celebrity.

MR. DOOCY: Yeah, look at that.

So anyway, this is in support of Mitt Romney, as we're going to find at the end.

Senator Biden, when are we going to see the -- when are we going to see the Biden -- (inaudible)?

SEN. BIDEN: I'm not as sexy as those two guys, you know what I mean? I don't --

MS. CARLSON: Apparently in the green room you were. Apparently you were.

SEN. BIDEN: (Laughs.)

MS. CARLSON: But what do you think about all these videos? Because basically all the campaigns out there don't have to pay a dime for these and they're going to the right demographic, are they not?

SEN. BIDEN: Well, you know, it's a little above my pay grade. I'm not sure, to tell you the truth.

MR. DOOCY: (Laughs.)

SEN. BIDEN: I -- it's a different route running for president these days, and maybe that's the route. I don't know.

To tell you the truth, it really is beyond my -- beyond my ability --

MR. KILMEADE: You can't take your eyes off these monitors!

MS. CARLSON: (Laughs.)

SEN. BIDEN: (Inaudible) -- I'm looking to see because to be honest with you, I've not seen the video.

MS. CARLSON: Well, we haven't either. It's brand new today.

SEN. BIDEN: So I'm not sure what I'm responding to.

MR. KILMEADE: But I'll tell you what, this candidacy thing is no -- it's no laboratory. I mean, what you guys and what you women are saying on the stump is affecting things internationally. When Barack Obama says, "If I was president, I'm going to attack Pakistan," there is a near state of emergency in Pakistan about an imminent U.S. attack.

SEN. BIDEN: Well, you know, one of the things that's the hardest thing for everybody to figure out is words matter, and big nations can't bluff. So when you have people who are lined up to be president -- in fairness to Barack, it's one thing for a president to say that; it's another thing for candidates in their campaign to say that. I don't think anybody in Pakistan, which I know pretty well, is likely to think that it's an imminent attack.

But it does raise questions about whether or not the future leader of the United States of America, whoever among us that may be, gets a sense of what's going on.

MS. CARLSON: Yeah, but come on: Isn't it important even if you're only a candidate for president that you have responsibility -- you know that every single thing that comes out of your mouth is going to be taken seriously?

SEN. BIDEN: No, no -- well, no. Don't get me wrong: It is important, but I don't want to overstate it.

The reason why Pakistan's in the trouble it's in right now at this moment with the prospect of there being martial law declared is that Musharraf's got a problem. He wants to figure out how to keep his uniform and keep the presidency. And the moderates in that country are putting a lot of pressure on him to try to take off the uniform or get out of the presidency. And he has a lot of pressure, and he's gaming this a little bit.

MR. KILMEADE: But we kind of want bin Laden.

SEN. BIDEN: (Laughs.) I'd like to get bin Laden.

MR. DOOCY: Senator Biden, we're going to have you stick around through this commercial break.

Once again, his new book is called "Promises to Keep." More with Joe Biden.

(Announcements.)

MR. DOOCY: He was one of the youngest people ever elected to the U.S. Senate and has overcome some of life's biggest hardships. Now he describes these battles in his new book, "Promises to Keep" on life and politics. With us once again is U.S. senator and presidential candidate on the Democratic side, Joe Biden.

Senator, you start your book with a story I did not realize, and that is -- you are one of the finest orators in the U.S. Senate.

SEN. BIDEN: (Laughs.)

MR. DOOCY: And yet, for the longest time as a child, you stuttered.

SEN. BIDEN: I stuttered very badly. I had -- and I had an uncle who lived with us who was a terrible stutterer his whole life. And you know, it teaches you to have a little empathy for people who have some problems. When you stutter and you go up to a beautiful woman like you and say, "Would you l-l-l-like to g-g-go to the prom?" you don't go up and ask her.

I know it sounds silly and everybody laughs about stutterers, but it's --

MS. CARLSON: It doesn't sound silly at all.

SEN. BIDEN: But a stutterer -- people think you can't be smart if you can't speak, et cetera. So I worked like the devil, and I had a lot of help. I had a lot of help -- not professional, which is good to have if you can get it, but from my family and teachers. I went to relatively small Catholic schools -- not because they were Catholic but they were small. And people -- you know, the nuns would say, "But Joey, you're so smart, that's why you can't get the words out quick enough." And you know -- malarkey, but it built confidence, and I was able to overcome it.

MS. CARLSON: Well, your parents also built confidence in you because in your book you talk about that they constantly said to you, "Get up. Get up."

You'd say, "Well, I can't do this."

"Get up."

And other things that have happened to you in your life -- I mean, you've had some tragic events. Your wife and your infant daughter were killed in a car accident when you were only 30 years old.

SEN. BIDEN: Yeah.

MS. CARLSON: And you had to move on as a single father.

SEN. BIDEN: Well, that stuff -- you know, when I wrote this book the one thing I left out was the accident. My publisher said, "Hey, look, you can't leave that out." I mean, it's the hardest part to talk about.

But for a while I was so egocentric I thought I'm the only guy this ever happened to -- you know, this is only me. And you realize after that happens that there's a whole lot of people who have had terrible things happen to them without the kind of help I had.

My sister -- best friend -- my sister and her husband gave up their apartment and moved in. My two sons were badly injured -- they were hospitalized for a long time. I come home, they moved in. Five years later I met the woman I've been married to and in love with for 30 years, and they moved out. So we have an expression in our family: "If you have to ask, it's too late." (Laughter.) And so it's -- I've just been really lucky.

MR. KILMEADE: Can we hold you up for a quick question?

SEN. BIDEN: Sure, of course. Yeah, yeah.

MR. KILMEADE: Because we want to talk a little about what you'll be running on because you're running for president. This is telling your story, but also you have to close the gap quick because they want to put the haves and the have-nots on the Democratic side.

SEN. BIDEN: Yeah. Right. Yeah.

MR. KILMEADE: All right. Let's take a timeout.

(Announcements.)

MR. KILMEADE: We're back with Senator Joe Biden and talking about his brand new book out called "Joe Biden: Promises to Keep".

Why do you want to run for president? How do you plan on closing the gap with the haves and have-nots, because you're trailing?

SEN. BIDEN: I am trailing. But the fact is these polls don't mean anything now. Never once have they mattered at this point. Last time, four years ago, Howard Dean had $50 million, was the guy to beat, was just like it is right now with some of the candidates.

MR. DOOCY: What ever happened to him?

SEN. BIDEN: Well, he's now our leader. (Laughter.)

But people really don't begin to -- all kidding aside, they don't begin to make up their mind until November in this process.

MR. KILMEADE: How long can you stay around financially?

SEN. BIDEN: I can stay throughout the whole -- all I need is $25 million. I'll raise that. You don't need 100 million (dollars).

MR. KILMEADE: How much you got?

SEN. BIDEN: We've raised about 8 (million dollars) or 9 (million dollars) now, though I don't know exactly. My staff will say, "Don't give a number unless you know exactly," but it's $8 million or $9 million. We have full staff. We're going to go up on television in Iowa. So we'll be able to compete.

Look, if you don't do well in Iowa and New Hampshire -- if you have $100 million and you don't do well, you're going to just be a guy with $70 million left and out of the race. So I've got to do well in those places. I think I can. And I really, honest to God believe I will be the nominee because the ideas still matter.

MR. DOOCY: Sure.

Senator, what about the suggestion -- someone said, "You know, the reason Joe Biden's so tough on Barack Obama is because he's trying to help Hillary Clinton because then he'd wind up with a great job in her cabinet."

SEN. BIDEN: (Laughs.) I can say -- look at me. You know that old expression, "read my lips": I will not be anyone's vice president, even if they were to ask me. And I have no desire to be secretary of State in any Democratic administration. I could in fact serve that administration, were I not the president, better as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

MR. KILMEADE: If Rudy Giuliani was to be president, if he was to ask you to be secretary of State, you might consider it.

SEN. BIDEN: Well, absolutely. Rudy, ask me. I mean, I can hardly wait to debate Rudy on national issues. I really mean it. I think he's a very competent guy, but I tell you what, his idea of national security is so far from being able to protect the country. I can hardly wait for the debate.

MS. CARLSON: All right.

MR. KILMEADE: Wow. That's the sound bite we leave the Rudy Giuliani segment with.

MS. CARLSON: Exactly.

Well, Senator Joe Biden from Delaware, great to see you. Good luck on your book.

SEN. BIDEN: Thanks for having me on your show. It's been -- (inaudible).

MR. DOOCY: And JoeBiden.com is where you go to get your t-shirts and stuff like that. (Laughter.)

MS. CARLSON: By the way, the Senator was like, "Wow, you guys have a lot of fun here."

SEN. BIDEN: That's right. You do.

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