That is the teaser headline in an article in today’s NJ — VP Biden: Beau doesn’t want to run.
Vice President Biden sat down for an interview with Harry Themal (ed. fixed spelling) and at then end, Themal reports this exchange:
Our conversation ended with a surprising request from the vice president as he hurried off to a national security meeting. Spontaneously, he turned to the possible Delaware senatorial campaign of his son Beau.
Biden: “If you run into Beau, talk him into running; he respects you.”
Me: “I don’t think he wants to run, though.”
Biden: “I don’t think he does either. I know he doesn’t want to. … I’m so proud of the job he’s done [as attorney general].”
Me: “Would you campaign for him [against Republican Mike Castle]?”
Biden: “Hell, yes. I told him I’d give him my sixth-born grandchild.”
Biden’s recent campaign finance report doesn’t show alot of activity, certainly not of the level needed to run a Senatorial race. And here we have his dad asking a NJ editor to talk to Beau. This definitely seems to comport with the read alot of people have made of Beau’s status — he still hasn’t gotten totally behind being in the family business, even though alot of people have been pushing him in that direction.
And frankly, if his heart isn’t in it, he shouldn’t run.
So you read the tea leaves — what do you think is going on here?
UPDATED to include this link that commenter newsjournalsucks provides below to a piece by Chris Cilizza at the WaPo — where Biden’s office says that Themal misreported the exchange above. They claim that it was about getting Themal to convince Ted Kaufmann to run. Which the Vice President would not do if he was really certain that Beau would run, right?
UPDATE2 — again, thanks to commenter newsjournalsucks below. Politico also reports on the transcript provided from the VP’s office of the Themal interview. Then, the News Journal changes the on-line title of their article to — VP Biden on the Senate’s “lamentable atmosphere” and lists this correction with the article:
An earlier version of Harry Themal’s column incorrectly said Vice President Biden said his son, Attorney General Beau Biden, did not want to run for the U.S. Senate. Vice President Biden was referring to Sen. Ted Kaufman, who currently holds the seat and has said he will not run for the seat in the November election.
They also deleted the text above supposedly quoting VP Biden.