Biden Scoffs At Poll Figures, Remains Optimistic

Oskaloosa, Ia. - Delaware Sen. Joe Biden told potential caucusgoers that his campaign was still very much alive, and that despite consistent single-digit polling numbers that keep him in fifth place, the only poll that counts takes place tonight.

"There's an old expression attributed to Mark Twain," Biden opened to a crowd of about 80 at the Pepper Tree restaurant on the outskirts of town on Wednesday. "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."

In a speech full of analogies, Biden called those in attendance the final jury for his closing argument, adding that the race remains "wide open," regardless of the three front-runners, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

The 35-year veteran senator added that he would be the only Democratic nominee to take on any Republican on foreign policy issues. He cited the mistakes of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who is said to have lost the 2004 presidential election to President Bush because of a lack of emphasis on foreign policy, something Biden has consistently touted throughout the past several months in Iowa.

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