JOE BIDEN

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Just 29 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate in an upset, Joe Biden of Delaware now has been there longer than any other presidential candidate as he tries for the second time to move up to the White House. His first bid in 1988 was famously derailed by a plagiarism scandal, and he still has a tendency to talk too long and make verbal gaffes. But his long-honed policy smarts have led to debate performances so well-received that his campaign puts together clip reels of the other Democratic candidates on stage saying, "Joe is right."

BIRTHDAY: Nov. 20, 1942 (65) HOMETOWN: Wilmington, Del. RELIGION: Roman Catholic

FAMILY: First wife and infant daughter died in a car crash shortly after he was first elected to the Senate; Biden nearly resigned, but commuted from Delaware every day instead to be with his two young sons. Married to second wife since 1977; they have a daughter. Son Beau Biden is attorney general of Delaware.

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, University of Delaware, 1965; law degree, Syracuse University College of Law, 1968

EXPERIENCE: Lawyer; senator from Delaware, 1973-present; chairs Senate Foreign Relations Committee

YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW: Not helping his image as a blowhard, Biden likes to recite the works of Irish poets on the Senate floor.

CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL WEB SITE WWW.JOEBIDEN.COM

DECISION TO RUN:

Biden believes his vast foreign-policy expertise makes him the only candidate who can get the United States out of Iraq properly.

MAJOR THEMES:

Proposes a "soft partition" of Iraq to create political stability by separating conflicting factions; says an experienced politician is necessary because the next president "is going to have no margin for error."

IN NEVADA:

Has spent six days in the state and opened a Las Vegas office. Endorsed by state Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, and the Southern Nevada local of the plumbers and pipefitters union.

IN THE POLLS

NATIONALLY

Polls in the low single-digits among Democratic partisans.

NEVADA

The Review-Journal’s last poll of likely Democratic caucus-goers found 4 percent were for Biden, a number less than the margin for error and good for fifth place.

POSITIONS

WAR/NATIONAL SECURITY

Biden’s plan to split Iraq into three semi-autonomous zones with a weak central government is the No. 1 topic of his campaign. He says it makes him the only candidate who has answered the crucial question of what will happen to Iraq after American troops leave. Perhaps the Senate’s top expert on foreign policy, Biden recently got an overwhelming majority for a bill advancing his Iraq plan. He blames his "mistake" vote to authorize the war on naively trusting the Bush administration when he shouldn’t have.

HEALTH CARE

Would convene a national summit of business, labor and government within 90 days of taking office to get started on universal health care. Would start by expanding existing programs to cover all children, then begin an effort to also provide coverage for all adults.

IMMIGRATION

Supports a comprehensive approach that toughens border security while creating a means for current illegal immigrants to get legal status, including citizenship. Opposes driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants.

NEVADA ISSUES

Opposes the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and voted against it in the Senate, but supports possible expansion of nuclear power.

ENERGY

Supports binding international pacts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a domestic cap-and-trade system. Favors increasing vehicle fuel-economy standards and providing incentives for the development of renewable energy.

TAXES

Would get rid of President Bush’s tax cuts and tax breaks for oil companies.

CRITICS

The Bush administration rejects Biden’s Iraq plan, despite its bipartisan popularity, as unworkable and divisive. The 1987 incident in which he was caught on tape repeating a speech by a British politician continues to dog him, as do remarks he made shortly after launching his current campaign. His description of rival Barack Obama as "the first mainstream African American (candidate) who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy" was considered racially offensive. Biden’s biggest problem is not criticism, but an inability to stand out in a crowded Democratic field.