Big Joe Biden: Telling the truth with his foot in his mouth

On Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden attempted to explain why the much-ballyhooed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a.k.a. The Stimulus) -- has failed to completely fix the American economy in the four months since its passage. Admitting that "We and everyone else misread the economy," Biden said that "there was a misreading of just how bad an economy we inherited." Biden noted that the package hasn't had time to work, and suggested that it is "premature" to discuss a second stimulus.

In some ways, Biden is the perfect person to make this announcement. Initially perceived as a liability, somewhere along the road to election, he morphed into the most valuable of all possible running mates: a truth-telling court jester. Littering his speeches with bizarre critiques of his own position on the ticket and statements that seemed to be thinly-veiled threats against his running mate, Biden appeared to be running a circus sideshow of his own. While Obama kept the focus on the shortcomings of the Bush administration, Biden seemed determined to keep attention riveted upon the failings of a potential Obama administration.