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Race Gaffe Hits Democrat Presidential Campaign

A Democratic presidential candidate last night apologised for describing Senator Barack Obama as the “first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean”.

Joe Biden said: “I deeply regret any offence . . . I may have caused. That was not my intention and I’ve expressed that to Senator Obama.”

He was forced to say sorry on the same day that he began his candidacy — 20 years after his last run at the White House imploded after he was caught plagiarising Neil Kinnock, then the Labour leader. Mr Biden spent most of yesterday struggling to keep his latest campaign on track after making remarks that appeared to confirm a reputation for talking first and thinking later.

Only last year he was in trouble again for saying: “You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.”

Mr Biden said that he had spoken to Mr Obama, a rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, who had told him: “ ‘Joe, you don’t have to explain anything to me’ . . . he understands what I meant — this is a very special guy.”

Asked what he did mean by saying that Mr Obama was “clean”, Mr Biden said: “He’s fresh, new, smart, insightful. Lightning in a jar.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-2578277,00.html

I was reading this article about Obama today and thinking he reminded me of someone from history--and with good reason... (*The answer is inside.)