The Note: Clean as a Whistle

— -- WASHINGTON, Feb.1

Just what the 2007 presidential campaign needed -- a little bathos, a little poetry, a little offensive language and a little exposed Achilles Heel.

Biden's blunderbluss, bungled blow is not just any old campaign gaffe -- although it did follow the textbook Drudge-to-Rush-to-cable news-to-network TV-to-late-night-TV cycle, albeit at lightening speed.

Biden's undoing was an unforced error, out of his own mouth, on the first day of his campaign, as the embodiment of what 99 Senators and all of his campaign advisers possessed with the tools of reason and hearing knew (KNEW!!) would cause him trouble above all else.

So while there is no precise parallel (many of the candidates like to jabber, but Biden is in a category by himself), the comparable moves would be as follows:

Hillary Clinton saying on the first day, "I would look to Bill constantly."

Barack Obama saying on the first day. . . exactly what Biden said, but in the first person.

John Edwards saying on the first day, "Not having a real job anymore means I have the time to do this right."

John McCain saying on the first day, "The way forward on Iraq starts with Iran and ends with North Korea."

Mitt Romney saying on the first day, " No, I won't take my orders from Joseph Smith -- they'll come direct from the Angel Moroni."

Rudy Giuliani saying on the first day, "A man's personal life and character has nothing to do with the job of the Presidency."

Chris Dodd saying on the first day, "Just like Joey Liebs, I. . . "

Tommy Thompson saying on the first day: "Working for the president was satisfying, even though he didn't know my name and the press forgot I was still there. But I loved having a driver. HE knew my name. Oh, yessir!"

Mike Huckabee saying on the first day, "As soon as I get the big chair, I'll be able to eat whatever I want. State dinner equals all-you-can-eat buffet."

Tom Vilsack saying on the first day, "I LOVE these jokers who jet in wearing L.L. Bean crap and think they know what it means to be a Hawkeye."

Wes Clark saying on the first day, "If you liked General Haig, you'll REALLY salute General Clark."

Sam Brownback saying on the first day, "The new 11th commandment is, 'Vote for the REAL Republican -- me.' "

Newt Gingrich saying on the first day, "I can no longer deny the nation my brilliance. Electnewt.com. Deal with it!"

Bill Richardson saying on the first day, "This isn't about ego."

Jim Gilmore saying on the first day, "We'll bring back the Confederacy, but we'll call it a 'free trade zone.'"

Dennis Kucinich saying on the first day, "I'm in it to win it."

With all eyes on his pretty little mouth, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) presides over the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on "Securing America's Interests in Iraq: The Remaining Options" at 9:15 am ET with former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft and former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. Sen. Biden also participates in a webcast call with national supporters at 8:00 pm ET.

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports Sen. Biden indicated at the hearing this morning that he is signing on with the Warner nonbinding anti-surge resolution.

The Democratic National Committee kicks off its winter meeting today. The Resolutions Committee meets at 3:00 pm ET and the Rules & Bylaws Committee takes up the DNC's "bonus delegate" program for a vote. The program is aimed at rewarding those states who buck the front-loading trend and move their nomination contests later than currently scheduled in 2008.

Senate Democratic leaders Reid, Durbin, Schumer, and Murray hold a pen and pad briefing on Iraq at 12:15 pm ET. Earlier in the day, Democratic Sens. Murray, Brown, and Tester talk about body armor at 10:15 am ET.

The Senate is expected to vote on a minimum wage increase today.

President Bush delivered remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast at 8:00 am ET at the Hilton Washington Hotel in Washington, DC. Also, this morning, Mr. Bush signed the Presidential Proclamation in Honor of American Heart Month in the Oval Office. President was scheduled to join First Lady Laura Bush for a meeting on child fitness in the Roosevelt Room at 9:40 am ET.

Mrs. Bush later delivers remarks at the Women's Day Red Dress Award Presentation at 6:00 pm ET in the Stone Rose Lounge of the Time Warner Center in New York City.

Former President Bill Clinton plans to address House Democrats at their winter retreat in Williamsburg, VA. The event is closed to the press.

The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of Gen. George Casey for reappointment to the grade of general and to be Army chief of staff at 9:30 am ET.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence holds a hearing on the nomination of Michael McConnell to be director of national intelligence at 2:30 pm ET.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney travels to New Hampshire today. At 9:15 am ET he was scheduled to deliver remarks at the Health Care Policy Forum at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. Gov. Romney and son Craig Romney visit with the Thompson family of Mount Cube Farm in Orford, NH at 11:00 am ET. Then at 1:40 pm ET, they meet with the local residents of Lancaster, NH at the Cabot Motor Inn, and "drop by" Lowe's General Store in Randolph, NH at 3:00 pm ET. The Romneys end the day visiting with the local residents of Shelburn, NH at the Town and Country Inn at 5:15 pm ET.

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani attends a cocktail reception and dinner with the Mayor of Houston at the Houstonian Hotel.

Politics of Iraq: Warner resolution embraced:
Los Angeles Times' Noam Levey writes that Sen. Warner's announcement that he was amending his nonbinding Iraq resolution to say that the Senate "disagrees" with the president's troop increase, while also adding that he would add in clauses opposed to cutting off funding for the troops is designed to win over more Republicans. LINK

"The revised resolution would express the Senate's opposition to the troop increase but would vow to protect funding for the troops. The resolution does not include the Democratic language saying the Bush plan is against the national interest, but it also drops an earlier provision by Warner suggesting Senate support for some additional troops," report the Washington Post's Shailagh Murray and Jonathan Weisman. LINK

The fact that the House might take up the Warner language cleanly is not good news for the White House. (The Hill's Jonathan Kaplan explores the varied Iraq resolutions that House Democrats might propose in opposition to President Bush's "escalation" plan. LINK)The New York Times' Carl Hulse looks at Sen. Warner and the debate he has found himself in the middle of after he proposed "a bipartisan resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq in more muted terms than one broadly backed by Democrats."LINK

Bloomberg News on the same: LINK

Bloomberg News' Tony Capaccio Notes that some lawmakers think President Bush and the Pentagon are playing "fast and loose" with funding requests for Iraq and Afghanistan, with Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member -- Sen. John Warner -- expecting "enhanced scrutiny" of Bush's $100 billion proposal. LINK

Pelosi politics:
Claimeth the Washington Times: Speaker Nancy Pelosi is seeking Bush Administration support for military aircraft to transport her and her (political) family back and forth from San Francisco to Washington. LINK

2008: Democrats: Biden:
Joe Biden's presidential campaign got off to a "memorable start, not the kind he really wanted," said ABC News' Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America."

ABC News' Jake Tapper Noted on GMA that Biden may have set a record for the shortest amount of time in presidential campaign history from announcement to apology for offending a minority group.

"In a year when we have so many firsts, it's important for candidates to know how to talk about these firsts and to understand the new dynamics in American politics," said Democratic strategist Donna Brazile in Tapper's GMA piece.

ABC News' Stephanopoulos told Robin Roberts that Biden was "starting out at 1% in the polls and this is not a great first impression." Stephanopoulos went on to say that Biden advisers "concede this was a blow and that he needed to make a much better first impression. . . it really did hurt him."

Stephanopoulos also said that the life cycle of these controversies are usually a bit longer. Biden's went "gaffe, firestorm, apology, go joke about it on late night TV" all within 12 hours.

"In an ironic way this may have helped Barack Obama. . . He was doing poorly among the African American community because a lot of people didn't know he was black," added Stephanopoulos.

Under a "Biden Stumbles at the Starting Gate" header, the Washington Post's Dan Balz reports that Obama issued a statement that absolved Biden "only in part."LINK