Put former Rep. Barney Frank down as a Democrat not backing a potential Joe Biden for president campaign.
In an interview to promote his new biography, the retired Massachusetts lawmaker slapped Vice President Biden as somebody who “lacks discipline” and is “his own worst enemy.”
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He was talking Ora.tv’s PoliticKING with Larry King when the host offered some names to see what Frank would say.
KING: Let’s throw out some names at you. You’re not running anymore, you can say anything. Well you always said anything anyway.
FRANK: Thank you Larry.
KING: Joe Biden.
FRANK: Talented and lacks discipline. Joe’s his own worst enemy. He’s a very bright guy. Very good values. You know early on he said correctly, people dismissed him, we ought to divide Iraq into 3 sections a Sunni section, a Shia section and a Kurdish section. People said no, no, no. That was the best idea and they should do it still but it’s happened de facto. But he just, he can’t keep his mouth shut or his hands to himself. It’s out of good intentions but I think he has unfortunately diminished people’s perception of his abilities.
Biden has a well-deserved reputation for speaking frankly, sometimes too much so, and has caught flack for being too touchy, most recently with wife of Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
