Biden's Gaffe

By David Aikman

Ever since he became a senator in the 1970s, Vice President Joe Biden has been famous for his verbal gaffes, a tendency to talk endlessly without much planning at all. Much of the time it has been amusing, fodder for late-night comics.

But at a recent Gridiron Dinner of Washington insiders, Biden foolishly gave away information that is classified secret and could be invaluable to America's adversaries. He revealed the whereabouts of the secret location to which Vice-President Cheney had been sent by the Secret Service after 9/11.

This isn't funny at all. The location may now have to be changed, for security reasons, at great expense to the taxpayer. It's one thing to be loose-lipped as a senator, quite another when you are Vice President.