Vice President Joe Biden announced that he will not run for President in 2016, after concluding that the window for a viable candidacy has closed while he and his family have been grieving the loss of his son, Beau.
Flanked by President Obama and his wife Jill in the White House Rose Garden, the Vice President was quite clear about his reasons for not running, but cautioned that he "would not be silent."
"While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent," Biden declared. "I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully, to influence as much as I can, where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation."
Biden then pointed to President Obama's accomplishments as President over the past seven years. Citing Obama's leadership from "crisis to recovery," Biden then sent a cautionary signal to Democrats.
"This party, our nation, will be making a tragic mistake if we walk away or attempt to undo the Obama legacy. The American people have worked too hard, and we've come too far for that."
Admonishing those candidates who distance themselves from Obama, Biden warned, "Democrats should not only defend this record, and protect this record. They should run on the record."
