Joe Biden: I Can't Give Reasons Not to Run
MICHAELA PERIERA, CNN ANCHOR: The last time Curiosity was on earth was back in November of 2011. It's taking on Bingo Gap (ph), a dune, which can be a big issue for a rover. It's like a yard long and 10 -- 10 yards long and a yard high. So that's, like, poised to, like, see if it can make it over.</s>CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: What a name, Bingo Gap (ph), for a place with no life.</s>PERIERA: I'm watching it. A lot of personality in that name.</s>KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, that rover has a lot of personality.</s>CUOMO: It's like earth with an arrow.</s>PERIERA: Can we show it again? It's actually kind of -- here we are. It's like one of those "you are here" maps.</s>BOLDUAN: Right, exactly. You are here.</s>CUOMO: Did we do that? Is that from NASA?</s>PEREIRA: No, that's</s>NASA. CUOMO: That's the best NASA can do?</s>BOLDUAN: Oh, come on.</s>CUOMO: Put more money in that space program.</s>PEREIRA: That's us right there.</s>CUOMO: All I see is the arrow. Anyway, speculation in high gear about whether or not Vice President -- the vice president will run for president in 2016. Now, especially thanks to Kate's interview with the vice president, we have national political reporter for CNN digital Peter Hamby's gonna join us to give analysis on what this could mean for Hillary and the Dems. It's a new day in the race, Peter, given what you're about to hear when Kate asked Biden about running. Here's the Q&A.;</s>BOLDUAN: Other than corvettes, give me another good reason why you shouldn't run.</s>JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can't.</s>BOLDUAN: Yeah?</s>BIDEN: There may be reasons I don't run, but there's no obvious reason for me why I think I should not run.</s>BOLDUAN: Can I have a timetable?</s>BIDEN: Probably the -- realistically, a year this summer.</s>CUOMO: Listen to that. Look, Kate's family to me, Peter, but I got to say he was talking about how he's popular in places the president isn't. I never heard him say that before. He's making a case, you know? He's saying why wouldn't I run? Never mentions Hillary?</s>BOLDUAN: I gotta tell, and you also, Peter, you kind of, from my perspective, you really do -- it's not like you see a man who's in the sunset of his career. Like, he's very fired up. You could see it in his face that he, at least today, knows he has a lot more to contribute. And look, he may not run, but he was making a pretty strong pitch at least to me. What do you think?</s>PETER HAMBY, CNN DIGITAL: Yeah, no, and first of all, really nice work on this interview, Kate. This is absolutely Biden leaning in harder to 2016 than he has at any point so far. Look, I think Joe Biden thinks that there's no reason for him not to run as he mentioned. He has a long career in the Senate, in the White House. He can get out in Iowa, go to parades, talk about his career and not necessarily inflict a lot of intraparty damage. What was interesting to me also is that he said he would wait until next summer, which to me strikes me as way too late. Look, if these guys are going to get in and run for president, whoever it is, challenging Hillary Clinton, they really have to start laying groundwork. They have to raise money and hire staff and recruit volunteers in these early states. By the time next summer rolls around, we're talking five or six months till the Iowa caucuses, that was the only part that struck me as a little odd. But look, this is absolutely Biden making clear, as Chris mentioned, he's kind of and the same playing field as the president. And secondly, trying to articulate a little bit of a rationale for why he should run. So this is really fascinating to me, guys.</s>BOLDUAN: Absolutely. And when he was laying out kind of there -- there are two things that he cares about most. when he mentioned the foreign policy issue, that is him really making a case for why he has the chops to run. And because it's going counter to what all the speculation has been to this point. It's always been Hillary Clinton and them. And Joe Biden is now saying it's Joe Biden and other people I think. That's what I heard from that interview.</s>HAMBY: Yeah, no, I think that's right. Look, I spent some time recently in Iowa and New Hampshire. Clinton's name comes up more than anybody else's. But Biden's comes up second. Frankly, he's the second most famous person in the Democratic field. The interesting thing that you don't hear out there on the trail these days, you know, the early trail at least, you hear a lot of people talking about the economy, the economy, the economy, the economy. You don't hear a lot about foreign policy these days.</s>BOLDUAN: That's a very important point.</s>HAMBY: It's just not really a resonate thing. Right, but that's still Biden's strike zone. That's what he likes talking about. He did also mention in the interview he likes sticking up for the little guy. That, frankly, populous message that he's so good at is really what's going to be an asset for him. And look, I think you're going to see that a little bit coming up in 2014. Recall in 2010, Joe Biden and Bill Clinton, frankly, could go into parts of the country like Youngstown, Ohio, for example, where the president wasn't so popular, but Joe Biden could talk to those white working class voters. He really does have a rapport with that segment of the Democratic base, with, you know, labor, with independent voters. So if he starts to stick to that message, I think that's probably going to be a more potent one for him looking out to 2016.</s>CUOMO: And if there's a guy who's going to say no to the party when they come and say, you know, "The reason you can't run, Joe, is because you can't win. We're putting all our money and all our assets on Hillary," would be Joe. And this was my only little conspiracy theory I had watching your interview. I know he loves cars. He's loved cars for a long time. Hillary Clinton says she hasn't driven since 1997.</s>BOLDUAN: I was thinking that, too. CUOMO; He says, "I know all about cars and zero to 60 foot times. I'm the real guy. I'm like you." We want the best of us when we elect somebody, but we want them to be us. It was interesting contrast there. So I'm saying -- I'm not saying it was intentional. But it came up in this really revealing interview. Peter, thank you very much. Appreciate the insight.</s>BOLDUAN: Thanks, Peter.</s>HAMBY: Thanks, guys.</s>BOLDUAN: Let's take another break. Coming up next on NEW DAY, the stunning arrest of a firefighter caught on tape. Why was he handcuffed by police while he was trying to rescue people? Details straight ahead.</s>CUOMO: Plus, oh boy, what a night for Jay Leno. If you're going to go out, this is the way to do it, 22-year run as the "Tonight Show" came to an end with the emotion and how he made some humor out of it. He had some good last laughs at the network that you're going to want to hear.</s>JAY LENO, HOST, "TONIGHT SHOW": I don't like good-byes. NBC does. I don't --