If campaign money had poured in and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was nipping at their heels, his fellow Democratic presidential candidates might have been less willing to agree with him. But in recent debates, particularly when questions on foreign policy and the world's trouble spots came up, one rival after another said, in some form, "Joe's right." It happened so often that

"Joe's right" became the heart of a Biden campaign ad.

Biden met with the Monitor editorial board yesterday. Afterward, on the conduct of foreign affairs, the war in Iraq, the right course in Afghanistan, on immigration, energy policy and health care, we found that we too were saying, "Joe's right," or at least more right than most. His depth of knowledge is enriching the debate and providing a reality check - especially when others make promises that Biden's experience tells him they can't keep.
Biden has spent three decades on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and now chairs it. He knows the world's leaders and their nations, and he has long been privy to information most members of Congress, let alone most Americans, never see. That allows him to speak with authority.

The crucial failing of the Bush administration's foreign policy is that the president believes nations can be dealt with in isolation, Biden said. The administration fails to consider the impact our dealings with a nation has on its neighbors, its allies and the region. It also fails to give adequate consideration to the needs and concerns of America's allies. Thus the United States alienated many of them at a time when their help is sorely needed, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan and elsewhere.

Concord Monitor - Joe Biden: a pragmatist rich with experience.