In Florida, Joe Biden sells Iran deal, avoids talk of 2016
Vice President Biden did not discuss the 2016 election when he spent three hours on Thursday with about 30 members of South Florida's Jewish community, reports CBS News correspondent Julianna Goldman.
Instead, Biden focused on selling the administration's nuclear deal with Iran to an audience that has greeted it with skepticism. The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, was present, and she has not decided how she'll vote when the deal comes before Congress.
According to the New York Times, she told the attendees before Biden spoke, "I am never afraid to stand alone, when necessary, to stand on principle ... This is a decision not only to be made based on your head ... but one that will be made based on my Jewish heart."
Biden emphasized his history of standing by the security interests of Israel, the Times reports, and he suggested foes of the deal are peddling falsehoods. He also emphasized the importance of the U.S. following through on an internationally-negotiated deal, saying, "Just imagine what would happen to our influence, guys, when the president cannot deliver on an agreement that the world -- this is not a bilateral agreement -- that the world thinks is important."
During a question-and-answer session that was closed to reporters, one attendee voiced a desire for Biden to run for president, but the vice president did not acknowledge the talk of 2016, Goldman reports.
Hillary Clinton remains the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in 2016, but the continued controversy over her use of a private email server has left some Democrats seeking a contingency plan if she falters.
Biden has been meeting with his political advisers and sounding out prominent Democrats about a bid. He's expected to make a decision sometime this month.