WASHINGTON — Who's missing from this latest round of Capitol Hill crises? Joe Biden.
In prior budget battles, the vice president has ridden to the rescue, striking last-minute deals with his former colleague, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. But with the government partially shut down and a possible debt ceiling crisis around the corner, Biden is keeping a low profile.
"He's in the loop on all of this stuff," an administration official said of Biden.
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Politico reported Tuesday that Reid urged Obama to exclude Biden from the fight over raising the nation's debt limit.
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Biden has been at Camp David, Md., this weekend as Congress has grappled with various proposals to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling ahead of an Oct. 17 deadline.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told CBS' Face The Nation on Sunday, "Maybe we need to get Joe Biden out of the witness protection program."
Biden's staff declined comment and Reid's staff did not respond to requests for comment.
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Donna Brazile, a political analyst and vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said she doesn't buy the notion that Biden has been "shut out," especially when he's been involved in all internal meetings.
"I haven't found any evidence that Joe Biden has become a shrinking violet," she said, laughing.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/10/13/biden-mostly-out-of-sight-during-shutdown-showdown/2968373/Do they think we're all stupid? Biden is following Hillary's playbook in keeping a low profile because he has presidential ambitions. God forbid!
