Bill Clinton Tells Iowans He Opposed Iraq From Start

Supporter Presses Biden To Trumpet Achievements

ALLISON, Iowa -- It was an unusual moment for anyone who knows Sen. Joe Biden. The man was speechless.

Midway through a 90-minute session in a library in this farming town, J.R. Ackley, who owns an insurance business in Marble Rock, noted that the top three Democrats in the field, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama and former senator John Edwards, have short Senate r¿sum¿s compared to Biden, elected in 1972.

"It's like three witches sitting around arguing about who's ugliest," Ackley said. "Hillary Clinton, her claim to fame is she's spent time in the White House. Why haven't you taken these guys on head-on? I understand it's hard, but the disparity of experience and ability is so great, it's not even funny. And yet they're the ones getting all the press."

Most Democrats at the back of the pack, Biden included, have avoided taking shots at the front-runners. As Ackley, wearing a Biden T-shirt, egged on his candidate, Biden stood at the front of the room, head lowered in his hands, face reddening.

"Thank you for your assessment of my capabilities," he responded. "I admit I've been reluctant. My career in public life and the way I've run all the time is, I've run based on what I am and what I can do, not what the other guy is or isn't."

Biden went on to discuss many of his rival candidates, staying positive, as he said he would -- "John, I love John," he said of Edwards, calling Obama a "great guy" and praising the "really good work" done by Clinton.

-- Shailagh Murray