Biden won't serve as secretary of state

Joe Biden is complaining that his foes keep saying he'd be a great secretary of state.

Nothing wrong with that job, he says, but he's running for president. And if he'd be better at foreign policy than his rivals, well, why in the world shouldn't he be president instead of them?

Biden, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is widely expected to be on the short list for secretary of state if one of his Democratic rivals wins the White House. Maybe if a Republican wins, too.

But he said Thursday, speaking at a forum on Iraq: "Under no administration will I accept the job of secretary of state."

A voter had asked the Delaware senator what he would do to restore U.S. credibility in the world.

"That's the president's job," he said. "I know a lot of my opponents out there say I'd be a great secretary of state. Seriously, every one of them. Do you watch any of the debates? 'Joe's right, Joe's right, Joe's right.'"

"I ask you a rhetorical question: Are you prepared to vote for anyone — at this moment in our history — as president who is not capable of being secretary of state? Who among my opponents would you consider appointing secretary of state? Seriously. Think about it."

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Compiled by Philip Elliott.