Biden declares 2008 presidential bid

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., announced Wednesday he will run for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, his second try since 1988.

Speaking on ABC's "Good Morning America," Biden joked that he is now "the 800th candidate" to announce his intentions, joining an already crowded field.

He said he would skip the exploratory committee phase after filing papers with the Federal Election Commission. "I'm not exploring. I'm in. And this is the beginning of a marathon," he said.

The 62-year-old Biden won election to the Senate in 1972 when he was 29 years old. He now chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and has been one of President George Bush's most outspoken critics on handling the war in Iraq.

In his interview, he acknowledged Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., was ahead of other Democratic presidential hopefuls.

"She is fully qualified to be president," he said, but quickly added he thinks he has the most experience.

Biden ran for president in 1988 but dropped out when it was learned he had adopted a speech written for a British Labor politician.