Joe Biden on Chris Dodd: He's 'Getting the Living Bejesus Beat Out of Him!'

If there's one thing we can say about Vice President Joe Biden, it's that he calls 'em like he sees 'em. For better or worse, mincing words has never been in the veep's skill set.

So set him loose in Connecticut to talk about his longtime friend Sen. Chris Dodd, and you just know you'll get some colorful quotes.

Biden went to the Nutmeg State Friday to help Dodd raise cash for his persistently difficult 2010 re-election bid. Only yesterday, the Cook Political Report took the unusual step of rating the Senate race "leans Republican," and wrote, "Dodd is about as unelectable as unindicted incumbents get."

To add insult to injury, Dodd had to skip his own fundraiser Friday, remaining in Washington to vote on appropriations legislation, instead of joining Biden at the Hartford luncheon.

According to the Hartford Courant, Biden did not let Dodd's absence from the event dampen his enthusiasm for his buddy. A few choice quotes of strong, if occasionally awkward, praise for Dodd from Biden:

-- Dodd is "the single most gifted legislator in Congress, now that Teddy Kennedy's gone."

-- "Chris Dodd is the first United States senator that has simultaneously chaired two major committees in a moment of genuine national crisis. And had he got either of those jobs wrong, the consequences for America would be dire. That is not hyperbole, that is a fact."

-- "Chris is getting the living hell beat out of him, the living bejesus beat out of him. Why? Because he's being a leader."

-- "This is going to be a hell of a race and it's an uphill race, but Chris Dodd will prevail."