Biden Keeps Toehold in Senate, Stoking Friendships, Promoting Policies

Vice President Joe Biden is in Israel this week, but his heart is never far from his old stomping grounds the United States Senate.

Biden, in contrast to his predecessor Dick Cheney, does not attend his party's weekly policy luncheons. But he keeps the phone lines humming, entertains at the Vice President's Residence on Embassy Row, works out with former colleagues at the Senate gym, and offers his old friends personal tours of the West Wing.

Biden has deep roots on Capitol Hill. He was elected to the Senate at age 29 and served there for 36 years before leaving to join Barack Obama's ticket. Obama served in the Senate only four years, and counts on Biden to use his subtle powers of persuasion and goodwill to advocate for the administration's policies.

"He'd never, ever tell anybody, 'The president and I want you to do this.' He'd never say that," Biden's former chief of staff and Senate successor Ted Kaufman told The Hill newspaper. "First off, it'd never work. But it's really because he just believes in the Senate and its role in the process and the importance of individual members."

Biden was a key player in selling Obama's stimulus and has also been active in Middle East and Iraq war policy. Now he finds himself involved in the final throes of the health care debate, and he could even be called on -- as Senate president -- to cast the deciding vote on the contentious issue in that chamber.

"I don't presume to give advice, but I talk to them about everything from basketball to foreign policy. . . both my Democrat and Republican friends," Biden told The Hill's J. Taylor Rushing. "I enjoy this place so much. And I really have a lot of very good friends. You don't just walk away from it."

Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said Biden keeps a "toe in the legislative branch. But he's in the executive branch. There are moments when he'll be close to us, he'll be lobbying us. But he also respects the fact that we have two branches and a need to have checks and balances."

Those checks and balances and the strength of Biden's friendships are likely to be tested in the weeks ahead.