From the "Credit Where It's Due" file…

Joe Biden:

"It is outrageous that three years after the 9/11 Commission made its recommendations virtually nothing has been funded by this White House and yet Giuliani continues to make the pathetic case that his party has provided leadership fighting terrorism," the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman said.

"As everyone knows, until we end the war in Iraq, we are distracted from the main agenda of combating terrorism in Afghanistan and strengthening our homeland security. Giuliani and the rest of the Republican candidates continue to cling to this Administration's failed policy that a strong central government can be propped up in Iraq," Biden said.

"If these are the positions he wants to defend, I invite him to debate me on these important topics," the senator said.

'Minor' (marginal?) primary candidacies are valuable to the degree they emulate Senator Biden and take the fight directly to our real opponents. That's why intramural grumblers like Gravel have to go. For my money, though, Joe's welcome to indulge his Presidential fantasies as long as he keeps this up.