"(N)ice looking," huh? What does Biden mean by that...?

[Guaranteed]

Like non-threatening?

A non-threatening black man. Whaddaya know.

Or does he mean not ugly?

“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said.

"...clean and a nice-looking guy." Well, if he means "not ugly" by "nice-looking," what does he mean by "clean?"

[Nailzberg]

1. In his backpedaling he said like in the expression "Clean as a whistle."

He said his mother always had an expression "Clean as a whistle, sharp as a tack."

I mean, if you look at what he said he was certainly being complimentary to Obama, and certainly didn't mean any offense to the AFrican-Americans who have run in previous election. But it sure isn't a good sign for his campaign that he starts off with his foot in his mouth. And I certainly am getting tired of candidates blaming the crap they say on their mommas.

[Guaranteed]

2. I think he was referring to their personal presentability, not their history.

"Clean" was almost certainly used with regard to looks, recognizing that "nice-looking" came after. Whatever the interpretation of "nice-looking," which is really pretty damned bad any way you slice it.

[Hekate]

3. "One extremely handsome dude" is how I would put it. :-) I don't ascribe harmful intent to Biden

...nor do I think he has latent racism or anything else of the kind, as some other DUers implied in another thread . Nearly everything every Democrat says gets jumped on these days -- by both Republicans and Democrats.

Biden would have been better off had he stuck with saying Barak Obama is "young and inexperienced" or the like. Kerry would have been better off not trying to tell a joke (the man has no sense of comic timing -- is that a crime?). And so it goes.

As for Obama -- excuse me while I admire his youthful good looks, which I don't think will hurt him in the slightest in this campaign. I intend to watch his career with interest, and I will definitely support him if he is the nominee. In the primaries, so far I have not made up my mind among the candidates, as several (Biden not really among them) are appealing.

:hi:

Hekate

[Guaranteed]

4. But, he was admittedly referring to Obama's looks with "nice-looking."

How could it have been anything else? Whether it was "nice" as in "handsome" or "nice" as "not angry." "Looking" being the key phrase.

So, what does that say about the previous term he used, "clean?"

Notice the connection between "articulate" and "bright." Similar bases, yes? Intelligence.

[Hekate]

5. Sigh. I'm so biased in favor of Obama that I am hard put to see past Biden's compliment

Whatever.

Barak Obama is bright -- highly intelligent. In my family "bright" is considered a compliment, and was always the first assessment my late mother ever made about anyone. He's got that million-watt smile and appealing personality -- you could say "nice." "Not angry" -- the man is known as someone who can get opposing parties to work together for a common goal, certainly at least as far back as when he was elected to the Harvard Law Review. He certainly looks "clean cut" as they used to say. And no doubt about it, he's easy on the eyes.

I dunno, BGL, maybe Biden is secretly jealous. I would be if I were in his shoes. I'm inclined to take this one lightly.

Hekate

[johnlal]

9. My wife thinks he's nice looking.

But then again, she also thinks Brad Pitt is nice looking. No accounting for taste.

[nealmhughes]

6. Clean as in "clean cut," referring to his short hair, no facial hair, etc. I would presume,

like someone who could pass Eagle Scout inspection, or else "clean" as in no dirt on him politically.

I think it is obvious to anyone with eyes that Mr. Obama is very very handsome.

I don't think that anything Biden said was meant to be demeaning towards Mr. Obama's racial heritage, but people are tetchy these days. Personally, assuming that he left out "for a Black man." When he did no such thing.

Obviously, a Delaware-Caucasian-American cannot compliment an Illinois-Hawaiian-African-Caucasian-American without someone reading more into it than Lacan or Fouccault could ever hope to be able to have done, even Derrida!

For the record, I am Caucasian-American, or so my mother tells me, and I find Mr. Obama nice-looking. Oh, I'd bet he is clean, too!

[SmellsLikeDeanSpirit]

7. the kind of guy he would want to take out?

beats me.

[Adelante]

8. Clean

I think he meant by clean, free of scandal. He was discussing Obama's political chances and his public persona. He wasn't cautious in his wording, but that's how Biden is. Nice looking? I think he meant the guy's nice-looking.

[goodhue]

10. pretty fly for a white guy