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Vice President Joe Biden is downplaying news the government Web site Recovery.gov reported hundreds of millions of stimulus dollars spent on projects in congressional districts that in fact do not actually exist.

(CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden is downplaying news the government Web site Recovery.gov reported hundreds of millions of stimulus dollars spent on projects in congressional districts that in fact do not actually exist.

The districts don't exist, but the projects do, Biden said Tuesday night.

And the administration isn't to blame - the fault lies with the nation's educational system.

In an appearance on The Daily Show, Biden said the errors - first reported by ABC News - do not indicate unaccounted-for spending but are rather the result of 70 people who are the product of "bad civics classes."

"Every single solitary penny that got sent out there to a state, a construction company, a nonprofit had to be accounted for," Biden told host Jon Stewart. "And it all got put on Recovery.gov. What happened was, out of 130,000 people reporting in what they did with the money…70 did not know how to count."

"There was bad civics classes for those 70 people," Biden continued. "They had to fill out a form, what district are you in, and there was no such district."

Biden said checkers are now going through the reports to determine the actual districts where the money was spent.

Biden will become the first VP on to appear on The Daily Show Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – It could be an historic day for Vice President Joe Biden.

Biden heads to New York City late Tuesday afternoon and will appear on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." That's nothing new for Biden, who's appeared on the program as a guest five times over the past few years.

But this will be Biden's first time on the show since his inauguration as vice president in January. And apparently it will be the first time any sitting vice president will appear as a guest on the program.

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

TOPICS: Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden

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(CNN) – Vice President Joe Biden is lending a helping hand to five Western House Democrats who may face competitive re-election races next year.

The vice president attends a political event in Phoenix Monday for Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick and Harry Mitchell. Kirkpatrick, a freshman, won her seat in Arizona's 1st congressional district by 17 points. Mitchell, a two-term representative, won re-election last year by 9 points. Both the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report and Cook Political Report are keeping their eyes on both races.

Later Monday, Biden attends an event in Albuquerque, New Mexico for Reps. Harry Teague and Martin Heinrich. Republicans are gunning to win back Teague's seat, in New Mexico's 2nd congressional district. Teague, a freshman, won the district by 12 points last year. Both the Rothenberg and Cook Political Reports consider the race a tossup. Heinrich is also a freshman who won his race in 2008 by 12 points.

On Sunday, the vice president was the main attraction in Las Vegas at a fundraiser for freshman Rep. Dina Titus. Last year, Titus won Nevada's 3rd congressional district in a three-way contest, grabbing 47 percent of the vote. She could face a tough re-election next year.
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ice President Joe Biden heads to Michigan Monday to lend a helping hand to two freshman House Democrats.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Vice President Joe Biden heads to Michigan Monday to lend a helping hand to two freshman House Democrats who could face tough re-election bids next year. Will their votes on health care reform makes those bids even more difficult?

Biden headlines a fundraising event in Detroit for Michigan Democratic Party. Co-hosting the event are Congressmen Mark Schauer and Gary Peters. Both representatives voted in favor the health care reform bill that passed 220-215 in the House Saturday night.

The National Republican Campaign Committee is targeting the health care votes by Schauer and Peters.

"While Vice President Biden throws a lavish fundraiser to reward Mark Schauer and Gary Peters for their votes on the trillion dollar government takeover of healthcare, more than fifteen percent of Michiganders are out on the street looking for work," says NRCC spokesman Tom Erickson in a Monday morning statement. "If we're going to put Michigan back to work, voters will need to elect new leadership and fire Schauer and Peters, who have continually backed the reckless policies of Nancy Pelosi that create more government at the expense of the jobs that Michigan needs."

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Biden stumped for Owens Monday.

(CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden challenged Republican voters in New York's 23rd congressional district to teach conservative "absolutists" a lesson in the special House election Tuesday by voting for the Democratic candidate in the race.

"We aren't asking you to switch your party," Biden said at a rally for Democrat Bill Owens in Watertown, New York Monday morning. "We are just saying join us in teaching a lesson to those absolutists who say no dissent is permitted within your own party."

The comments come a day after Republican Dede Scozzafava, who withdrew from the race Saturday amid heavy pressure from conservatives - endorsed Owens. Many high-profile Republicans, including Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Dick Armey, have already thrown their own support behind third-party conservative candidate Doug Hoffman.

Related: Scozzafava campaigns for Owens

In his remarks at the rally for Owens, Biden elicited boos from the crowd when he mentioned Palin, Limbaugh and Armey.

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Two political heavyweights are descending on New York's 23rd congressional district Monday,

(CNN) - Two political heavyweights are descending on New York's 23rd congressional district Monday, 24 hours before voters in that closely-watched special House race head to the polls.

Vice President Joe Biden is set to hold a morning rally in Watertown with Democrat Bill Owens at 10 a.m. ET.  Biden's visit comes two days after Republican Dede Scozzafava withdrew from the race - a seeming blow to Owens who had benefited from Sozzafava and conservative third-party candidate Dough Hoffman splitting the opposition vote.

Meanwhile former GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson is also heading to the upstate New York district, holding a campaign event with Hoffman Monday evening.

Thompson, among Hoffman's earliest high-profile backers who was the recent star of a campaign commercial for the independent conservative, said in a statement "Dough is Target No. 1 for the Democrats' political machine, they are desperate to win."

A recent Siena College poll conducted before Socozzafava withdrew from the race suggests Owens and Hoffman were locked in a statistical dead heat, 36-35 percent, with Scozzafava far behind at 20 percent.  Political observers predict more than two-thirds of Scozzafava's supporters are now likely to cast their vote for Hoffman.

Biden also campaigned with Owens in September while President Obama made an appearance at a fundraiser for Owens in New York City earlier this month.

Follow Alex Mooney on Twitter @awmooneycnn

Biden says he's not too interested in what Dick Cheney has to say.

Washington (CNN) – Vice President Biden on Friday fired back at criticism from his predecessor, former Vice President Cheney, that President Obama is "dithering" over his decision about whether to send up to 40,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

"I like Dick Cheney personally but I really don't care what Dick Cheney thinks and I'm not sure a lot of Americans do," Biden said in an exclusive interview with CNN. "Look at the policy they left us, look at the policy of neglect they left us in Afghanistan, look at the policy we inherited in terms of their foreign policy...I think the President is doing exactly what any president should do."

October has turned out to be the deadliest month of the war so far, and Biden said the president needs the appropriate time to get the strategy right. He said the situation on the ground has changed because the Taliban is "taking advantage of a chaotic election process that took place in Afghanistan."

Biden added, "Any thoughtful president should be sitting down saying, 'Okay what is the strategy we have to employ with these changed circumstances?' And then look at the tactic that will best accomplish that. The President has great faith in the military."

(CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden is heading back to New York's 23rd congressional district to campaign for Democrat Bill Owens the day before Tuesday's special election.

With the Republican Party split between party-backed Dede Scozzafava and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, recent surveys suggests Owens is in the lead – giving Democrats a rare shot at a pickup in this solidly-Republican upstate district.

Owens, who is running to replace Rep. John McHugh, who resigned earlier this year to serve as Obama's Secretary of the Army.

Biden, who also campaigned with Owens in September, will appear in Watertown. Earlier this month, President Obama made an appearance at a fundraiser for Owens in New York City.

–CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report

WASHINGTON (CNN) – In an exclusive interview with CNN, Vice President Joe Biden said Friday he believes the economy has "hit bottom" and he's confident the stimulus package is helping to put the economy back on track.

"Oh I'm confident we've hit bottom," Biden said. "The question is look, we're not going to be satisfied, Ed, until I'm able to sit in front of you and say, 'Look, this month we grew jobs.'"

The vice president acknowledged that with unemployment at 9.8 percent across the country right now, it is hard to convince the American people the nation is coming of out of recession. Biden made his comments on a day in which he released a new report claiming the stimulus has created or saved somewhere between 640,000 and one million jobs.

"The net effect is growing jobs," said Biden, though he quickly acknowledged: "It doesn't say a lot to people to say, 'You know there would have been a million more ... jobs lost but for this [stimulus]. My grandpop used to have an expression... We lived in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

He said when the guy in Dixon City, a suburb, is out of work it's an economic slowdown. When your brother-in-law's out of work, it's a recession. When you're out of work, it's a depression. And it's a depression for millions of people."

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Biden told a Pennsylvania crowd he only said yes to being vice president months after it was first offered.

(CNN) - It was an oft-repeated anecdote on the 2008 campaign trail: then-Sen. Joe Biden accepted the request to be the No. 2 on the Democratic presidential ticket at a Delaware dentist office as his wife was undergoing a root canal.

Less discussed however was how Biden first said no to the post when then-Sen. Obama raised the subject months before the final announcement was made.

"I initially said no, that I wasn't interested," Biden told a Pennsylvania crowd Monday night at the annual Allegheny County Democratic Committee dinner. "He asked me to think about it."

Biden said he finally accepted the job "a couple months later" not in a dentist office but in a hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The vice president said he asked the then-Democratic presidential nominee, "Are you really committed to changing the course of this county?"

"He reached out, shook my hand, and said 'I am,'" Biden said.

Of course, according to Biden's wife Jill, the vice president actually had a choice between the No. 2 post and being the Secretary of State.

During an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show last January, Mrs. Biden accidentally let slip that piece of information - though the vice president's office later took issue with that contention.

"To be clear, President-elect Obama offered Vice President-elect Biden one job only – to be his running mate," Elizabeth Alexander, a spokeswoman for Biden, said then. "And the vice president-elect was thrilled to accept the offer."

Biden is set to tout the stimulus package Wednesday.

(CNN) – Joe Biden heads to Missouri Thursday to tout federal stimulus money and to help Robin Carnahan's senate campaign raise money.

The vice president teams up with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon at the St. Louis County Police and Fire Training Center to to discuss how Recovery Act investments are creating jobs and aiding law enforcement in keeping our communities safe," according to a statement from the White House.

Following the stimulus event, Biden helps out another fellow Democrat, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, who's running for the senate. The vice president headlines a fundraiser for Carnahan at a private residence in St. Louis. Carnahan's campaign says they raked in over $1 million in the third quarter, slightly behind the amount of money raised by the likely Republican nominee in next year's race, former House Minority Whip Roy Blunt.

The senate battle, between two leading political families in Missouri, is for an open seat, as incumbent Republican Kit Bond is not running for re-election. A recent poll of Missouri voters suggested the race was quite close.

Thursday night Biden heads to Minnesota to help raise money for the Democratic National Committee. Friday the vice president Biden helps bring in campaign cash for another Democrat facing a tough election next year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama and Vice President Biden both called Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus to congratulate him on committee passage of a health care bill, according to Finance Committee spokesman Scott Mulhauser.

Biden will continue Deeds campaign .

WASHINGTON (CNN)–Vice President Joe Biden vows to continue campaigning for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds.

"I hope to god you understand this race is winnable," Biden said Thursday at a fundraiser for Deeds in Alexandria, Virginia.

A new Washington Post poll suggests Deeds trails Republican candidate Bob McDonnell, the state's former attorney general, by nine points. Biden also made reference to New Jersey Gov. John Corzine, who is facing a tough bid for re-election, saying,"they declared him dead two weeks ago. He is now ahead."

The most recent polls in New Jersey indicate that Corzine is basically tied with Republican challenger Chris Christie, a former federal prosecutor.

Joe Biden is lending a hand to Creigh Deeds Thursday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Joe Biden heads across the Potomac River Thursday to help out a fellow Democrat.

The Vice President teams up with Creigh Deeds, the Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia, at a fundraiser in Alexandria. Recent polls suggest that Deeds, a state senator, trails the Republican candidate, former Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell, from 4 to 9 points. Virginia's current governor, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, is term limited and can't seek a second term.

Biden was in New Jersey Wednesday, the only other state holding a gubernatorial contest this November. The vice president teamed up at two events with Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, who's fighting for re-election. Recent surveys indicate that Corzine has now pulled even with Republican challenger Chris Christie, the former federal prosecutor in New Jersey.

Biden, who joined Corzine in June when the governor formally kicked off his re-election campaign, said he and President Barack Obama are committed to helping Corzine win a second term.

"It's critically important he be re-elected," said Biden.

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Biden to campaign in New Jersey and Virginia.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The White House is dispatching Vice President Biden to New Jersey and Virginia later this week to campaign for each of the state's Democratic candidates for governor.

Biden will speak alongside Jon Corzine at the New Jersey AFL-CIO 2009 Legislative Conference in Atlantic City on Wednesday at the Borgata Hotel.

The Vice President will then return to the Washington area to raise money for Democrat Creigh Deeds the next day at a private home in Alexandria.

The visits mark the second time this year Biden has lent some administration firepower to the two gubernatorial campaigns - he first appeared with Corzine at a campaign rally in June, and helped Deeds raise money in July.

Joe Biden's heading north Monday to show off some money and to rake in some bucks for fellow Democrats.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Joe Biden's heading north Monday to show off some money and to rake in some bucks for fellow Democrats.

The vice president travels to Connecticut, where he'll team up with Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Jim Himes in Fairfield, to tout how "Recovery Act investments are creating jobs and rebuilding Connecticut's infrastructure," according to a White House press release.

The vice president is expected to praise Dodd and Himes for bringing stimulus money to their state, including millions of dollars for road improvements to the Merritt Parkway.

Dodd is facing a tough bid for re-election next year. Recent polls of Connecticut voters suggest that the five term senator's approval rating is on the rise, but still in negative territory. President Barack Obama headlines a fundraiser for Dodd in Connecticut on October 23.

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The vice president visited with his son Beau during a visit to Iraq on July 4 of this year.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden and Delaware's attorney general, has returned from a year-long deployment to Iraq, according to the Delaware National Guard.

Biden's National Guard unit, the 261st Signal Brigade, returned to the United States last Friday and is currently demobilizing at Fort Dix in New Jersey, Delaware National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Leonard Gratteri told CNN.

Vice President Joe Biden is set to address his son's unit at a return ceremony in Dover, Delaware on Wednesday, September 30, said Gratteri.

Ted Kaufman, a former chief of staff to Joe Biden when the vice president was a member of the Senate, was appointed by Delaware's governor to fill
Biden's old Senate seat. Many political observers called the decision to appoint Kaufman an effort to hold the seat for Beau Biden to pursue in a 2010 special election after completing his deployment overseas.

Delaware Rep. Mike Castle, long considered a likely Republican candidate for the vice president's old seat, has not officially announced his intention to enter the race.

The vice president will be the special guest at the Iowa Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Joe Biden's headed back to Iowa.

Wait - this isn't a flashback to 2007, when then-Sen. Biden was making his own bid for the White House. The vice president will be the special guest at the Iowa Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner. The event, which is scheduled to take place November 21 in Des Moines, was announced by the Iowa Democratic Party and confirmed by the vice president's office Tuesday.

Next month, Biden will also lend a helping hand to Arlen Specter, the Republican-turned-Democratic senior senator from Pennsylvania, who faces a primary challenge next year from Rep. Joe Sestak.

The vice president's office confirms to CNN that Biden will appear with Specter at two events, a Bucks County Democratic Dinner on October 2 and a Allegheny County Democratic Dinner on October 19.

UPDATE: The Vice President's office confirms that Biden will attend an event for Rep. Paul Hodes - the New Hampshire congressman now running for the Senate - October 5 in New York City.

Biden says some Democrats are 'turkeys.'

(CNN) - Joe Biden has campaigned for a lot of Democrats during his lifetime in politics - including a few who are "turkeys," the vice president joked at a Thursday night fundraiser in Virginia.

Attending the fundraising event on behalf of three Democratic House members from Virginia - Reps. Glenn Nye, Gerry Connolly and Tom Perriello - at the home of former Virginia Sen. Chuck Robb, an off-script Biden suggested competence doesn't stretch across the entire Democratic Party.

"These guys are smart, "Biden said of the three Virginia congressmen. "Some of the guys Chuck [Robb] and I have campaigned for are turkeys. Not all Democrats are created equal, while most Republicans are."

Biden went on to say the candidates are "independent minded" and "damn competent," and all share the party's core principles of health care and energy reform.

Nye and Perriello, hailing from the more conservative regions of the once solidly Republican-voting state, are expected to face especially difficult re-election races.