Contorversy as Biden enters White House race

US Senator Joe Biden faced immediate controversy as he officially entered the presidential race today, after describing Democratic rival Barack Obama as the “first mainstream African-American” who was articulate, bright, clean and good-looking.

The experienced foreign-policy heavyweight said despite those “storybook” attributes he did not believe 45-year-old Obama, who would be America’s first black President if elected, could win in 2008 having served just one term in the Senate.