Biden says he's in the hunt

U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Delaware, says he's in the hunt for the presidency during a trip through South Carolina this week.

On Wednesday, he toured the Port of Charleston and pushed for better port security, according to the Associated Press:

"The thing we have ignored for five years, port security, has to stop," the Democrat from Delaware said after touring Charleston Harbor and meeting with officials to discuss Operation Seahawk.

Seahawk is a pilot port security project bringing together almost 50 local, state and federal agencies to assess threats that could enter the country through Charleston.

Other stories:

• Biden says Charleston port security operation is national model, WCIV TV
• Biden pushes for enhanced port security, The (Charleston) Post and Courier

On Wednesday, Biden criticized the Bush Administration over Afghanistan at a speech in Columbia, S.C., at the University of South Carolina, according to the Associated Press:

The Bush administration is mistaken if it thinks Iraq is now a legitimate democracy, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden told a crowd at the University of South Carolina on Tuesday.

"Just having elections doesn't make a democracy," Biden said. "It's the second, third, fourth elections."

• Biden said Administration has forgotten about Afghanistan, WIS TV

On Monday in Spartanburg, Biden said he'd run for president, according to the Spartanburg Herald Journal:

In case his speech -- in which he called the Bush administration "dangerously incompetent" -- at the Spartanburg County Democratic Party Convention Monday night didn't tip his hand, he left no doubt afterward.

"My intention is to run," said Biden, 63. "There's a long way to go between here and there, but there's a whole lot at stake."