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[image: The Caucus - The Politics and Government blog of The New York
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January 20, 2013, 9:50 amAs Biden Is Sworn In, Hints of His Plans for 2016By
JACKIE CALMES <http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/author/jackie-calmes/>

Vice President Joseph R. Biden
Jr.<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/joseph_r_jr_biden/index.html?inline=nyt-per>was
sworn in for a second term at 8:21 a.m. on Sunday, in a private
ceremony that suggested he might indeed want to be President
Obama<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per>'s
successor in four years.

The governor of New Hampshire, which is the first presidential primary
state, was among the few people to join Mr. Biden, his family and close
political associates at the vice president's residence. On Saturday night,
Mr. Biden attended a pre-inaugural party of Democrats from Iowa, the first
presidential caucus state, at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Mr. Biden's swearing-in, and Mr. Obama's later at the White House, was
arranged in advance of Monday's traditional public inauguration because of
the rare occurrence of Jan. 20 falling on a Sunday.

Before Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the Supreme
Court<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/supreme_court/index.html?inline=nyt-org>administered
the oath in the foyer of the white mansion on northwest
Washington's Naval Observatory grounds that has been home to vice
presidents since the late 1970s, the Biden party attended a private Mass
there. Seen entering to join the expected 120 guests - about a dozen of
them members of Mr. Biden's family - was Gov. Maggie Hassan of New
Hampshire, and her husband and daughter.

By contrast, Mr. Obama's swearing-in, to be administered by Chief Justice John
G. Roberts Jr.<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/john_g_jr_roberts/index.html?inline=nyt-per>just
before noon in the Blue Room of the White House, was a smaller affair,
attended only by Mr. Obama's family and a small pool of reporters and
cameras to record the event.

Other attendees at Mr. Biden's event included former Senators Chris
Dodd<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/d/christopher_j_dodd/index.html?inline=nyt-per>,
Ted Kaufman<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/edward_e_kaufman/index.html?inline=nyt-per>(who
had been Mr. Biden's chief of staff) and Chuck
Hagel<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/chuck_hagel/index.html?inline=nyt-per>,
the Republican who is Mr. Obama's nominee for secretary of defense; current
Senators Bob Casey<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/robert_p_casey_jr/index.html?inline=nyt-per>of
Pennsylvania and Tim
Kaine<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/tim_kaine/index.html?inline=nyt-per>of
Virginia; the House Democratic leader, Representative Nancy
Pelosi<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/nancy_pelosi/index.html?inline=nyt-per>,
the assistant leader, Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina,
and Representative Debbie Wasserman
Schultz<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/debbie_wasserman_schultz/index.html?inline=nyt-per>,
the chairman of the Democratic
Party<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/d/democratic_party/index.html?inline=nyt-org>
.

Cabinet members included Attorney General Eric
Holder<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/eric_h_holder_jr/index.html?inline=nyt-per>and
outgoing Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/ken_salazar/index.html?inline=nyt-per>.
Mr. Obama's national security adviser, Tom Donilon, the longtime Obama
strategist David
Axelrod<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/david_axelrod/index.html?inline=nyt-per>and
former White House Chief of Staff William
M. Daley<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/d/william_m_daley/index.html?inline=nyt-per>were
there, along with the union leader Richard
Trumka<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/t/richard_trumka/index.html?inline=nyt-per>and
two prominent Democratic mayors, Michael Nutter of Philadelphia and
Antonio
Villaraigosa<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/v/antonio_villaraigosa/index.html?inline=nyt-per>of
Los Angeles.

Mr. Biden, 70 years old, stood on a small riser for the quick oath
surrounded by his wife, Jill, his two sons, his daughter and their spouses
and children. Other invitees were seated in chairs that spilled into two
rooms adjoining the foyer through wide archways -- a blue-and-white dining
room and an airy yellow sitting room.

For the oath, the vice president used the same five-inch-thick Bible that
has been in his family for 120 years and that he has had with him for every
swearing-in since his first as a senator from Delaware in 1973.

Just for the occasion, two pieces of art were hung on the walls - N.C.
Wyeth's "Lincoln Delivering His Second Inaugural
Address<http://brandywine.doetech.net/Voyager/image.cfm?ImageKey=19571&ImageFile=/VoyagerImages/NCW_1205.jpg&TableKey=OBJECT:1531827>"
and Victor Letonoff's "So Proudly We Hailed
1815<http://www.flickr.com/photos/delaware_division_of_the_arts/4555324946/in/set-72157623812793535>,"
a work depicting an early American flag that is from a gallery in Mr.
Biden's home state. The flag from his vice presidential office hung behind
the stage.

A statement from Mr. Biden's office said that he "personally selected
Associate Justice Sotomayor, who will be the first Hispanic and fourth
female judge to administer an oath of office." Justice Sotomayor, who was
appointed by Mr. Obama, is the fourth woman to swear in a president or vice
president; the first was a Texas judge, Sarah T. Hughes, who swore in
President Lyndon B.
Johnson<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/j/lyndon_baines_johnson/index.html?inline=nyt-per>after
President John
F. Kennedy<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/john_fitzgerald_kennedy/index.html?inline=nyt-per>'s
assassination in Dallas nearly 50 years ago.

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Alexander Snyder-Mackler
(302) 598-867