Joseph R. Biden Jr.

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Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (right) and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta participate in a commemorative ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at the Pentagon in Washington on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Adm. Mike Mullen (left), Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta (center) and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. stand during the playing of the national anthem at the Pentagon in Arlington on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. speaks during the commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon as Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta (left) listens at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011. (T.J. Kirkpatrick/The Washington Times)

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Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. speaks at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011, during the commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Defense Department headquarters. (T.J. Kirkpatrick/The Washington Times)

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Adm. Mike Mullen (left), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta; and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. stand during the national anthem at the 10th anniversary ceremony of the Sept. 11 attacks at the Pentagon outside Washington on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (right), Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta (center) and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, participate in a ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011, at the Pentagon to honor victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan (right) greets U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. before their meeting at Mr. Kan's official residence in Tokyo on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

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U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. waves farewell after delivering a speech at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. offers a bouquet of flowers to pay his respects to the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

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Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., arrives Aug. 1, 2011, on Capitol Hill to meet with Democratic lawmakers to discuss the debt plan. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

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President Obama (right) turns to leave after speaking July 31, 2011, at the White House about a deal being reached to raise the debt limit with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (second from right), and White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer (third from right). (Associated Press)

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Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. speaks at the Ohio Democratic Party's annual dinner on Saturday, June 25, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. greets Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan during the opening session of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) on Monday, May 9, 2011, at the Interior Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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** FILE ** Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. meets on Thursday, May 5, 2011, with congressional Republicans and Democrats at the Blair House in Washington in hopes of striking a deal on deficit reduction. From left are House Assistant Minority Leader James Clyburn, South Carolina Democrat; House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican; Mr. Biden; and Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii Democrat, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

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Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (center), accompanied Thursday by budget chief Jack Lew and White House Chief of Staff William Daley, arrives on Capitol Hill to discuss the federal budget with Hill leaders. “We had a good meeting, and the conversation will continue,” Mr. Biden said afterward. (Associated Press)