by Mark Silva
President Barack Obama gets "the big plane'' and Vice President Joe Biden "the little one,'' explained Biden, who met up with Obama in Denver today for the stimulus bill-signing.
"Help is on the way,'' said Ken Salazar, Obama's interior secretary and former senator from Colorado, at the bill-signing.
"During the campaign, we knew that Colorado was at the crossroads of America, and at the crossroads of the future of the nation,'' the president's Cabinet appointee said.
"We knew that Colorado and the West was very important to candidate Obama.... Today, as he signs legislation to put our economy back on track ... he comes back to Colorado to sign that legislation.''
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter welcomed both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to Denver - the two flew in separately.
"My name is Joe Biden,'' said the vice president. "I used to work for Ken Salazar'' - with the interior secretary planning to return to Washington with Biden as Obama headed to Phoenix for the night and another appearance tomorrow to spell out plans for the housing crisis. "He rode out on the big plane, he's going back on the little one.''
Then Biden did what Biden is wont to do: Talk a lot. With Obama watching from behind, solemnly and perhaps patiently - though he was sometimes looking at the floor, sometimes bouncing on his heels - Biden went on at some length about being there today to "start turning (the economy) around.''
Biden said the administration will ensure that "the middle class is not left behind.... Today, less than a month, think of this, less than a month into his presidency, the president is about to sign into law what I believe is a landmark achievement.''
Biden introduced Blake Jones, president of Namaste Solar, one of the success stories of the new energy business. Biden said he had assured Jones that if he could not pronounce Nah-mah-stay, Jones could call him Bidden.
"Thank you, Vice President Bidden,'' Jones said.
(Photos of Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama, and of Air Force Two, Biden's ride, parked in Denver, as Air Force One arrives in the distance, by Will Powers / AP.)
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