Biden to Headline Jefferson-Jackson

Say it's so, Joe. The Iowa Democratic Party announced this morning Vice President Joe Biden will serve as the v.i.p. headliner for the annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner. This will be Biden's third appearance as the dinner speaker, according to the encyclopedia-like recall of Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson. That three-peat equals a recent (fairly recent) three-peat performance from Al Gore. The IA Dems' Executive Director Norm Sterzenbach said Gore spoke in 1994, 1997 and 1999 (when he was running for president). (Update at 2:04pm--Gore, when, of course, he wasn't the Vice Prez, also spoke at 2008's dinner).

Here's the release from the Dems:

DES MOINES – Vice President Joe Biden will headline the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2009 Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner, to be held Saturday, November 21 in Des Moines.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have the Vice President back in Iowa,” Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan said Thursday. “There is a great deal of admiration for Joe Biden among Iowa Democrats.”

The Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner is traditionally the party’s largest fundraising event.

In his role as the nation’s 47th Vice President, Joe Biden has a broad and critical portfolio, dealing with some of the most important issues on the president’s agenda. This includes oversight of the implementation of the $787 billion stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; chairing the White House Task Force on Middle Class Families; and overseeing the administration's Iraq policy.

As a Senator from Delaware for 36 years, Biden was a leader on some of our nation's most important domestic and international challenges. As Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 17 years, Biden was widely recognized for his work on criminal justice issues including the landmark 1994 Crime Bill and the Violence Against Women Act.

As Chairman or Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since 1997, Biden played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. He has been at the forefront of issues and legislation related to terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, post-Cold War Europe, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia.

Ticketing information for the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner can be found at www.iowademocrats.org/JJ2009