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August 23, 2008
Posted: 1107 GMT
TBILISI, Georgia — After a week of no sleep in Tbilisi Georgia, covering the war with Russia, I was finally checking in for my flight to Munich last Monday. All I could think about was getting on the plane, and getting some much needed sleep. Sleep is not necessarily conducive to war zone coverage. 
Biden has been named as Obama's running mate.
 While waiting for my flight to board, I sat in the business lounge enjoying a relaxing drink; finally, an opportunity to simply listen to my iPod and clear my head. All of a sudden I look up - and walking towards me is Joseph Biden, the Democratic senator from Delaware. Are you freaking kidding me, I thought? I wandered over, introduced myself — said: “Senator, my name is Cal Perry, I’m a reporter from CNN and just wanted to say hello.” He immediately smiled and he then asked me to sit with him while we waited for the flight. Strange I thought — for someone who was at the time involved in a heated US debate as to whether he could potentially be the VP candidate for Barack Obama. But he quickly directed the conversation to Iraq — a place I spent four years covering for CNN. He peppered me with questions: How are things going there do you think? Who are the most important and reliable politicians in your opinion? Do you think Abdul Aziz Hakim is the man who wields the most power? He clearly already knew that I had spent time there, and wanted to get straightforward opinion from a reporter. Which is unusual, because as reporters, we keep our own opinions to ourselves, just reporting the facts. Being asked my opinion was a bit awkward — but I gave it to him anyway. Then, like any reporter would: I started in on him … He told me about his trips to Iraq, saying how amazed he was at the bravery of US troops, how young they are, and how they have to make life and death decisions on a daily basis. We spoke at length about combat hospitals in Iraq — places I’ve spent a great deal of time. You could see it in his eyes – he clearly cares so deeply for the young U.S. men and women stationed overseas. He mentioned to me: “I was only 29 years old when I was elected to the U.S. Senate” then comparing the decisions he’s had to make in the Senate with the decisions the troops make under combat conditions. He made it sound like there is no comparison — that what they do, is far and above any call of duty. Just before his aide came overand said “Senator, it’s time to go back to the United States” I asked him the obvious question: Do you think you’ll be named as running mate for Barack Obama? His answer was brief, but it came with a smile on his face, “that question is the reason I’m not doing interviews while in Georgia.” As I boarded my plane with Senator Biden I could not help think: Did I just meet the next Vice President of the United States? If so, how random, how cool. EDITOR’S NOTE: A reference to Joe Biden being a military veteran was removed from an earlier vesion of this blog. Posted by: Cal Perry, CNN Correspondent
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