WASHINGTON—Joe Biden’s storied political career will come to an end much the way it started nearly half a century ago: shaped by crushing personal tragedy that shook his deep-seated confidence in his own ability to lead.
In deciding not to run for president, Biden turned away from months of intensive preparations and countless hours that had put him on the verge of a third presidential campaign, with almost everything ready to go except the candidate himself.
“Unfortunately, I believe we’re out of time—the time necessary to mount a winning campaign,” Biden said, flanked by his wife and President Barack Obama in an extraordinary appearance in the Rose Garden.
Biden’s world ground to a halt in May when his son died of brain cancer. For the vice president, 46-year-old Beau Biden’s death ended any possibility that the popular former Delaware attorney general would carry on his father’s legacy, perhaps with a presidential campaign of his own.
Even months later, when Biden began anew to seriously consider running, he steadfastly refused to be rushed, and said the decision hinged on whether he and his family had the emotional mettle to campaign while still roiled by grief.
In fact, Biden had predicted his denouement in September, when he said he might not be ready to make a decision before the realities of the campaign calendar would make the decision for him. “If that’s it, that’s it,” he said.
Biden, who will turn 73 next month, will probably never again appear on a ballot. So his decision to forego another run for the White House sets him on a glide path toward the end of his long turn on the national political stage, which began in 1972 and will culminate when the Obama administration ends in early 2017.
Although Biden hasn’t said exactly what he'll do after leaving the White House, he has told friends he has no plans to retire in a traditional sense. He’s previously discussed starting a foundation, launching an institute at the University of Delaware or becoming a special envoy if called upon by future administrations, said several friends and aides, who requested anonymity to disclose private conversations.
