This is ironic. Joe Biden is the one with the reputation for being gaffe-tastic, as he proved during the most recent campaign. But it's his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, who made the mistake today, saying in a taping of the Oprah Winfrey show that President-elect Obama had offered her husband his pick between the Vice-Presidency and the position of Secretary of State.

Lo and behold, an email appeared in the inbox this afternoon from Elizabeth Alexander, the spokesperson for the Vice-President elect:

"Like anyone who followed the presidential campaign this summer, Dr. Jill Biden knew there was a chance that President-elect Obama might ask her husband to serve in some capacity and that, given his background, the positions of Vice President and Secretary of State were possibilities. Dr. Biden's point to Oprah today was that being Vice President would be a better fit for their family because they would get to see him more and get to participate in serving more.  To be clear, President-elect Obama offered Vice President-elect Biden one job only -- to be his running mate. And the Vice President-elect was thrilled to accept the offer."

I'm sure that's exactly what Dr. Biden meant....