Washington: Calling it the beginning of a marathon',Chairman of the powerful US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph Biden hasthrown his hat in the presidential ring, joining the long list of hisDemocratic colleagues at least eight byone count vying for party nomination for the 2008 race for the White House.

"You've got to file the formal papers to meet the legal requirements to beable to raise money, and that's what I've done today. Everybody else calls it'exploratory'. I'm not exploring. I'm in. And this is the beginning of amarathon," Biden said in an interview.

In an appearance on ABC News, Biden used the occasion to attack the Bushadministration's policies in both Iranand Iraq, stressing theimperative of Washington having to sit downand talk with Teheran, especially in the context of reports that Iran may have been behind the recent attackagainst American forces in Karbala.

"The one thing to do about Iranis to sit down and talk with them. You know, we did that when we were involvedin Afghanistan.Everyone forgets, Iran satat the table with regard to Afghanistan,along with five other powers." He also said a political settlement betweenthe Sunnis and the Shias is what the USshould aim for in Iraq.

"Our policy in Iraqis flawed. Instead of escalating the war in Iraq, which will do us no good, weshould be insisting on a political settlement between the Sunnis and the Shias.That's the only way this is going to end.

"But as long as that civil war is going on, all the parties in the regionare going to be involved in what they believe protecting their interests,"Biden said.