Spotlight: White House says Obama may endorse candidate amid high odds of Biden run

The White House said on Monday that U.S. President Barack Obama may endorse a Democratic presidential candidate in the party's primary elections, as odds of a 2016 run by Vice President Joe Biden were running higher.

"I wouldn't rule out the possibility of an endorsement during the Democratic primary," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest during the daily briefing. "I have indicated that the president does plan to vote in the Illinois primary, and that ultimately it will be Democratic voters who are responsible for choosing the Democratic nominee."

Though offering few clues about Obama's possible preference for any candidate, Earnest said Obama appreciated Biden's stint as the vice president in the administration.

"The president has indicated his view that the decision he made... to add Joe Biden to the ticket as his running mate was the smartest decision that he had ever made in politics," said Earnest. "That should give you some sense of president's view of Vice President Biden's aptitude for the top job."

Earnest also said Biden's past experience on presidential election both in 2008 and 2012 gave him a better understanding of how to mount a successful national presidential campaign than anyone else.

Biden's freshest flirtation with his own run for presidency first surfaced on Aug. 1 after a New York Times column claimed that Biden's associates had already started to contact Democratic leaders and donors who have so far not endorsed Hillary Clinton or who have become increasingly concerned about odds of a successful run by the Clinton camp.

Quoting one long-time supporter of Biden, the New York Times report said the vice president has been "deeply moved" by his deceased son's desire for him to run.

Though his final decision of a White House bid is expected to come out till the end of September prior to the first Democratic primary debate on Oct. 13 in Nevada, Biden recently revved up activities related to a potential presidential campaign.

He has already picked a new communications director with working experience relating to presidential campaigns. In addition, Biden met with Senator Elizabeth Warren, a darling of the progressive wing within the Democratic Party for a confidential talk over the past weekend.

Despite roaring calls for her presidential run, Warren has so far stated firmly that she would not run for the White House.

On Monday, the U.S. newspaper Politico reported that the Biden camp was also circulating a memo to the Democratic National Committee members and party leaders, who will hold the party's summer meeting later this week, asking them to keep an open mind about a possible Biden run.

If confirmed, Biden's entry would pose a direct threat to Clinton, who so far has been an undisputable front-runner of the Democratic field.

Though starting with a strong momentum, favorability rating for Clinton dipped recently as the former Secretary of State was grappling with negative news coverage, including her controversial practice of exclusively using personal email account and server while working as the U.S. top diplomat.

According to the latest Quinnipiac poll released at the end of July, 57 percent of voters regarded Clinton as not honest and trustworthy, and 52 percent said that Clinton did not care about their needs or problems, in spite of the candidate's devotion of a fair amount of time since April to convincing ordinary Americans that she understood their struggle.

By contrast, the same poll found that Biden's favorability rating reached its peak in seven years with 49 percent, with 58 percent saying he cares about them. Enditem