KBCI: Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Idaho Thursday to check out the athletes from the Special Olympics World Winter Games.
Biden's plane landed at the Boise Airport just before 2 p.m. Thursday. The welcoming party included Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, Lt. Gov. Brad Little, Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and Boise Mayor Dave Bieter.
Biden was expected to arrive four hours earlier, but his plane was delayed due to strong winds.
Biden, who seemed to have been briefed about the governor’s recent surgery on his right shoulder, immediately reached to shake Otter’s left hand.
Bieter, the lone Democrat among the greeters, had the longest conversation with Biden, which lasted about 60 seconds before Biden waved to reporters and climbed in a black limousine, which departed at 2:03 p.m. Biden then headed to Qwest Arena downtown to attend figure skating at the Special Olympics World Winter Games.
When Biden entered the arena at 2:25 p.m., he was applauded and spent several minutes shaking hands. Before joining the crowd, he had donned a red parka and a Special Olympics blue-and-white scarf. He was seated with athlete Tim McConnell, who was draped with medals, and McConnell’s mother, Daphne.
Check out video here. While there, he announced Dale as Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy:
Dale, who has been with President Obama for years and is partially blind, said he was "just humbled and honored for the faith the president and vice president have shown in me."
The Vice President praised Dale and emphasized the importance of the position: "He is going to have absolutely direct access to the president. What we’re trying to do is make sure that not only do we deal with getting support for what you’re seeing happening at these Winter Games, but also to make sure that persons with disabilities are in position to also be in the work force, so they don’t have to choose, like many have to do now, between staying in a job that’s a dead-end job that they don’t like, or else leaving a job that they like because it’s the only way to get health care."
He continued, "Look, this is a movement. What started off as an avenue and an outlet and a recognition for athletes has turned into a worldwide movement. This is about to change the attitude, change the attitude of governments, change the attitude of individuals.
"It’s a big deal. I started off in the civil rights movement. This is a civil rights movement. This is a movement to make sure that we guarantee that all peoples in the world have the opportunity to succeed to the degree they are capable." WhiteHouse.
