WILMINGTON, De. Pundits and pols will have their say about Joe Biden. He's brash. Outspoken. Prone to gaffes, so they say.

But people from Biden's home state of Delaware tell a different story. One of passion. Leadership. And always making a difference.

The story of Biden's public life began in 1970 when a 27-year old recent law school graduate decided he wanted to run for a seat in local government. No one really knew him -- and those in the know said he did not have a chance. He was kind of brash.

Joe and his beautiful wife and his brothers and sisters talked to almost every voter -- many times. And out of nowhere, he won.

JUST TWO YEARS later, the Democratic party decided ritual suicide was a better choice than actually competing for the presidency when it made George McGovern its nominee for president.

That same year, 29-year-old Biden decided he would take on Delaware's most popular and powerful politician, the three-term Republican incumbent Sen. Caleb Boggs.

Nobody gave Biden a chance in that Republican tsunami. But Biden bucked the biggest Republican landslide in history to beat Boggs. He did it with energy, passion, charisma, and even a dose of brashness. And in the process created the largest and most enthusiastic grass-roots campaign Delaware has ever seen. If this sounds familiar it should: This is what we are seeing this year from Barack Obama.

Since then, the national press likes to report how Joe said this or Joe said that and "my, isn't that strange."

IF BIDEN WAS Obama before Obama, he was also a charter member of the straight-talk express long before John McCain got on board. In Delaware, we know our politicians face to face at grocery stores and barber shops. Not through pundits and press releases.

That's why politicians here have to be real. Or they won't last. Biden has lasted longest because he is more real than most. And most people who live here have experienced that up close and personal.

That is how Biden was elected and why he remains the most popular politician in the state. And that is what he is bringing to the national scene.

Biden is very good at taking care of his Delaware business. Constituent services are excellent. And in my seven elections to the state senate in the 32 years since I was first elected, Joe Biden has knocked on doors with me every time.

Dozens of years later, people still come up to me and remind me of the time that Biden and I came to their door. And how many times they have seen him since. And how he takes good care of Delaware.

Biden inspired me and a whole generation of Delaware politicians to run for office.

One last thing: The pundits are talking about all the nice things Biden said about McCain.

IN DELAWARE, that is kind of a tradition. That is because Delaware is so small, chances are you not only know the person who is running against you; you also know their brothers, sisters, friends -- you get the picture.

In fact, in Delaware we have a tradition called Returns day: Two days after every election winning and losing candidates ride together in the same horse drawn carriage in a parade near the state capitol.

We don't pull punches during the election. But we also don't burn bridges afterwards.

Biden is a product of Delaware and we do things a bit different around here. Some call that being outspoken. We call it refreshing.