Vice President Joe Biden

President Obama is planning to roll into Delaware County tomorrow for an ostensibly nonpolitical event that could finally give Democrats the Election Day boost they need to break the GOP's 35-year monopoly of County Council. Not likely, though, if recent history is any guide. The ghost of JFK could descend on Delco and Republicans would probably still dominate at the polls. Democrats have cut deeply into the GOP voter-registration advantage in recent years, but that hasn't translated into success in countywide races.

WASHINGTON - With a quick and simple swearing-in ceremony at the White House, President Obama ended his first term in office Sunday and embarked on another four years of leadership. The president stood next to his wife, Michelle, and their daughters, Sasha and Malia. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the 35-word oath, more smoothly than he did four years ago, in front of cameras and a small group of Obama's family and friends. The intimate ceremony was a quirk of the calendar and an adherence to tradition.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Daniel Inouye, the second-longest serving senator in U.S. history, was remembered Thursday as a man who gallantly defended his country on the battlefield and gracefully sought to better it during the 50-plus years he represented his beloved state of Hawaii. Colleagues and aides lined the Capitol rotunda five deep to say farewell. The rare ceremony demonstrated the respect and good will he generated over the years. Only 31 people have lain in the Capitol rotunda; the last was former President Gerald R. Ford nearly six years ago. The last senator who died in office and was accorded the honor was Democrat Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, in 1978.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday vowed urgent action against gun violence in America, pledging steps by the Obama administration that he said could "take thousands of people out of harm's way" and improve the safety of millions more. But a day ahead of a meeting with the National Rifle Association, which has sunk past gun-control efforts and is opposing any new ones, Biden signaled that the administration is mindful of political realities that could imperil sweeping gun-control legislation, and is willing to settle for something less.

INSTEAD of pulling out of the Foxwoods project, Steve Wynn should have bought the SS United States and turned it into a casino hotel. It has the structure to be renovated, the space for restaurants and a great view of the Camden waterfront and the city skyline. It would have fit perfectly into the waterfront plan and avoided the neighborhood protests - a win-win for everyone. Edward Dubin, Philadelphia Mayor Nutter is unable to to move the city forward. The bungling of the casino project is just another failure for him and his administration.

Only in America could the Jewish people make something of themselves, said Sheila Newman, of Montgomery County. And now, only in Philadelphia, is there a museum to share the Jewish people's experiences with the country. "It's the history of Jews coming from everywhere in the world and coming to America," Newman said of the National Museum of American Jewish History, which celebrates its grand opening this weekend. "If you are Jewish like we are, this gives you such a feeling of pride to see this.

"We advocated for constituents who had applied for grants. " - U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, regarding the Obama administration's federal stimulus program, which Mitt Romney and Ryan decry. "I love that. This is such a bad program, and [Ryan] writes me a letter saying . . . we need this stimulus. " - Vice President Joe Biden, during Thursday night's debate with Ryan. "We think there are more important issues for presidential candidates to talk about than our little funding issue here.

Warm, wet weather has turned this mountain into a mushy mess, wiping out training runs and postponing the opening women's Alpine race. Hardly ideal conditions at any competition, let alone the Winter Olympics, right? Try telling that to Lindsey Vonn. She loves the way things are going. Every delay provides extra time for her badly bruised right shin to rest and heal. "I'm lucking out pretty heavily because of all the cancellations," the American said yesterday. "Normally I would be disappointed.

WASHINGTON - President Obama and congressional leaders yesterday emerged still deeply divided over how to slash the nation's debt, with reality sinking in that even a middle-ground proposal was not big enough to succeed and would not get through Congress anyway. As time runs perilously short for action, Obama challenged top lawmakers to return to the White House today with fresh ideas for a debt-reduction plan that could pass the House and Senate. All sides are scrambling to reach a deal as part of a tradeoff in which Congress would agree to extend the nation's debt limit by Aug. 2 to prevent a catastrophic government default on its bills.

1 hospitalized in S. Phila. fire A fire in a three-story apartment building on 4th Street near McKean, in South Philadelphia, early yesterday sent one woman to the hospital, said Executive Fire Chief Daniel Williams. The fire broke out about 5:30 a.m., a second alarm was called at 6:14 a.m. and the blaze was declared under control at 7:17 a.m., he said. A woman was rescued from the first floor and taken to Methodist Hospital for minor smoke inhalation. Prez, veep in G'town Sunday President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will attend the "Moving America Forward" rally at 4 p.m. Sunday at the park next to Robert Fulton Elementary School, on Haines Street near Germantown Avenue, Germantown.