WASHINGTON, DC—Veteran presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) is once again facing criticism that his bid for the nation's highest office is based solely on political reasons. "This campaign is nothing more than a naked power-grab by a man who wants only to pursue his own leadership agendas by heading the nation's executive branch," said Stephen F. Hayes, a senior writer for The Weekly Standard, on NBC's Meet The Press. "Don't be fooled: Biden's ambitions also include exercising veto power over Congress, appointing Supreme Court justices, and even assuming the rank of commander-in-chief of our armed forces if it means he can exert his will over national policy." Biden, who encountered similar accusations during his first presidential run in 1988, once again declined to respond to the allegations, only saying that he wished to make America a stronger nation and a better place to live.