The following article is from Politico.com:

A report that surfaced this week saying President Barack Obama is “distracted by his vice president’s indiscipline” once again touched on a larger question that has dogged Joe Biden since the November election: Does his boss consider him part of his small inner circle?

Aides have spent more time than they would like defending not just Biden but also his relationship with Obama.

When Fox News quoted from a not-yet-released book by Newsweek’s Richard Wolffe, they were back on the defensive again. A senior aide was quoted in the book saying Biden “can’t keep his mouth shut.”

The report also said that, during the transition, Obama scolded Biden after he made an inappropriate joke to White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett about her abortive bid to fill Obama’s Senate seat, which got caught up in scandal after Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich allegedly tried to sell it.

According to the report on the book, Biden attempted to compliment Jarrett about something smart she said during a meeting by quipping, “‘You should be in the Senate,’ and after the meeting, as everyone returned to their offices, Obama stopped Biden to warn him not to say anything like that again. ‘It’s not funny,’ he told him.”

Jarrett, in a statement to POLITICO on Thursday, defended Biden and disputed the notion that she was offended.

“Any suggestion that I was insulted by the vice president’s gracious comments regarding my potential for public service is ridiculous,” Jarrett said in an e-mail. “I was very flattered by his kind words at the time and enjoy working closely with him in the White House.”

The White House also rejected the notion that Obama and Biden’s relationship is strained.

“The president’s own comments and the major tasks he’s put on the vice president’s plate speak volumes,” Biden’s spokeswoman, Elizabeth Alexander, said in an e-mail. “A blind quote from a ‘senior aide’ should be given the proper weight: zero.”

Wolffe did not respond to inquiries about the accuracy of the excerpts as reported by Fox. His book, “Renegade: The Making of a President,” is due out June 2.

Defending Biden is by no means a daily occurrence for the White House. But questions about the closeness of his relationship with the president and how he fits into Obamaland cropped up during the transition, when Biden — renowned for misspeaking — was uncharacteristically close-mouthed, and it appeared he would not have a clearly defined or prominent role as vice president.

The questions have been answered — aides stress that Obama relies on Biden as a confidant and that the two are close — but doubt continues to surface.

Biden hasn’t always helped his own case. Known for his gaffes, he has forced the administration to clarify or defend his remarks.

Most recently, Biden was accused of disclosing the location of a classified bunker located in the basement of the vice presidential residence at the Naval Observatory. Alexander issued a statement saying the vice president had been misunderstood and, in fact, had been referring to an upstairs guest room.

The White House had to step in after Biden sparked a furor when he said he was advising his family to avoid confined spaces, including airplanes, because of swine flu. The White House issued a statement to clarify, saying Biden told his family members they “should avoid unnecessary air travel to and from Mexico.”

When a reporter pointed out that Biden had said something entirely different, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs shot back, “I understand what he said, and I’m telling you what he meant to say.”

Obama himself has publicly reined in Biden. When the vice president made a joke after Chief Justice John Roberts botched Obama’s swearing-in, the president placed his hand on Biden and shook his head.

At his first news conference, Obama was asked about comments Biden had made concerning the potential success of the $787 billion stimulus package. Obama laughed.

“You know, I don’t remember exactly what Joe was referring to,” he said, “not surprisingly.”