Biden received warmly at disabled veterans' convention

(CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden was met with a warm reception Saturday at the Disabled American Veterans National Convention in Las Vegas, where he cast himself as a top defender of veterans’ needs.

"Let me be crystal, absolutely crystal clear: we're going to keep our commitment to American veterans, no matter what happens," he said.

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He and President Obama are supportive of U.S. troops and veterans, Biden said, charging that Republicans have other political priorities.

"As commander in chief, the president is absolutely committed to making sure that our troops have what they need for the battles of the future and that our military remains the finest and most agile fighting force in the history of the world," he said. "Meanwhile, a lot of my friends up in the Congress - the other side of the aisle - are using scare tactics now to pass the buck when it comes to defense spending."

Biden offered an explanation of last summer's budget battles, the so-called super committee and provision for sequestration, a set of deep and automatic spending cuts which would kick in this coming year should Congress not find a solution in the meantime. Admitting that the process was confusing, he claimed credit for finding exemptions to those automatic cuts, including an exemption for the care of veterans.

"I was able to say look, we should exempt a couple things, just in case you guys don't get it right," he said. "And one of the things we exempt is y'all."

Among the achievements under the Obama administration he touted were advancements in the military and Veterans' Administration health care systems.

"America has a lot of obligations. But I say this without fear of contradiction or any reservation," Biden said. "We have obligations to our children, and the elderly. We have obligations to the poor. We have obligations that extend beyond ourselves. But we only have one truly sacred obligation as a country, and that's to equip those who we send into battle and to care for them and their families when they come home to the extent that they need care."

"If we only have $10 in the budget and it costs $6 to do that, that's the first $6 that should be spent," he said, adding that his "boss" - Obama - agrees.

But one of the most significant applause lines he landed was the succinct way he summed up the Obama administration's tenure.

"f you're looking for a bumper sticker, I've got one for you," he said. "Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive."

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