Rudy Giuliani latest critic to demand Biden apologize for 'chains' comment

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the latest detractor to call for an apology from Vice President Joe Biden, declaiming that the veep's crack that big banks "want to put y'all back in chains," to a largely black audience at a campaign rally in Virginia last Tuesday was "vicious pandering."

"That was an absolutely blatant appeal to racism," said Giuliani on "Face the Nation" Sunday, calling Biden a "joke on late night television." And for the second time this month he publicly questioned Biden's "mental capacity."

"There isn't a racist bone in Joe Biden's body," Sen. Richard Durbin, (D-Ill.), fired back, adding that to suggest so was "over the edge." Durbin then criticized Giuliani for backing Sarah Palin as a contender for vice president in 2008 and declaring her qualified to be president.

"That speaks for itself," Durbin said.

Since Biden made the comment last week, members of the Mitt Romney campaign, Palin and the editorial board of The Boston Globe have demanded he apologize for his choice of words, but no major African-American group has requested that he do so.