Could things get worse for Joe Biden, the one-man wrecking crew of the Democratic ticket? Oh, yes they can. In response to a question in Ohio, Biden got into a discussion about clean coal. Ben Smith recounts Biden’s answer:

He supports clean coal for China, but not for the United States.”No coal plants here in America,” he said. “Build them, if they’re going to build them, over there. Make them clean.” “We’re not supporting clean coal,” he said of himself and Obama. They do, on paper, support clean coal.The answer seems to play into John McCain’s case that Obama has been saying “no” to new sources of energy. In the primary, Biden opposed Obama’s push for clean coal, which is seen as a way of maintaining or expanding America’s coal-burning power plants — many of which are in rust belt swing states.

Then, for good measure, Biden bragged in good Al Gore fashion that he was the first person to introduce a global warming bill and support solar power. Worse still: there is video. Got that? “No coal plants in America.”

This is very amusing for pundits and a hoot for the McCain camp. For Obama it’s a nightmare and further proof he messed up–badly–in his decision to pick Biden. And the upcoming VP debate might just be the best TV of the campaign season.

UPDATE: Sometimes you get lucky. John McCain is in Ohio today. His campaign is already circulating these remarks from his appearance today:

I am going to put in place the priorities and policies that will create jobs in Ohio. One important way that we are going to create jobs here is with the development of additional nuclear plants and through investments in clean coal technology.

Not only will investment in our energy infrastructure create millions of new jobs across the country, it will help lead our nation toward the important goal of energy independence. My opponent is against the expansion of nuclear power. His running mate here in Ohio recently said that they weren’t supporting clean coal either. And the fact is that their billions of dollars in higher taxes would kill jobs here in Ohio. That’s not what Ohio needs and that’s not what America needs.

I wonder what will be on the front pages of the Ohio and Pennsylvania papers tomorrow morning and the top of the local news tonight?