There's a bit of a stir today over comments this weekend by Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) about his efforts to get Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to switch parties, efforts he added that include Vice President Biden. Today, the Vice President's office said it won't comment on Biden's private conversations.

Forget about private conversations -- just look at his public comments. Two weeks ago, Rendell and Biden playfully teased Specter over his party status at a stimulus-related event in Philadelphia.

"You could make life a little easier for yourself by taking that registration card of yours and making that little change from R to D," Rendell told Specter, according to a pool report. Specter later joked that the praise from Democrats at the event made him feel like he was hearing his own eulogy.

"When Gov. Rendell talks about a change of registration," Specter began at one point, before being interrupted by Biden. "Don't make your decision now," the VP said. Another report quoted Biden as saying flat-out: "Why don't you just go ahead and be a Democrat?"

Biden has been full of praise for Specter, who played a key role in passing the stimulus plan and was a colleague of his for 28 years in the Senate. On Friday, when Biden began introducing members of Congress at an Amtrak event, he started with Specter before acknowledging his Democratic colleagues, and called him "one of my closest friends, period."

"I want to thank Arlen Specter for his leadership on matters relating to Amtrak, and a lot of other things," he said.