Joe Biden sure sounds like he wants to succeed his boss as President, and he wants voters to know about his accomplishments. Chief among them: marriage equality. At a high-profile fundraiser in Iowa over the weekend, Biden made it clear that his endorsement of marriage equality in 2012–portrayed as a gaffe in the press — was anything but.

“A lot of people criticized me for speaking out, not long ago, about gay marriage. I could not remain silent any longer,” Biden said. “It’s the civil rights of our day. It’s the issue of our day.”

Biden famously came out in favor of marriage equality in a 2012 Meet The Press interview, at a time when President Obama was still “evolving” on the issue. Biden’s remarks seemed to force the Administration into speeding up its inner Darwin. When Obama finally threw his support to marriage equality, he chided Biden for getting “a little bit over his skis,” which is another way of saying “stepping on the president’s toes.”

The Iowa event, hosted by Sen. Tom Harkin, attracts the attention of political reporters looking to read tea leaves about the 2016 presidential race. Because Iowa’s early caucuses are seen as a bellwether for candidates, every time a politician is seen within the state’s borders, the media can go into full speculation frenzy about what will happen two and a half years from now. The rest of us have lives to live. One thing seems clear, though. Whether it was a gaffe or not, Biden seems determined to make his role in marriage equality part of his political legacy.