President Obama's press secretary Jay Carney, who used to perform essentially the same job for Vice President Joe Biden, was forced to defend both of them Monday as questions rose about the VP's weeklong overseas absence during crucial budget talks that he was supposed to be heading.

As we noted here last week, Obama has detailed Biden to undertake many major assignments, except classroom visits and golf outings at Andrews Air Force Base:

Overseeing the non-recovery recovery spending program, helping House Democrats lose their majority last year, wrapping up the war in Iraq and crediting Obama, meeting with top labor union heads about Wisconsin and, most recently, heading bipartisan talks to cut the spending cut gap between congressional parties.

The sides met once with no agreement.The Senate will defeat some ideas Tuesday. The two-week Federal spending authority runs out next week. And the week after, Obama has dibs on a long trip to South America.

Last year Obama twice postponed an Asian trip due to the press of domestic affairs. But he's just the president and his destinations were minor countries like India and Indonesia.

The vice president hadn't been to Scandinavia until Monday and, after all, International Women's Day is this week.

Biden was about 15 minutes late for his Tuesday meeting with President Tarja Halonen. But, hey, it's only Finland.

And no president or vice president has ever visited Moldava, if you can believe that. So what better time than the week before the next federal budget crisis?

Biden will also visit leaders and some business people in Moscow because, why not?

Because of the pressing nature of this mission, the vice president took his wife, Jill, and granddaughter Finnegan along for the travel experience.

In fact, the official trio squeezed a gym shoe-shopping trip at a....