Joe Biden has just days to decide if he wants to make a run for the White House

The 72-year-old Vice President has been gripped by indecision about a possible run since the summer

Vice President Joe Biden (AP)

For Joe Biden the clock is ticking ever louder.

Several months into the will-he-or-won’t-he game began over whether or not the US Vice President would enter the race for the ultimate political prize, no-one appears any clearer as to his ultimate intentions. Perhaps, the 72-year-old among them.

Up until the very last moment ahead of Tuesday’s first Democratic debate, CNN had left open the option of him joining the five other officially-announced candidates.

America’s Vice-President Joe Biden could portray himself as Obama’s natural heir (Reuters)

They said that given he was attracting more than 15 per cent in the polls - third behind Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders - he had a legitimate claim to take part. They also surely figured that his emotional presence on the podium would make for better television.

But Mr Biden was a no-show, his absence at the Wynn Resort on the Las Vegas strip underlined by the parody Biden Twitter account that someone quickly created and filled with gags.

Now people are wondering whether Mr Biden might have missed the chance to run, even if he now decides he wants to.

“He has to decide now. His not being part of the debate was a missed opportunity to enter the race in a significant way,” said Robert Shapiro, Professor of Government at Columbia University.

“I think now is the moment he either gets in or bows out. He has still has time, but after the debate - and given the discussion taking place after the debate - it will not be as easy for him as if he had entered a month ago.”

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Reports this summer suggested that Mr Biden had been entreated to consider another run for the White House - he ran previously in 1988 and 2008 - by the dying words of his son Beau. Since then Mr Biden has found himself the focus of an unlikely combination of sympathy, anticipation and no small amount of frustration.

Reports in the US media based on comments from anonymous advisers to Mr Biden, suggested he was a man torn by indecision and still grieving the loss of his son at the age of. And the potential candidate said as much himself, appearing in the glare of more spotlights when he held a moving conversation with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show.

Supporters of Mr Biden had hoped his entry to the race would be smoothed if Ms Clinton had failed to gain traction, or if Mr Sanders had been unable to up a genuine primary challenge. As it is, neither of these scenarios has played out and Mr Biden’s bid to present himself as a centrist, unity candidate would likely seem irrelevant.

The New York Times said Mr Biden may only have a week or so before he must finally decide to either act or get off the pot.

While there is some flexibility in their schedules, the Georgia state Democratic party meets on October 29 to the decide who will appear on the ballot. After that are similar deadlines in Alabama on November 6, Arkansas on November 9, Michigan on November 17 and Florida on November 30.

And even if Mr Biden were to decide at this late stage to throw his all into the campaign, there are questions about whether he would have the capacity to raise sufficient funds for a lengthy battle that could continue past Iowa and New Hampshire, and if he would be able to attract sufficient high-calibre staff.

Chris Spirou, a former chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, said: “The vice president should have made the decision a long time ago.”