Vice President Joe Biden nearing decision on presidential run

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Joe Biden is nearing a decision on entering the 2016 presidential campaign.

A new CNN poll out Monday morning shows Biden has some ground to make-up if he were to enter the race. Hillary Clinton leads with 45 percent of the vote, followed by Bernie Sanders at 29 percent and Biden with 18 percent.

Perhaps the biggest sign he'll run -- a personal phone call on Friday from the VP to the nation's powerful firefighters union. The president of the union told ABC News they discussed in great detail Biden's campaign strategy if he were to run.

Months in to his painfully drawn-out deliberations, the vice president continued his public silence. Yet several individuals familiar with his decision-making disputed claims that an announcement was imminent. No surprise: the individuals weren't authorized to comment publicly and demanded anonymity.

Their protestations did little to curb rampant speculation at the White House, in Congress and on cable television. Even President Barack Obama, after a meeting on global warming, was asked about his deputy.

"We're talking about climate change, guys," Obama replied. After all, he said pointedly, the climate meeting was merely about "the survival of the planet."

White House press secretary Josh Earnest spent much of his daily briefing fielding unconventional questions aimed at yielding something - anything - about Biden's decision. Does he look like he's about to run? Is he agonizing over the decision?

"I'm not going to stand here and assess the vice president's body language," Earnest said.

Biden's delays have increasingly put Democrats on edge, eager to know whether he'll challenge front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton. One House Democrat claimed inside knowledge. Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania wrote on Twitter that he has "very good source close to Joe that tells me VP Biden will run for Prez."

Asked for explanation, Boyle's spokeswoman said his staff was trying to track him down in his congressional district.

Biden spend the weekend holed up inside his Delaware compound playing family sports games and also attended a gala in New York City. The vice president signaled he still struggles with grief over the death of his son Beau. As the political world awaits his decision, his potential rivals are pushing forward on the campaign trail.