'Don't Do it Joey'

Vice President Joe Biden seemed this morning to defer to his grandfather's past advice not to deliver a toast with water--before rejecting it. From this morning's pool report:

In closing, he grabbed a glass of water off a table to make a toast, but then said it was considered "bad luck" among the Irish to toast with water. "So I'm not going to do that," he said to laughter, adding that he could hear his grandfather admonishing him, "don't do it Joey."

But he gave a toast nevertheless, saying "To friendship, to Mexico and to America, Happy Cinco de Mayo."

The breakfast this morning was a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the vice president's residence. (Though he reportedly said, "any excuse to celebrate ... any excuse to celebrate with you.")

Biden also used the opportunity to mock Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. Again, from the pool report: 

The Mexican ambassador to the US sat in the table nearest Biden (who spoke from a small lectern near a fireplace) Before he began speaking, Biden noted that the ambassador was holding a silver drink tray.

"We have the ambassador now serving drinks?" he said to laughter, grabbing the tray from the ambassador. "He's an all purpose ambassador, I tell you."