Stop. Talking.

Joe Biden has been famous for his verbosity for years. While sometimes it has hurt him, such as when he was caught during his 1988 presidential campaign plagiarizing remarks from Neil Kinnock, his comment about Barack Obama being “articulate and clean” — though causing controversy — didn’t stop Obama from selecting Biden as his running mate.

Words, however, have impact. When they come from the vice president of the United States, they also have authority. Which is why two recent remarks from Biden are especially troubling.

When asked about the H1N1 “swine flu” issue, Amtrak’s No. 1 customer told an interviewer he would advise against using public transportation or being in any kind of confined space. Given the fear over the issue — and, as Darrell Henry points out in today’s Washington Times, the overall concerns and outstanding risks we face with public health — Biden’s remarks only fanned those flames.

Now it is being reported that Vice President Biden used his gift of gab to disclose the location of the underground bunker used to protect the vice president in times of emergency. That he did so in great detail at a prominent public event — the Gridiron Dinner — suggests he just couldn’t help himself.

Over the years, a lot of jokes have been made about Biden’s record of gaffes. We knew he had trouble even giving a compliment — not only the “articulate and clean” comment but his suggestion that one can’t go to a 7-Eleven or Dunkin’ Donuts in Delaware without finding scores of Indians behind the counter. His recent comments, however, are potentially damaging to the nation.

Now that everyone knows where the not-so-secret bunker is, it might be wise for the administration to keep Biden there for a while and make sure he just stops talking.