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Vice President Joe Biden says he has a bumper sticker to sum up the case for reelecting President Obama in November: Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive.

Mr. Biden took that message to the students of New York University in Manhattan Thursday, as part of a series of speeches the vice president has been assigned to lay out the case for reelecting the Obama-Biden team.

Thursday鈥檚 speech focused on national security, with Biden arguing that the United States is more secure than four years ago because of the president鈥檚 policies. He said those policies have decimated Al Qaeda, including by undertaking the risky operation that killed Mr. bin Laden; rebuilt America鈥檚 alliances with international partners; and revived the nation鈥檚 manufacturing base (including rescuing the auto industry), which he called the backbone of US economic security.

By contrast, Biden said, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, would take the US backward. Mr. Romney would return to a 鈥済o it alone鈥� foreign policy and 鈥� if his strong criticism of Russia is any indication 鈥� would return to a 鈥渃old-war era,鈥� Biden said.

鈥淕overnor Romney鈥檚 national-security policy would return us to the past we have worked so hard to move beyond,鈥� Biden said. Romney, he added, would 鈥渋solate America instead of our enemies [and] waste hundreds of billions of dollars and risk thousands of American lives on an unnecessary war鈥� 鈥� apparently referring to Romney鈥檚 criticism of Mr. Obama鈥檚 2014 date for having all combat troops out of Afghanistan.

The Romney campaign called Biden鈥檚 comments a 鈥渇antasy narrative鈥� in a 鈥減rebuttal鈥� (released before Biden delivered his remarks). Romney aides say that under Obama, America has opted for 鈥渓eading from the sidelines.鈥�

Biden鈥檚 task in vaunting Obama鈥檚 foreign policy was easier than some of the other speeches he鈥檚 given on campaign issues 鈥� on economic policy, for example. Polls show the president earning some of his highest marks in the area of national security.

Still, Biden used the same argument against Romney that incumbents traditionally use against their opponents 鈥� that they don鈥檛 have the experience of the president. (Republicans used that argument against candidate Obama, a first-term senator, in 2008.)

Lacking experience in the international arena, Romney can be judged only by his 鈥渞hetoric,鈥� Biden said.

So the vice president ran down a list of Romney鈥檚 foreign-policy pronouncements. He quoted Romney鈥檚 recent statement that 鈥渨ithout question, our No. 1 geopolitical foe is Russia,鈥� and he said that reflected a 鈥渃old-war mind-set.鈥�

He cited what he called the former governor鈥檚 鈥渓oose talk about war with Iran鈥� and said such rhetoric 鈥渄rives oil prices up,鈥� adding, 鈥渨hen oil prices go up, Iran鈥檚 coffers fill up.鈥�

Biden said Romney has also called for 鈥渃rippling sanctions鈥� on Iran, but said that the Obama administration, in cooperation with international partners including Russia, is already doing that. When Obama took office, Biden said, 鈥淚ran鈥檚 influence was spreading,鈥� but he insisted that now 鈥淚ran is more isolated and the international community is more united鈥� in the effort to deny Iran a nuclear weapon.

Biden also zeroed in on what he said is Romney鈥檚 鈥渕isunderstanding鈥� of presidential leadership. He noted that Romney recently dismissed the 鈥渓ack of foreign-policy experience鈥� argument by saying a president can turn to the State Department and his national-security team for expertise.

Taking a veiled swipe at Romney the former business executive, Biden said such an approach 鈥渕ight work for a CEO.鈥� But, he noted, the best and most experienced national-security teams have disagreements, and at some point the president has to exercise the judgment 鈥渢hat determines the destiny of the country.鈥�

Biden spoke a day after Sen. Marco Rubio (R) of Florida, who is said to figure on Romney鈥檚 shortlist of vice-presidential choices, delivered a foreign-policy speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington in which he argued for more robust American leadership in the world.

Biden could have been channeling Senator Rubio when he concluded his own speech by averring that 鈥渘o nation is better positioned than the United States鈥� to lead the world in the 21st century.