Obama surprises Biden with Presidential Medal of Freedom
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Barack Obama honored Vice President Joe Biden during a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House today in Washington.
WASHINGTON >> President Barack Obama surprised Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday by bestowing the Presidential Medal of Freedom on him, calling Biden “my brother” in a tearful goodbye at the White House.
Having called Biden and his wife, Jill, to the White House for a private farewell, the president instead brought him into a room filled with his friends, family and colleagues to present him with the honor, the nation’s highest.
For the first time, Obama awarded the medal with distinction, an added level of veneration that previous presidents had reserved for recipients like Pope John Paul II and Colin L. Powell, the former secretary of state.
“To know Joe Biden is to know love without pretense, service without self-regard, and to live life fully,” Obama said during the televised ceremony, as Biden wiped tears from his eyes and dabbed at his nose with a handkerchief.
Moments later, as the president called up a military aide to read the proclamation, Biden appeared to break down, turning his back to the audience to compose himself. After Obama hung the medal around his neck, the vice president cried openly.
“Ricchetti, you’re fired,” Biden joked to his chief of staff, Steve Ricchetti. “I had no inkling.”
Addressing Obama, who stood to his side, Biden said that he had never met anyone who had “the integrity and the decency and the sense of other people’s needs like you do.”
The ceremony was an emotional conclusion to an improbable partnership that began in 2008 when Obama asked his former presidential rival to be his running mate. The two men became close during eight years in the White House.
“Mr. President, you got right the part about my leaning on Jill,” Biden said, referring to the president’s remarks about the couple’s love. “But I’ve also leaned on you and a lot of people in this room.”
It was not always clear that the odd-couple pairing would work, either politically or personally. Obama brought a cool and disciplined approach to politics, while his vice president was the hotheaded, passionate one.
Gaffes by Biden during the early part of the Obama administration annoyed the president and his aides. And the relationship between the two men was strained when Biden endorsed same-sex marriage in 2012, forcing the president’s hand on the issue.
But their bond strengthened through the difficult re-election campaign and a second term in which they confronted several mass killings. And Biden’s personal tragedy — the loss of his son Beau to cancer — brought them even closer together.
Last year, Biden seriously considered another run for president. But he concluded that his son’s death had left him emotionally unable to mount an effective campaign.
The citation with the medal noted Biden’s “charm, candor, unabashed optimism and deep and abiding patriotism,” as well as his “strength and grace to overcome great personal adversity.” It called him one of the most “consequential vice presidents in American history.”
Obama spoke emotionally about the relationship between his own family and the extended Biden clan, many of whom had gathered for the ceremony. “My family is so proud to call ourselves honorary Bidens,” he said.
Biden sought to return the compliment. He noted that the Constitution did not grant the vice president any inherent powers — “for good reason,” he said. But he said Obama had made good on a pledge to make sure that Biden had a job that mattered.
“You have more than kept your commitment to me by saying you wanted me to help govern,” Biden said, adding that he hoped the history books would record that he was an asterisk in Obama’s historic presidency.
“I can say I was part of a journey of a remarkable man who did remarkable things for this country,” Biden said.
37 responses to “Obama surprises Biden with Presidential Medal of Freedom”
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Congratulations Vice President Biden! Well deserved!!
{gag}
Consider what Mr. Biden did with his life compared with you.
Gag is right.
He’s gonna take that goofball behind the gym and…
What “did” he do?
Yes, he has been feeding at the public trough all his political career and will do so into his retirement with perks.
Look, Biden gets a “Participation Trophy”. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Funny
fitting that a do-nothing winner of the nobel peace prize would award his do-nothing sidekick a medal of freedom and with distinction to boot.
IRT st1d – Perfectly said!!
Perfectly said for someone who knows absolutely nothing about what Mr. Biden has done.
Ignorance is bliss!
Since you are such a fan of these two please enlighten us uneducated folk on what Biden has actually done for this country and or his Home State. We already know what Obama has done hence the result of the election.
Good boy Joe. pat pat pat
Obama gives away another worthless Medal of Freedom. He has given so many of them to friends, movie stars and athletes, he has minimized the significance of the award.
No telling who he will give the next one to. Perhaps ole feeble minded Joe is worthy of one.
Next will be Michelle for being his wife.
They will be out of the White House soon. Perhaps you can turn your hate and ignorance on another couple?
That would be a nice change!
Like candy on Halloween.
Next week is going to be interesting, no telling what he might do.
odumbo keeps detracting from his legacy.
WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!
should have waited 10 years or so and see if Joe really deserved it?
You just take that shotgun….gonna put ya’ll back in chains…LOL What in the heck did he do?
The sitting 44th has the “Midas touch” of devaluing pretty much everything he comes into contact with and involved. While he is in the swing of things he should bestow George Soros with a Presidential Medal of Freedom and “the treasonist” HilLiary while he is at it. “What difference – at this point, what difference does it make?”
Yes, What difference does it make???
Trump supporters who know absolutely nothing (the vast majority of them, of course) claim now to know what Joe Biden has done during his lifetime of public service. My wife and I are proud to know Jill and Joe Biden, and they are both great Americans who spent their lives in the service of the United States.
People here who choose to criticize Mr. Biden again validate their breathtaking ignorance. None of you have ever been in a position of influence anywhere, and will die never achieving that goal. Mr. Biden has been there for decades.
Agreed. Trump followers have no idea what it means to serve a higher cause selflessly. Like trump, they don’t see beyond how things affect them personally.
Just read their comments. It’s good knowing that none of the people here who slather praise on Trump actually had anything to do with him being elected. They take credit for it of course, but it’s not true. At least there’s that fact. None of the electoral votes from Hawaii went to Trump.
At least there’s that.
So astri, what DID he do? Besides, you don’t have to be a “public” servant to influence someone. Oh right, Demmies think other wise.
You enjoy making things up. I didn’t write that someone must be a public servant to influence someone.
Your comments never make sense. Like this one, for instance.
Enjoy marinating in your ignorance.
Your sappy post nearly brought a tear to my eye. Yes, Uncle Joe Biden, Creepy Joe Biden, “Plugs” Joe Biden entered public service to do good and did very well indeed.
“Plugs”? Of course. What more thoughtful comment could you have?
You again validate my suspicion that you’re 13 years old.
You might consider growing up.
Being a complete jerk doesn’t help you to get your point across
Don’t be the person you seem to hate
For what?
Watch. Next week Trump is going to give the same award to Ivanka.
WHY IS THIS ARTICLE STILL IN THE NEWS AFTER TWO WEEKS…..WHO CARES BY NOW….MOVE ON SA.
That’s the closest Barry boy will ever come to lynching a white man.