Connect with us

Breaking

In tearful farewell, Obama awards Biden the Medal of Freedom

Published

on

In tearful farewell, Obama awards Biden the Medal of Freedom  (Photo: Joe Biden/Facebook)

In tearful farewell, Obama awards Biden the Medal of Freedom (Photo: Joe Biden/Facebook)

WASHINGTON—At the dusk of both of their political careers, surrounded by teary friends and family, President Barack Obama on Thursday bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Joe Biden, the man he called “the finest vice-president we have ever seen.”

The vice-president winced in shock as Obama announced he was conferring the nation’s highest civil honour on his right-hand-man for eight years. Biden turned away from the cameras, wiped away some tears, then stood stoically as Obama draped the blue-and-white ribbon around his neck.

“I just hope that the asterisk in history that is attached to my name when they talk about this presidency is that I can say I was part of the journey of a remarkable man who did remarkable things for this country,” Biden said.

There were standing ovations—several of them—at what had been billed as a modest farewell ceremony for Biden but evolved into a surprise bestowal of the Medal of Freedom, the last time Obama will present the honour.

“I had no idea,” Biden said of the award, insisting he didn’t deserve it.

It was the only time Obama has presented the medal “with distinction,” also awarded only once by each of the previous three presidents.

One week out from the Obama administration’s end, a deep sense of nostalgia set in at the White House as longtime staffers pack up their offices, send out their last emails and bid farewell to the president they’ve served. On Tuesday, Obama returned home to Chicago to deliver his valedictory address, and next week he’ll depart Washington as ex-president just after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in.

Obama, joined Thursday by his wife and daughters, was effusive in his praise for the man who ran against him in 2008, then agreed to be his running mate. He said Biden had made him a better president, calling him “a lion of American history.”

“To know Joe Biden is to know love without pretense, service without self-regard and to live life fully,” Obama said.

The famously plainspoken Biden has long said he only agreed to the job after Obama agreed he would be the last person in the room before major decisions were made. Over two terms, they developed a bond that both men said transcended the office, with their wives, children and Biden’s grandchildren becoming close friends.

They disagreed, too, on occasion, including when Biden advocated against the high-stakes raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Biden’s tendency to veer off-script caused occasional headaches for the White House, such as when he unexpectedly announced support for gay marriage in advance of the 2012 re-election, forcing Obama to do the same soon after.

buy rybelsus online https://lifepractice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/png/rybelsus.html no prescription pharmacy

Yet as they gathered for a final goodbye, none of that seemed on either man’s mind.

buy tamiflu online https://lifepractice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/png/tamiflu.html no prescription pharmacy

Obama said there had been “no turf wars between our staffs,” a departure from other recent administrations. And Biden told the story of how after his son Beau Biden died in 2015, leaving behind a wife and children, Obama was distraught when Biden said he might sell his house to help support them, and offered to give them money instead.

It was a reunion for the many staffers and colleagues who worked with Biden over the years.

buy super kamagra online https://lifepractice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/png/super-kamagra.html no prescription pharmacy

Joining Biden’s wife, sister and children in the State Dining Room were former Sens. Chris Dodd and Ted Kaufman, former chief of staff Bruce Reed, and even Biden’s White House physician.

Obama traced the history of Biden’s nearly half-century-long political career, from chairing the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees to the “cancer moonshot” effort he started recently and plans to continue. Obama praised his vice-president for his work on the economic stimulus, middle-class issues and curbing violence against women.

“I’ve not mentioned Amtrak yet, or aviators. “Literally,” Obama said, invoking a few of the more famous “Bidenisms.”

Biden’s career in Washington started in 1972 steeped in tragedy when his wife and infant daughter died in a car crash just before he was to be sworn in as U.S. senator. After exiting the national stage next week, he plans to stay active in Democratic politics and work on policy issues at a pair of institutes he’s developing at the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania.

His folksy demeanour lent itself to plenty of jokes and caricatures, like the series of photos of Biden eating ice cream that exploded on social media. But Obama seemed fonder of the internet meme based on photos of him and Biden buddying it up.

“This also gives the internet one last chance to talk about our bromance,” the president said.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maria in Vancouver

Maria in Vancouver1 week ago

Fantabulous Christmas Party Ideas

It’s that special and merry time of the year when you get to have a wonderful excuse to celebrate amongst...

Lifestyle2 weeks ago

How To Do Christmas & Hanukkah This Year

Christmas 2024 is literally just around the corner! Here in Vancouver, we just finished celebrating Taylor Swift’s last leg of...

Lifestyle1 month ago

Nobody Wants This…IRL (In Real Life)

Just like everyone else who’s binged on Netflix series, “Nobody Wants This” — a romcom about a newly single rabbi...

Lifestyle2 months ago

Family Estrangement: Why It’s Okay

Family estrangement is the absence of a previously long-standing relationship between family members via emotional or physical distancing to the...

Lifestyle3 months ago

Becoming Your Best Version

By Matter Laurel-Zalko As a woman, I’m constantly evolving. I’m constantly changing towards my better version each year. Actually, I’m...

Lifestyle3 months ago

The True Power of Manifestation

I truly believe in the power of our imagination and that what we believe in our lives is an actual...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

DECORATE YOUR HOME 101

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Our home interiors are an insight into our brains and our hearts. It is our own collaboration...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Guide to Planning a Wedding in 2 Months

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Are you recently engaged and find yourself in a bit of a pickle because you and your...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Staying Cool and Stylish this Summer

By Matte Laurel-Zalko I couldn’t agree more when the great late Ella Fitzgerald sang “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”...

Maria in Vancouver6 months ago

Ageing Gratefully and Joyfully

My 56th trip around the sun is just around the corner! Whew. Wow. Admittedly, I used to be afraid of...