Obama Brings Joe Biden To Tears With Suprise Presidential Medal Of Freedom

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo



By KRISTIN SALAKY Published JANUARY 12, 2017, 4:16 PM EDT

President Barack Obama surprised an emotional Joe Biden Thursday with a farewell tribute where he presented the vice president with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Obama gave the entire Biden clan a glowing tribute, including his children, grandchildren and wife, Jill Biden. He described Biden and Jill as "an all-American love story" and affectionately called Biden his "brother" and a "lion of American history."

Biden laughed and clapped along with the President's remarks and reacted with shock when Obama ended his speech by giving Biden the medal.

"To know Joe Biden is to know that love without pretense, service without self-regard, and to live life fully," Obama said. "As one of his long-time colleagues in the senate who happened to be a Republican once said, 'if you can't admire Joe Biden as a person, you have got a problem.' He is as good a man as god ever created."

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-surprise-biden-farewell-medal-of-freedom

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. He was a good guest on the Colbert late show a few weeks back.

Find that video if you haven't seen it.

[orleans]

46. here is the full version video

38 minutes put up from pbs

(turn the sound up for it)

i highly recommend seeing the whole thing. we'll never see anything like this again

[bigworld]

2. video here

http://www.cbsnews.com/live/video/president-obama-pays-tribute-to-vice-president-joe-biden-pt-2/

[Upthevibe]

5. Now I'm sobbing... n/t

[Stellar]

6. Thanks! I Am Bawling!!!!!

[ffr]

35. K&R K&R K&R K&R K&R, Me three.

It's like we're witnessing the ceremony to the end of our great nation, the one we grew up to love, that shielded and protected us, and one that we helped dignify.

This is the end of all that we loved and adored. From now on, it will be turned over to pirates of the highest order, who will tear it apart, rob its treasury and natural resources and sell them to the highest bidder, while denigrating its traditions and tarnishing its image from here on out.

Peace out!

[Beartracks]

50. Like the Taliban blowing up ancient cultural heritage sites. n/t

[progressoid]

8. Thanks!

[hibbing]

9. dang it I'm at work!

I hope no one comes to my cube to see me crying.


Peace

[nycbos]

3. I was close to tears watching.

[leftynyc]

4. First his amazing speech

the other night where he brought me to blubbering tears when talking about Michelle and now honoring a man I first voted for in 1988 with this. So many tears.

[Upthevibe]

7. "What comes from the heart, is the heart." n/t

[mcar]

10. Just watched the last part of it

Biden's remarks. Wonderful, wonderful men!

[Loge23]

11. Beautiful tribute

I'm thankful for a site like DU where we can watch and comment about the incredible class of our President and VP without having to deflect the idiotic, racist, and ignorant remarks of the deplorables.
Joe Biden was supposed to be the guy with the gaffs. There wasn't many during his eight years as a effective and steadfast VP.
Totally deserving of the Medal of Freedom for all of his great service to this country. Well done, Mr. President!

[Corey_Baker08]

12. Simply The Best Ever 💙 Thank-You 😢

[tinrobot]

13. Biden 2020

Just sayin'

[mobeau69]

14. Obama: Class...........Trump: Golden Showers n/t

[grantcart]

18. I expect Trump's first Medal of Freedom will be to Jonathan Pollard

[rtracey]

51. actually

It will go to himself, and he will say.... "i award this metal to me, because I am better then anyone who ever got this from those other failure presidents". "I want to thank me and only me for me."

[annarbor]

15. Bravo, Joe!

What a wonderful gesture by President Obama!
Bless these great men. I will miss them terribly!

[gademocrat7]

16. Pure class.

Thank you, President Obama and Vice President Biden for all you have done these past eight years.

[lillypaddle]

17. Joe

an amazing, humble public servant - totally deserving of this award. Thank you, Obama, and Joe, for both of your incredible service to your country.

[aquamarina]

19. That was beautiful.

[Stellar]

20. The whole video!!!!

[Denzil_DC]

37. Thanks.

*sniffle*

[Cha]

41. Good.. I was just about to post it. I just saw

the last couple of minutes on that link and I was already crying.

But then disappeared so I went looking on youtube.. thanks Stellar!

So beautiful!

[jaxind]

21. To Loge23

Biden's gaffes are different from W's. Biden's are sweet, cute, innocent! Bush's were embarrassing, and made him look like an imbecile!

[Happyhippychick]

22. Sobbing

I love Uncle Joe

[Grammy23]

23. So glad I happened to be watching when this ceremony began.

No one (including Biden) knew what was coming. It was evident on his face when he turned around and saw his family sitting there. The look of realization that something big was about to happen was priceless!

I kept trying to imagine tRump having a similar ceremony and, for the life of me, I couldn't conjure up such an image. It is just not in him.

After seeing this ceremony and the mutual love and respect between President Obama and VP Biden, I am feeling renewed grief and loss as these two men exit the White House. I don't think we will see the likes of them again in what remains of my life.

[dgauss]

24. Now I feel like going back and watching his 2012 VP debate with Paul Ryan.

That was a thing of beauty.

[Dave Starsky]

44. That debate is a national treasure.

The finest comedy beatdown the world has ever seen. Joe Biden is a boss's boss.

So happy this happened for him today. Words cannot express how much I will miss both these men and their amazing families.

[dgauss]

45. That reminds me of a tweet I saw just after the debate that made me laugh:

"Somebody call the police! I just saw an old man beat up a little boy."

[SteamAddict]

26. got lucky

and was walking by the TV in our break room and got to see it. Brought a little tear to my eye I gotta say. Man I am going to miss that guy

[RelativelyJones]

27. Two great public servants. True patriots in an environment where phony patriots reign.

[DFW]

28. After reading Obama's words

I can't help but imagine a member of Trump's team reading them and wondering what language they were written in.

[llmart]

29. Can't believe how I'm sobbing at my computer.

This just magnifies the awful loss this country is facing on January 20th. We in this country have been so blessed to have these two men at the helm for the past eight years. We could not have asked for a better team in charge of this nation and now we face having the worst possible thing happen to our country in my lifetime - the end of democracy as I knew it and as others my age have known it.

My sobbing has as much to do with them leaving as it does with what's ahead of us.

[3catwoman3]

30. Joe Biden is the...

...real BFD! Love Uncle Joe.

[LisaM]

31. Anyone who can't stand behind this 100% would have a heart of stone.

I love Biden, too. He has served his country - our country - with distinction. I haven't always agreed with his actions, but I generally do. If there were more people like him, this country would be a lot better place.

[Hekate]

32. The only thing that consoles me now is if I had left during BushCheney I would have missed out on

ObamaBiden.

[Lotusflower70]

33. Quite a moment

I really enjoyed watching that. Love Joe Biden. He is truly an extraordinary man. Love the connection between President Obama and Joe Biden.

[tavernier]

34. And me.

I flipped on CNN more as a fluke, and witnessed this lovely event. Made my day!

[smirkymonkey]

36. I saw part of it on one of the TVs at work.

I couldn't watch for long, but what I saw was very touching. There was another guy on my team in there with me as well who looked like he was really enjoying it. I said "We are not going to see the likes of them in the White House again for a long time!", He gave me a knowing look and said "You can say that again!". It made me feel good that there are other people in my midst who are sad to see them go as well.

[Moostache]

38. My god...the contrast of what we are losing to what is coming...

It staggers my very soul.

Joe Biden and Barrack Obama are going to be so sorely missed that I don't think we will ever truly appreciate the depth of the fall off we are about to endure as a nation and as individuals.

There is so much being lost in this transition, so much decorum, so much grace, so much humility, so much love. In its place, we are receiving bombast. self-indulgence, anger, and hate. Hate by the barrel full. We are never going to be the same as we are this week...we may eventually recover from this impending disaster. We may even thrive once more as the arc of history resumes its permanent path after this coming swerve off course...but we will suffer and endure to return just to this time and place. This moment, when inclusion and opportunity and care was extended and attempts were made in earnest to bring the nation to a better place for ALL...not only those who looked like us or thought like us or acted the way we liked.

It feels like a death to me. I was born after RFK was taken and never felt the real impact of his final year except through the lens of history and recordings and speeches. These two men are exiting the stage next week and there will be generations to come that we must all resolve to inform and consult and confide just what it was REALLY like to live in the age of Obama and Biden.

Godspeed Mr. President and Mr. Vice-president and we all live long enough to one day see your equals in these soon to be sullied offices.

[Lars39]

39. It will take generations to recover. :-(

[kacekwl]

40. Possibly the best thing

I've seen all year. I always loved Joe.

[PatSeg]

42. Incredible emotional ceremony

What an amazing team they've been.

[Gothmog]

43. This is a well deserved honor

Yeah for Uncle Joe

[qanda]

47. It was a great moment

[NBachers]

48. Joe's not the only one moved to tears . . .

[No Vested Interest]

49. Apparently the honor, and even the whole event, was to be a surprise

to the honoree.
Don't know if Joe knew about the occasion, but he was surely surprised by the Medal of Freedom presentation.

[AllaN01Bear]

52. eggscllent choice .