President Obama bestowed the nation's
highest civilian honor on Vice President Biden Thursday, calling his running
mate and presidential understudy "the best vice president America has ever
had."
The surprise State Room ceremony was
alternately humorous and poignant, with Biden turning his face from the
audience to wipe away his tears.
"I had no inkling," Biden
said, saying he thought the event was supposed to be for first lady Michelle
Obama. He jokingly fired his chief of staff for not telling him. "I don't
deserve this, but I know this came from the president's heart."
Only two other men have received the
honor for their service as vice presidents.. President Gerald Ford awarded it
to his vice president, Nelson Rockefeller, in 1977, and President Jimmy Carter
awarded it to Lyndon Johnson's vice president, Hubert Humphrey, in 1980.
But Biden's medal also came with an
additional rare honor: The Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction. That
additional designation has been bestowed to only three others: Pope John Paul
II, President Ronald Reagan and former secretary of State Colin Powell.
"It is, as Joe once said, a big
... deal," a straight-faced Obama joked, referring to Biden's
expletive-laden remark on the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
"He has made me a better
president, and a better commander in chief," Obama disclosed.
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