Today, President Obama surprised his best bro, Vice President Joe Biden, with the country's highest civilian honor: The Presidential Medal of Freedom. He paid tribute to "the best vice president America has ever had" in front of a small crowd at the White House, joking, "This also gives the internet one last chance to talk about our bromance."
"Behind the scenes, Joe's candid, honest counsel has made me a better president and a better commander in chief," Obama told the room. "From the situation room to our weekly lunches to our huddles after everybody else has cleared out of the room, he has been unafraid to give it to me straight, even if we disagree. In fact, especially when we disagree. And all of this makes him, I believe, the finest vice president we have ever seen. And I also think he has been a lion of American history. The best part is, he is nowhere close to finished."
Biden, who, like us, struggled to blink back tears throughout the president's tribute, dabbed at his face with a handkerchief as his friend prepared to present him with the honor. "For the first and only time in my presidency I will bestow this medal with an additional level of veneration," Obama said. "An honor my three most recent successors reserved for only three others: Pope John Paul II, President Ronald Reagan, and General Colin Powell. I'm proud to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction to my brother, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr."
[facebook ]https://www.facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/vb.341163402640457/1299890440101077/?type=3&theater[/facebook]
Biden, who had no idea this was coming―"I had no inkling. I thought we were coming over, Michelle, for you Jill, Barack, and I and a couple senior staff to toast one another and say what an incredible journey it's been."―took some time to thank his family and the Obamas for supporting him in his eight years in office.
"Mr. President, this honor is not only well beyond what I deserve, but it's a reflection of the extent and generosity of your spirit," Biden said towards the end of his remarks. "I don't deserve this. But I know it came from the president's heart. There is a Talmudic saying that says, 'What comes from the heart enters the heart.' Mr. President, you have creeped into our heart, you and your whole family, including Mom, and you occupy it. It's an amazing thing that happened. I knew how smart you were. I knew how honorable you were. I knew how decent you were from the couple of years we worked in the Senate. And I knew what you were capable of. But I never fully expected that you would occupy the Bidens' heart from Hunter, Ashley, my sister, all of us. All of us. And Mr. President, I―I am indebted to you. I am indebted to your friendship. I am indebted to your family."
