President Obama Surprises Joe Biden With Medal of Freedom | WSJ

as I have already delivered my farewell address I will try to be relatively brief but I just want to get some folks together to pay tribute to somebody who's not only been by my side for the duration of this amazing journey but somebody who has devoted his entire professional life to service to this country the best vice president America has ever had mr. Joe Biden 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 from the Situation Room to our weekly lunches to our Huddle's after everybody else has cleared out of the room he's 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 so Joe for your faith in your fellow Americans for your love of country and for your lifetime of service that will endure through the generations I'd like to ask the military aid to join us on stage for the final time as president I am pleased to award our nation's highest civilian honor the Presidential Medal of Freedom [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] for the first for the first and only time in my presidency I will bestow this medal with an additional level of veneration an honor my three most recent successors reserved for only three others Pope John Paul the second president Ronald Reagan and General Colin Powell ladies and gentlemen I am proud to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction to my brother Joseph Robinette Biden Jr [Applause] president's lying often other people don't hear it that often but when some would say can you get Joe to do such-and-such he says I don't do his schedule he doesn't do mine every single thing you've asked me to do mr. president you have trusted me to dinner and that is a that's a remarkable thing I don't think according to see the president of Georgetown here is well I don't think according to the presidential vice presidential scholars that kind of relationship has existed I mean for real it's all you mr. president it's all you the reason why when you send me around the world nothing gets as my mom would say gets missed between the cup and the lip just because they know when I speak I speak for them and it's been easy mr. president because we not only had the same political philosophy and ideology I tell everybody I've told them from the beginning and I'm not saying this to be reciprocated I've never known a president and few people I've ever met in my whole life I can count unless in one hand who had the integrity and the decency and the sense of other people's like you do as he can tell you it's a I get to give you advice I get to be the last guy in the room and give you advice on the most difficult decisions anyone has to make in the whole world but I get to walk out and you make it all by yourself all by yourself Harry Truman was right about the buck stop it is at this and I've never never never never never never once doubted on his life in that decisions I never once doubted that your judgment was flawed not once not once we've disagreed and we've argued and we've raised our voices one other which we made a deal we'd be completely open like brothers with one another but mr. president um I watched you under intense fire I will venture to say that no president history has had as many novel crises land on his desk in all of history the Civil War was worse the world war ii was worse for what but mr. president almost every one of the crises you face was the case of First Instance case of First Instance and I watched that prodigious mind that heart as big as your head I've watched you I've watched how you've acted when you see a woman or man under intense pressure you get a measure and you know that Michelle and your daughter's note as well this is a remarkable man and I just hope that the asterisk in history that was attached to my name when they talk about this presidency is that I can say I was part of part of the journey of a remarkable man who did remarkable things for this country you

Channel: The Wall Street Journal

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Keywords: Aldridge Sobel Lord, George, Harry Truman, John Paul, Mr President, Obama Surprises Joe, Singh, Domestic Politics, Political, General News, Politics, International Relations, United States, North America, president obama, joe biden, the wall street journal, wsj, medal of freedom, presidential honor of freedom, barack obama, george bush, civilian honors, President Obama Surprises Joe Biden With Medal of Freedom, vice president, president speeches

Id: SzBFR2EE8hM

Length: 7min 4sec (424 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 13 2017