January 12, 2017 03:54 PM UTC

Obama Surprises Biden with Presidential Medal of Freedom

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• by: Colorado Pols

There are plenty of things to argue about in political news lately. This is not one of them. Regardless of your political affiliations, this was a nice moment:

As the Washington Post explains:

President Obama awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to a shocked Vice President Biden on Thursday at the White House.

Biden and the president had gathered for what the White House had described as a final tribute to the vice president.

The event began with a playful and heartfelt tribute from Obama to one of his closest friends and confidantes in Washington. As he finished his remarks the president asked one of his military aides to come to the stage.

“For the final time as president I am pleased to award our nation’s highest civilian honor…” Obama began as a Marine officer bearing the medal stood by.

Biden immediately spun around, turning his back to the crowd, and wiped his face and eyes with his handkerchief. The president bestowed the medal “with distinction,” an additional level of veneration that his three immediate predecessors had reserved for only three others — Pope John Paul II, former President Ronald Reagan and Gen. Colin Powell…

…In his remarks, Biden praised Obama for serving the nation with dignity and insisted that he was not worthy of the honor.

“I don’t deserve this…,” the vice president said repeatedly.