Obama Grieves Passing of Beau Biden
The nation mourns this weekend with word that Vice President Joe Biden's son, Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III, an Iraq war veteran and former AG of Deleware, passed after a battle with brain cancer. He was 46.
"Michelle and I are grieving," President Barack Obama said via statement from the White House. "Beau Biden was a friend of ours. His beloved family – Hallie, Natalie, and Hunter – are friends of ours. And Joe and Jill Biden are as good as friends get.
Obama goes on to reminisce on how much Beau reminded him of his father. "Beau took after Joe. He studied the law, like his dad, even choosing the same law school. He chased a life of public service, like his dad... Beau was a good, big-hearted, devoutly Catholic and deeply faithful man, who made a difference in the lives of all he touched – and he lives on in their hearts."
Though his storied career was outstanding, Obama shared, what was most important was the impact he made at home. "For all that Beau Biden achieved in his life, nothing made him prouder; nothing made him happier; nothing claimed a fuller focus of his love and devotion than his family... it is a testament to Joe and Jill – to who they are – that Beau lived a life that was full; a life that mattered; a life that reflected their reverence for family."
Joe Biden revealed the same sentiment. "In the words of the Biden family," he said via statement, "Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known."
The POTUS closed his statement with a prayer. "'I have believed the best of every man,' wrote the poet William Butler Yeats, 'And find that to believe it is enough to make a bad man show him at his best or even a good man swing his lantern higher.' Beau Biden believed the best of us all. For him, and for his family, we swing our lanterns higher.
Michelle and I humbly pray for the good Lord to watch over Beau Biden, and to protect and comfort his family here on Earth."
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(Photo: AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
