WASHINGTON (AP) – For one afternoon, Senate Republicans and Democrats gleefully referred to Joe Biden as “Mr. President.”
As the nation’s 47th vice president, Biden is the president of the Senate though his two White House bids went unrealized. On Wednesday, he presided over the chamber as lawmakers took turns paying tribute to the Amtrak-riding, aviator sunglass-wearing former senator in speeches marked by humor, wistfulness and remembrances.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., described Biden’s fight to overcome a stutter as a child, the trajectory of his political career and the unusual friendships the Delaware senator forged with Republicans. Biden served in the Senate for 36 years before being tapped by Barack Obama to be his running mate in 2008.
McConnell said he trusted Biden implicitly during negotiations that staff in his office knew were serious because the vice president was involved. He marveled at the vice president’s resilience in the face of personal tragedy and political setbacks.
“Unbowed, unbroken, unable to stop talking,” McConnell said.