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[h=4]Obama praises Beau Biden as a 'man of character'[/h]President Obama plans to honor Beau Biden as a remarkable son, father, and public servant as he delivers a eulogy Saturday for the vice president's son, officials said. The president plans to talk "in a
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President Obama gave the eulogy at Beau Biden's funeral. He remembers the 46-year-old as a compassionate and caring man, one who makes you want to be a better person. VPC
Vice President Biden, accompanied by his family, holds his hand over his heart as he watches an honor guard carry a casket containing the remains of his son, former Delaware attorney general Beau Biden, into St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, Del.(Photo: Patrick Semansky, AP)
President Obama lauded Beau Biden on Saturday as "a man of character" who honored his family and nation and as a military veteran and public servant who met life's challenge of making a difference.
"The world noticed," Obama told the Biden family during a eulogy at a Catholic church in Wilmington, Del. "They felt it — his presence. Beau lives on in the lives of others. ... What a good man. What an original."
Speaking to a family that has known tragedy, Obama said: "We are here to grieve with you — but more importantly, we are here because we love you."
Beau Biden, 46, a former Delaware attorney general who had planned to run for governor, died a week ago after a long bout with brain cancer.
Obama described Beau as "Joe 2.0," an "upgrade" who followed his father's lead as "someone who cared — someone who charmed you, and disarmed you, and put you at ease."
Calling him a natural leader, Obama noted that Beau turned down an appointment as attorney general so that he could run (and win) the office on his own. He forced a police officer to issue him a ticket, saying he wouldn't "trade on his name," Obama said.
He praised Beau for his work against child abuse and for serving his nation in Iraq.
"Because he was a Biden, the titles that come with family — husband, father, son, brother, uncle — those were the ones Beau valued above any other," he said.
The president, his voice nearly cracking, spent part of the eulogy delivering heartfelt tributes to his vice president, noting that four decades ago he survived the death of his wife and their infant daughter.
"Joe, you are my brother," the president said.
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The #BeauMemorial moves many to tears on social media
Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and their daughter Sasha — "we've become part of the Biden clan, we're honorary members now," the president said — joined a host of political dignitaries attending the Saturday morning funeral at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church.
Other attendees included former president Bill Clinton; former secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; many other congressional lawmakers; and most members of the Obama Cabinet.
USA TODAY
Beau Biden honored as son of Delaware at memorial
About 1,000 mourners, many wiping away tears, packed the large church.
Beau Biden, an Iraq War veteran, was also eulogized by Gen. Raymond Odierno, who presented a military award — the Legion of Merit — in Beau's memory. Odierno, who served as commanding general in Iraq at the same time Beau was deployed there, called him a man of "great character" who could well have gone on to lead the nation.
"A life much too short, but a life that had incredible meaning," Odierno said.
Beau Biden's siblings, Ashley and Hunter, also spoke. "He is with us forever," Ashley said of her brother. Speaking to Beau's children, Hunter Biden said that "we are a family whose love knows no bounds."
On Beau's last day, Hunter said, "I held his hand as he took his last breath — his hand will never leave mine."
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Hunter and Ashley Biden, the brother and sister of the late Beau Biden, both spoke at his funeral. The pair shared special memories of the time they spent with Beau. VPC
Chris Martin of Coldplay, performed at the ceremony, singing 'Til Kingdom Come. Beau Biden loved Coldplay's music, and Martin volunteered to sing at the funeral when he heard that through a mutual friend, the Biden family said in a statement.
USA TODAY
Beau Biden: Delaware mourns 'public servant, patriot'
The Catholic Mass followed two days of services for Beau Biden. Delaware residents and political leaders gathered at the State Capitol in Dover on Thursday to pay their respects. A public viewing took place at St. Anthony's on Friday.
During Thursday's service, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell described Beau Biden as a "model" for both public and private life, and expressed his grief for the vice president and his family.
"To the Biden family, we can't begin to understand the depth of your loss," he said. "Know that we grieve with you. Beau is now of the ages."
USA TODAY
Beau Biden: A life charmed yet cursed
The vice president has known this kind of pain before. In late 1972, shortly after his first election to the U.S. Senate from Delaware, Biden lost his first wife and their infant daughter in a car wreck. The accident badly injured his two young sons, Beau and Hunter.
A Legislative Hall viewing service in Dover, Del., is planned for Thursday, June 4, 2015, for Beau Biden, who is shown here walking toward the Sussex County Courthouse for the trial of Dr. Earl Bradley in 2006. Biden died Saturday, May 30, 2015, after a battle with brain cancer.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Andrew Renneise, The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal)
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Obama mentioned that tragedy in his eulogy, saying young Beau's recovery from that "cruel twist of fate" taught him how to live a "life of meaning."
On Thursday night, Vice President Biden and wife Jill were in Washington to attend the middle school graduation of one of their granddaughters. They were joined there by the president and Mrs. Obama, whose daughter also graduated.
In a statement following the announcement of Beau's death, Obama said that the son took after his father in so many ways.
"He chased a life of public service, like his dad, serving in Iraq and as Delaware's attorney general," Obama said. "Like his dad, Beau was a good, big-hearted devoutly Catholic and faithful man, who made a difference in the lives of all he touched — and he lives on in their hearts."
USA TODAY
Father in mourning: Joe Biden's toughest days ahead
The vice president said in a statement: "In the words of the Biden family: Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known."
Joe Biden has often been called upon to console those in grief, including 2012 remarks to military families in which his referenced Beau's deployment to Iraq.
"When he came home — it's going to sound strange to you — we felt almost a little guilty because he came home," Biden told families who had lost loved ones. "Because there's so many funerals I've attended, so many bases I've visited. And you know, not all losses are equal. Not all losses are equal."
BEAU BIDEN LAID TO REST IN DELAWAREObama: Beau Biden made you want to be a better person | 02:13President Obama gave the eulogy at Beau Biden's funeral. He remembers the 46-year-old as a compassionate and caring man, one who makes you want to be a better person. VPC
BEAU BIDEN LAID TO REST IN DELAWAREBeau Biden's brother, sister tearfully say goodbye | 02:32Hunter and Ashley Biden, the brother and sister of the late Beau Biden, both spoke at his funeral. The pair shared special memories of the time they spent with Beau. VPC
BEAU BIDEN LAID TO REST IN DELAWARERaw: Beau Biden laid to rest in Delaware | 01:38Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, is laid to rest in Delaware. Biden, a former Delaware attorney general who had planned to run for governor, died a week ago after a long bout with brain cancer.
BEAU BIDEN LAID TO REST IN DELAWAREBeau Biden's family prays for peace, hope | 02:00Beau Biden, Navy veteran and son of Vice President Joe Biden, lies in state in Dover, Delaware. VPC
BEAU BIDEN LAID TO REST IN DELAWAREBeau Biden, vice president's son, dies at 46 | 01:10Beau Biden devoted his life to public service, like his father, Vice President Joe Biden. The Iraq war veteran and former Delaware attorney general died of brain cancer. VPC
BEAU BIDEN LAID TO REST IN DELAWARETed Cruz jokes about Joe Biden days after son's death | 01:23Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz made jokes about Vice President Joe Biden at an event in Michigan. Biden's son Beau died a few days before Cruz's comments. When asked about the joke after the event, Cruz turns away from the reporter. VPC
BEAU BIDEN LAID TO REST IN DELAWAREWatch Beau Biden's touching tribute to his dad | 05:12Beau Biden was an Iraq war veteran and Delaware attorney general, but many Americans knew him best as Vice President Joe Biden's son. He was incredibly proud of that title and explained why at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. VPC
BEAU BIDEN LAID TO REST IN DELAWAREDelawareans mourn the loss of Beau Biden | 03:03Beau Biden's friends and admirers in Delaware say his death wasn't only a loss for them personally, but a loss for the state. Vice President Joe Biden's son died of brain cancer at age 46. VPC
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