Joe Biden Got a Little Too Close to the New Defense Secretary’s Wife
Joe Biden Got a Little Too Close to the New Defense Secretary’s Wife
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Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter delivers remarks after being sworn in during a ceremony in the White House in Washington. D.C. while his wife Stephanie Carter and Vice President Joseph Biden observe on Feb. 17, 2015.Alex Wong—Getty Images
During the swearing-in ceremony for Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter on Tuesday, cameras caught Vice President Joe Biden whispering into the new defense secretary’s wife’s ears. Critics were quick to pounce on what they saw as another example of the veep’s poor etiquette.
“Joe Biden strikes again with inappropriate touching,” wrote Truth Revolt.
This isn’t Biden’s first time close-talking. In fact, the Washington Postdeclared Biden “the world’s most powerful close talker.”
There was that time last year when he cozied up to a biker:
And then when he chatted with Delaware Sen. Chris Coons’ daughter Maggie during a different swearing-in ceremony. (After the Internet backlash, Coons noted that his daughter “doesn’t think the vice president is creepy.”)
Chance Encounter In 1980, when Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles, he was approached by an aspiring photographer named Lisa Jack, who asked him if he would be willing to pose for some black and white photographs that she could use in her portfolio.Lisa JackHandsome
Of her first meeting (in a campus eatery) with Obama, Jack remembers only that "He was really cute. But what else does a 20-year-old girl remember?"Lisa JackStyled
In the photos, Jack says, "You can see he is just posing, initially, but as the shoot goes on, he starts to come out. He was very charismatic even then."Lisa JackProp
Jack never realized her dream of becoming a photographer and is now a psychologist.Lisa JackPose
Jack and Obama would see each other only a few more times while students. But in 2005, while on a tour, she spotted Obama on Capitol Hill and yelled hello. "He knew exactly who I was after all this time," Jack says. "I was amazed."Lisa JackDoubt
On a dare from a skeptical friend, Jack decided to track down her negatives from the shoot.Lisa JackSearcher
Initially, before she dug the film out from her basement, Jack never thought her pictures would have much life beyond her own darkroom.Lisa JackSmile
When she found them, the images of Obama "blew me away," she says. "I had no idea I'd taken a whole roll of film."Lisa JackCharm
For a while, Jack put the negatives in a safety-deposit box, so that they could not be used until after the election, when there would be no chance they could be used for a political purpose.Thoughtful
Today, Jack says, she hopes the photos reveal a "spirit of fun and thoughtfulness."Lisa JackThe Man Who Would Be President
"I'm not political," Jack says, "(But) these are historic photos and they should be shared."Lisa Jack
