It was a big day for American Vice President Joe Biden as he managed to subject himself to a new gaffe.
Biden was at the swearing in ceremony of new Defence Secretary Ash Carter, and as Carter delivered his speech, Biden could be seen in the background with his arms on the shoulders of the man’s wife, Stephanie, and whispering into her ear.
Moments later, Carter reached over and touched his wife on her shoulder as Biden stepped back.
The Internet, of course, swiftly responded with a flurry of tweets criticizing and poking fun at Biden’s touchy-feely behaviour.
@heyLauraFreed tweeted, “Dear Ash Carter: If you can't protect your wife from creepy Joe Biden, how can you protect America?”
A flurry of tweets followed with Brad Thor, an author, saying, “Just once, I'd like to see a husband in this situation knock Joe Biden out.”
He then added: “If Joe Biden did this to my wife, she’d knock him out. I'd have to take a number and wait my turn.”
Radio personality Mark Simone said; “Creepy Joe Biden strikes again, hanging onto Ashton Carter’s wife (and whispering things) at Carter’s swearing-in.”
“Not sure why a creep like @VP is not shunned by civil society,” said Daily Beast columnist Stuart Stevens.
Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin was far more brief, labeling him an “a**clown.”
This is not the first time that Biden has been called out on this type of behaviour. Back in January, he was all hands-on at the swearing-in of new senators and got close to the 13-year-old daughter of Democratic Delaware Senator Chris Coons
In 2013, he tightly embraced The Hill’s White House correspondent Amie Parnes around the waist in a holiday photo.And while on the campaign trail in September 2012, Biden cozied up to a woman at a biker bar in Ohio, prompting a round of amazed stares from the motorcyclists who were there.
