Joe Biden Talks About His New Memoir, Promise Me, Dad

[elleng]

Last edited Tue Nov 7, 2017, 03:08 PM - Edit history (1)

The former vice president writes about facing the death of his son Beau,
deciding not to pursue a presidential run and dealing with foreign crises.

'Joe Biden’s new memoir, “Promise Me, Dad,” is all about time — but not its sweep or fullness. Instead he has written about the fearsome ticktock of seconds, minutes and hours when our backs are against the wall, and there are obstacles to be faced.

In substance, it is a classic “year in the life” memoir. The book starts just before Thanksgiving 2014 and covers the three signal story lines of his next year: the grueling illness and death of his elder son, Beau, of brain cancer at 46; his difficult decision not to pursue the Democratic nomination for president in 2016; and his welcome workload as vice president, particularly on foreign crises in Iraq, Ukraine and Central America. . .

PG: Let’s turn to the 2016 election. You write that President Obama was pretty discouraging about your running for the Democratic nomination. But in the book you also say that the race was coming to you: The badly beaten middle class, the populism, the authenticity.

JB: What people don’t realize is that Beau was essentially diagnosed with a death sentence in 2013. Virtually nobody makes it. I had an obligation to tell the president because of my duties. So, he knew what was going on. By late 2014, we were walking after lunch, and Barack said: “Joe, if I had the power of appointment, I’d appoint you president. We agree on the issues, I know your leadership skills, and I think you’d be the best president.” But he had other pressures. I felt them, too. If I were to say “I am not going to run,” in the face of all this data that’s coming in saying, you can do it. If I said that, everybody would have known there was something wrong with Beau. I would have violated my commitment to him to keep it secret. The piece that complicated it is that after he passed, it was clear that he really wanted me to run.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/books/review/joe-biden-talks-about-new-memoir-promise-me-dad.html?

[CTyankee]

1. I remember having to turn off the TV toward the end of Beau's funeral. I was crying

too hard and I just couldn't take any more sadness...

[elleng]

2. Me too, yank.

'Philip Galanes: Why write this book? Why tear your heart open again?

Joe Biden: For my kids. Look, I have two beautiful grandchildren. I have a thousand pictures of them all around. For a year, when they were building a home, they lived here: Beau, [his wife] Hallie and the two kids. I wish they’d never moved. But after he died, the kids would come into my bed and lie on my chest: “Pop, tell me stories about Daddy.” “Tell me the one about when he fell out of the tree.” “Tell me the one about when that guy went after Daddy, and Uncle Hunt beat him up.” . .

PG: Several times, Beau says: Don’t look at me sad, Dad. Or: Promise me you’ll be O.K., Dad. Did he ever let you comfort him?

JB: One night, when it was clear that the odds weren’t good, he asked me to stay after dinner at his house, about a mile from here. He said: “Dad, I know you love me more than anyone in the world. But promise me you’ll be O.K. I’ll be O.K., Dad.” He had come face to face with his mortality. He watched me go through the loss of his mother and sister. And he didn’t want me to turn inward. He didn’t want me to give up on the robustness of life. . .

PG: You were reluctant to confide in President Obama about Beau.

JB: It was complex. I didn’t want him to carry the burden of feeling sorry for me. Several times, when we talked about Beau, he started sobbing, and I had to console him. I didn’t want to put him through that, not with all the responsibility he had on his back.'

[CTyankee]

3. I can't read that book. I'd be sobbing all the time.

Plus I miss him as much as I miss Obama. I guess we all do.