At an otherwise boring, lengthy Senate swearing-in ceremony, Vice President Joe Biden managed to blow the internet with a single smooch.
For reasons that remain unclear, long-time Republican Senator Chuck Grassley’s wife strode up to Biden and the pair shared a kiss on the lips. Chuck stood by with no expression. The exchange was caught on C-SPAN:
Joe Biden kisses Chuck Grassley's wife on the lips during Senate swear-in pic.twitter.com/Q8haPNosB2
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) January 3, 2017
Toronto Star correspondent Daniel Dale also manage to see the awkward moment from a better angle.
Via @LoopEmma, Joe Biden just kissed Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley's wife on the lips. pic.twitter.com/vW0zMp2HAo
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 3, 2017
Biden is known around Washington as a touchy-feely kind of guy. He’s frequently pushed the boundaries of personal space with his gregarious manner, but this move, as Dale noted, seemed completely consensual. In fact, Mrs. Grassley appears to have instigated it.
Bidening update: Grassley’s wife appeared to be a full consenting participant in this kiss. https://t.co/KfPUMTcI3t
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 3, 2017
Aside from Grassley’s wife, there seems to be little Biden and the Republican senator agree on. Grassley has spent his time in office cynically opposing almost every policy President Obama’s White House has put forward. He also fought tooth-and-nail to obstruct the appointment of Obama’s Supreme Court nominee - an unconstitutional but ultimately successful way to block Democrats from getting the left-leaning SCOTUS they rightfully were entitled to.
And now we wait for Grassley, whose barely coherent tweets seemingly written as word association game have become the stuff of legend, to fire up his Twitter app in response.
Featured image via Daniel Dale/Twitter
