My fondest memory of Joe Biden comes from The Onion. For a time during Mr. Biden’s vice presidency, the satirical website cast him as the mortifying but lovable everyman in the White House. “Shirtless Biden Washes Trans Am In White House Driveway” was one classic. 

But as with many things, The Onion perceived something deeper. Somewhere between gaffe-prone and refreshingly honest, the vice president was someone to whom we could all relate. 

With his withdrawal from this year’s presidential race, the coming months will mark his coda in American politics – 50 years of service. It is not the way he might have wished. But as our editorial today beautifully states, Mr. Biden’s career has always been a study in success tempered by disappointment. His exit only underlines the humility he has gained along the way.