cul ine ▁trop es ▁look ▁not ▁only ▁un th re aten ing ▁but ▁delight ful " ▁and ▁" w ere ▁the ▁sat ir ical ▁equivalent ▁of ▁pet ting ▁the ▁Lab r ador ▁on ▁the ▁head ". ▁G av in ▁Fernando ▁at ▁The ▁New ▁Zealand ▁Her ald ▁noted ▁B iden ' s ▁t endency ▁to ▁touch ▁women ▁at ▁public ▁events ▁had ▁" rare ly ▁been ▁critic ised ▁directly " ▁in ▁the ▁media ▁despite ▁w ides p read ▁aw aren ess , ▁highlight ing ▁an ▁On ion ▁story ▁from ▁ 2 0 0 9 ▁that ▁had ▁" zon ed ▁in ▁on ▁his ▁behaviour ▁towards ▁women " ▁yet ▁all ▁the ▁while ▁dep icted ▁him ▁as ▁" ende aring ▁and ▁lov able ." ▁ ▁Con vers ely , ▁other ▁comment ators ▁felt ▁that ▁the ▁On ions ▁j okes ▁had ▁called ▁attention ▁to ▁the ▁issue ▁of ▁B iden ' s ▁in app ropri ate ▁behavior ▁toward ▁women ▁without ▁necessarily ▁gl or ifying ▁or ▁exc using ▁his ▁behavior . ▁Joe ▁Ber kow itz ▁at ▁Fast ▁Company ▁wrote ▁that ▁"[ e ] ven ▁the ▁On ion , ▁whose ▁mem ification ▁of ▁the ▁Ve ep ▁... ▁helped ▁shore ▁up ▁affection ▁for ▁[ him ], ▁couldn ' t ▁help ▁comment ing ▁on ▁his ▁att itudes ▁toward ▁women ▁from ▁time ▁to ▁time ." ▁Ma ure en ▁Cal la han ▁at ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁Post ▁said ▁The ▁On ion ▁had ▁" sp o of ed ▁B iden ' s ▁sle az iness ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁ 2 0 0 9 ", ▁which ▁she ▁c