I confess to being puzzled as to why it is common to address the vice president's wife as "Dr.". I assumed, as did many, that she was a medical doctor. Apparently, all she holds is a Ed.D. Now I know that Washington D.C. is filled with doctorates; indeed, many on the cabinet have held such degrees, but I have never heard Condoleeza Rice or Steven Chu or even, in the world of punditry, Paul Krugman addressed as "doctor" when quoted or acknowledged during a presidential address, yet all have earned Ph.D.'s. [Ph.D.'s, mind, not Ed.D.'s.]
Jonah Goldberg makes a pungent observation:
I don’t recall Lynne Cheney being called “Dr. Cheney” very often. She has a Ph.D. in English Literature. Her dissertation was titled “Matthew Arnold’s Possible Perfection: A Study of the Kantian Strain in Arnold’s Poetry.” That sounds at least as worthy of respect as Jill Biden’s dissertation: “Student Retention at the Community College: Meeting Students’ Needs.”
I think, from now on, when being referenced by those who prefer behind-the-back criticism, that I be addressed not as "that jerk" but as "Dr. Jerk" or something similar. It has much better cache.