OPINION:
Not near enough critical discussion has been had about what it would really be like to have a Joe Biden administration in Washington. Collected here are some of the more troubling aspects of that possibility — in a national security context and context of the election campaign.
• Biden’s competency: At the top of the list of negatives is the distressing reality that Mr. Biden is likely in early stage dementia. Specifically, he has some painfully obvious cognitive deficits — this is likely a degenerative disorder and will only get worse. And it has.
More practically, how much more evidence of this kind of condition would one need — say if it was demonstrated by a relative, friend or colleague — before a comprehensive and professional evaluation would be appropriate or required? Just listening to Mr. Biden has too many of us shaking our heads and wondering how he could be so confused as to hook together such often incomprehensible ideas and concepts. It’s getting observably worse — and when he gets off the teleprompter he’s in serious trouble.
Does this explain why he’s being “kept in the basement”? How must his staff be addressing the realities of live debates with Donald Trump and how does the Democratic National Committee come to grips with the reality of an incompetent candidate? So far, all that has been suggested is that Mr. Biden “stutters” and that the DNC is concentrating on selecting a VP candidate who could step in on short notice.
This is hardly reassuring, and raises serious issues under the 25th Amendment: Section 3 thereof says that presidents can declare themselves “unable to discharge the powers and duties of their office.” It is unrealistic to expect an incompetent president to ever acknowledge such a reality, and the national security aspects of such a situation — especially in the very fast pace of the modern world — are potentially catastrophic.
• Biden’s blinders: Mr. Biden has been in D.C. since 1973, representing our second smallest state (Delaware) in the Senate until 2009, and then as President Obama’s VP for eight years — a total of 43-plus years. This shocking statistic speaks for itself, especially as to Mr. Biden’s extremely limited view of reality. In fact, he gets himself in trouble most every time he expresses an opinion on a national issue or matter, e.g., that “120 million” have died from coronavirus and that “150 million” are unemployed. In short, for most national matters, not only is he clueless, he truly is “the swamp.”
Watch out for the “look”: What is the key word Mr. Biden most always uses to set up one of his goofy statements or gaffes? It’s “look,” and he also uses it when he feels challenged or when he wants to get away from an uncomfortable subject or situation. So, beware: Any time Joe Biden says “look” means a big lie and/or another goofy gaffe is about to follow as he exits the situation.
• Biden the bully: When he gets confronted by most anyone or anything, Mr. Biden’s automatic and practiced reaction is to bully the source of the challenge. As when he said that he has “three degrees,” was on “full scholarship,” graduated at the “top of his class” — all false — and that he has a “high IQ,” which is especially wishful thinking on his part.
In fact, he was almost kicked out of law school for massive plagiarism his freshman year and graduated at the bottom of his class — 76th out of 86. So, is Mr. Biden just stupid as well as demented? Could be, but for sure he also fits the “Seinfeld model” — when George tells Jerry “it’s not a lie if you believe it.” Can he actually believe the strange stuff he says? Whether he does doesn’t really matter — he seems simply not bright enough to know, so he’s not concerned by it.
• Biden at his worst — the debates: Mr. Biden’s political handlers know they will have to “keep him in the basement” and dramatically limit his “free mike” time, otherwise he can’t help but hang himself with even more gaffes that demonstrate increasingly obvious incompetency. Accordingly, we can expect a very closely DNC-managed campaign that keeps Mr. Biden under very tight control.
The Biden campaign/DNC has reportedly agreed to three debates with Donald Trump — however, it’s extremely difficult to imagine that the DNC will comply with such an agreement. Can you imagine a “real” one-on-one debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden? Neither can the DNC, so we can expect some tactical maneuvers that will protect Mr. Biden against the risk of “live TV” and take him away from the teleprompter. The idea that there will actually be three — or any for that matter — “real” debates is highly unrealistic. This because Joe Biden is not nearly as smart as Hillary Clinton and the DNC knows it.
• The bottom line: Joe Biden puts us all at risk with his multiple incompetencies and his basic inability to tell the truth — all while very possibly not knowing it. This sad ruse may have “worked” for him in little Delaware — mostly because it didn’t really matter what he thought or said there. A much different matrix exists today, and the stakes are very much higher. Can we actually imagine Mr. Biden as a “Commander in Chief”? What happens when we have a “real situation” — one that requires the best clear thinking and most reliable judgment?
Joe Biden has neither — and proves it most every day.
• Daniel Gallington served in senior national security and intelligence policy positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Justice and as the last bipartisan general counsel for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
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