HE HAS THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT, BUT HE'S TOO DUMB TO USE IT
Some issues are just too important to be left to an unscripted Joe Biden.
This is not CNN and your humble correspondent is not a doctor so this column will not be offering a long-distance diagnosis of bungling Biden’s mental health or an assessment of how his cognition compares to that of other geriatrics.
But these are dangerous times and we would all be much safer if bungling Biden would make greater use of prepared statements that his handlers script for him on subjects such as, for example, weapons of mass destruction.
Two months after a bumbling press conference in which bungling Biden said that a “minor incursion” by Russia into Ukraine would be tolerable to the U.S. and its allies, the bungler flew to Europe this week and somehow ended up taking questions from reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Yes, it’s important for all of us to be able to hear from our officials and to assess the content of their remarks as well as the skill and conviction with which they advocate for their policies.
But this particular official does not appear to be up to the task. While we consider the implications, bungling Biden should try to say as little as possible in public during an international crisis.
This presents a unique challenge since he happens to be the inhabitant of the Oval Office with access to the nuclear strike codes. But there is no constitutional requirement for him to make off-the-cuff remarks, or to deliver speeches of any kind. If necessary his handlers can email messages to Congress and CNN rather than speaking in public.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-president-should-avoid-public-speaking-11648247289
