IT’S a worrying time for the free world when its leader can hardly string a sentence together.
And the only coherent one is when the US President tells a press conference he must go to bed!
While much can be said for the wisdom of old age, it can come with significant drawbacks.
Regrettably, energy, acuity and physical strength all fade with time and all three are manifestly lacking in Joe Biden.
Already the oldest President in US history, if he fights and wins November’s election, he will start his second term aged 82.
After numerous accidents, confusions and odd pronouncements, polls show three-quarters of all Americans have ‘serious concerns’ about his physical and mental ability to serve his country.
Even Biden’s most stalwart supporters are conceding that his time as President may be up, with the Washington Post calling last week for him to step down as ‘a wise choice for the country’.
Meanwhile, the US Libertarian Party has attempted to put both the President and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, under ‘conservatorships’, claiming these ‘geriatric elites’ no longer have the mental capacity for public office.
While this may be a joke, Mr Biden’s problems are multiplying elsewhere.
A new impeachment inquiry has just been launched into his possible involvement, when Vice President, in his son Hunter’s dodgy business dealings.
Influencing and corruption are suspected, combined with the recent, unduly lenient treatment of Hunter’s activities by the Department of Justice.
It’s not a good look for what Mr Trump calls ‘The Biden Crime Family’ although, of course, he himself faces a number of indictments.
It’s extraordinary that in a country of circa 340 million people, these two flawed characters appear to be the only choice for the most powerful job in the world.