Nobody's Talking About This

The only context I have for this is remarks by Dan Bongino last year:

Former Secret Service Agent and conservative pundit Dan Bongino has declared that Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden is suffering rapid “cognitive decline," according to sources who are "close to the situation." . . . . Breitbart News reported. "Not a joke and not hyperbole – I’m hearing from people close to the situation that Biden’s cognitive decline is rapidly worsening and is becoming increasingly difficult to mask," Bongino wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday morning.

The strong implication seems to be that Bongino's sources are former colleagues in the Secret Service, who would be in the position of routinely trying to shepherd Biden through awkward moments like those caught here. The body language of the agents in the clip suggests they're working hard to maintain a professional detachment and respect for the office, but I also have the impression that this is a routine they've become used to.

But since Biden's inauguration, his allies and operaives have in fact continued to mask it. Questions are very rare and discounted as partisan attacks when they arise. Meanwhile, he erratically reverses policies like allowing the COVID eviction moratorium to expire, apparently under pressure from Speaker Pelosi.

There's little question that at least for now, Biden is president on a part-time basis. The clip above, as far as I understand this, was made this past Tuesday as he returned to the White House from an extended weekend in Wilmington. According to his public schedule, he left the White House to return to Wilmington again Thursday, and yesterday he left Wilmington to stay at Camp David until this coming Wednesday.

One possible takeaway from the clip is that he isn't comfortable in the White House, to the extent that he seems to be unfamiliar with the basic layout of how to go in and out and presumably prefers the familiar environment of his home.

As more and more crises spin out of control, now including the impending disaster in Kabul, it's not a good look. The question is how long his inner circle and the media can continue to cover for him. They've done a remarkable job so far.