They're Getting Tired Of The Charade

It's worth pointing out that the "meanderer in chief" episode in Italy took place on Thursday, while Joe's bizarre forehead bump with Pope Francis took place yesterday.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the established protocol for meeting a pontiff. According to wikiHow, the rules are in part, especially for Catholics like Joe,

Genuflect as the Pope approaches. If the Pope approaches you directly, you should kneel with your right knee bent to the floor. . . . Genuflection is a sign of high respect.

If you are Catholic and if the Pope offers you his hand, that would be an appropriate time to plant a quick yet respectful kiss on the Piscatory ring, also known as the Ring of the Fisherman, traditionally worn by the Pope. . . . By kissing it, you show both respect and sincere affection for the man who holds that office.

. . . Speak respectfully, clearly, and concisely. Plan what to say beforehand so that you do not stumble too much over your words, and maintain a tone that is both clear and respectful the entire time. . . . The Pope will guide the conversation, and you should let him do so. Keep your answers direct and brief, and speak in a clear, loud voice so that the Pope can hear you.

But those rules apply mainly to Catholics. On the other hand, both Joe and the Holy Father are, diplomatically speaking, also heads of state. The normal rules for such a meeting, according to Quora, are:

The meetings tend to be very carefully scripted. A full agenda is prepared and people tend to stick too it. Both parties will actually know to a great degree of certainty what the other will say.

. . . You would be well advised to inquire in advance about expected protocols . . . . Bear in mind that you will be seen as representing America. Do so respectfully. Don't be Donald Trump! [sic]

Well, when Joe ran into Pope Francis, he definitely wasn't Donald Trump -- he was infinitely more gauche. Every indication from accounts of the forehead-bump encounter is that Francis was surprised and somewhat taken aback, the sort of thing that absolutely does not happen in a normal diplomatic context. But even accounts of ordinary people who met Christ in the gospels show Him treated with high respect, for instance in His encounter with the Canaanite woman im Matthew 15: 22-28:

22 And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23 But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” 24 He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” 28 Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith!* Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

The only conclusion I can come to here is that Joe completely lost situational awareness -- he didn't act as a Catholic should, conveying great respect via his body language, and he didn't act anything like a head of state in a diplomatic context, surrounded by other heads of state and recognizing his official role in representing the US. Even gentiles who met Christ, whose vicar Francis currently is, treated Him with respect, even in their worst moments -- nobody bumped His forehead when they met Him.

By contrast, even hostile accounts of Donald Trump's meeting with Pope Francis indicate that Trump behaved according to appropriate protocol for both a non-Catholic and a head of state, and indeed, although Francis began the meeting with a stonefaced expression,

Francis' mood lightened considerably during their gift exchange and the two men shook hands before parting.

"Thank you. Thank you. I won't forget what you said," Trump told the pope after their private meeting.

Actually, I gave quite a bit of thought to what sort of behavioral pattern Joe displayed during the forehead-bump encounter, and I could only conclude that he was acting like a toddler. There's no question that if an actual toddler climbed onto Francis's lap, he or she might go one step farther and bump his forehead, and Francis in the spirit of Matthew 19:14 would presumably welcome the gesture -- but what we had here was an adult head of state in a business suit who's expected to act in a highly circumscribed manner, but he's completely forgotten where he is.

Let's ask the next question: why did this happen when it did? The answer is clear: Dr Jill or another handler is normally with him. Somehow, he was let loose in the general G7 gathering with Pope Francis, and Dr Jill wasn't there to keep him on the usual short leash:

First lady Dr. Jill Biden is hitting the campaign trail on a double mission this week, courting older voters to support her husband’s reelection bid while also tackling voters’ concerns about his age.

. . . “Joe Biden is a healthy, wise 81-year-old ready and willing to work for you every day to make our future better,” she added. “Joe isn’t one of the most effective presidents of our lives in spite of his age, but because of it.”

Her remarks came at her first stop of a three-day campaign swing through Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, Nevada and Arizona.

Let's keep in mind that in France the previous week, Dr Jill appears to have been with him almost constantly in his public appearances, holding his hand, one would suspect, not just as a gesture of affection, but to hold him steady and even more important, to restrain him. Remember that on Thursday in Italy, without Dr Jill, not only did Joe offer the diplomatic kiss on both cheeks to Prime Minister Meloni, but he went on to sniff her hair. I assume Dr Jill would have been able to forestall this if she'd been present.

I can only conclude that we haven't seen as much of Joe completely losing situational awareness as he repeatedly did in Italy because Dr Jill or other handlers have been able to shield him or restrain him in public environments, and his encounters have been more carefully controlled. If Dr Jill steps away, we get these episodes -- we had something similar at the Juneteenth event on Monday, where Vice President Harris was assigned to stand next to him and presumably keep him focused. But she got caught up in jivin' with the rest of the front row and didn't notice Joe wasn't jivin'.

George Floyd's brother Philonise finally stepped in and did what Kamala should have done and "suddenly wrapped his arm around the president, footage of the moment shows". Well, if you were Kamala, would you want to wrap your arm around Joe? Give Philonese a medal.

You know what? I think even Dr Jill is sick of minding Joe 24/7, and Kamala sure doesn't want to do it. Heck, Dr Jill decided to do a campaign swing to California while Joe was in Italy, putting herself even farther from the guy than usual. That's why we're beginning to see so much more of what we're seeing. Everyone's getting tired of the charade. Even Dr Jill.