Regarding the editorial "Some honesty (at last) about Biden's decline would help Democrats move on" (Dec. 27): Yes, it is fairly obvious that, all along, there has been an effort to hide President Joe Biden's mental decline. At the same time, the claim that honesty about the situation would be good for the Democratic Party deserves examination.
First, it would be interesting to know if, with respect to many presidents, it is the team around the president actually making the key decisions, with the president merely signing off on them. I suspect that is usually the case.
Secondly, the concept of "cognitive decline" itself deserves critical examination: If the decline involves impaired recollection and ability to speak fluently, but not impairment of judgment, is that as bad as a president who exhibits poor judgment, but is able to recollect and speak fluently? I don't think so.
People are also reading…
In my view, Biden's judgment has been good in some areas, and poor in others, but definitely not poor across the board. What were Biden's handlers to do? If they publicly admitted his mental decline, that could send off serious alarm bells around the country and also signal to our foreign adversaries that the U.S. was now vulnerable.
I look forward to Biden's post-presidency, in which the people surrounding Biden are able to explain their position in relation to his "cognitive decline." I suspect that discussion will be illuminating.
Harry Toder
University City
Have you ever wanted to submit a letter to the Editorial Board of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch? Learn how in just a few simple steps, then use this form.
