Commentary
Although I saw President Biden deliver the State of the Union address, it certainly wasn’t the President Biden I have been following for the past few years. When he was questioned about his competence and fitness for the job, he would say “watch me.” I have, and I know what I’ve seen, and heard.
Last month, on the release of Special Counsel Robert K. Hur’s report on his investigation of President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, in which he referred to the president as a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory, the president angrily defended his mental capacity for the job.
“I’m well-meaning, and I’m an elderly man, and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’ve been president and I put this country back on its feet,” a defiant Biden said.
He spoke of sitting for five hours, two days, over events going back 40 years, while at the same time managing a national crisis in Gaza. While insisting “my memory is fine,” he mistakenly referred to the president of Egypt as the leader of Mexico.
The Hur Report
To Refresh your memory, here are the words taken from Special Counsel Robert K. Hur’s “Report on the Investigation Into Unauthorized Removal, Retention, and Disclosure of Classified Documents Discovered at Locations Including the Penn Biden Center and the Delaware Private Residence of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., February 2024.”
“We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview with him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.
“Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone for whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt. It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him – by then a former president well into his eighties – of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.”
In the days that followed, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly stated, “It’s hard for us to keep up with this president, who is constantly, constantly working every day to get things done.”
Democrat legislators went to the microphones in the Capitol, eager to relate stories about working with the president on issues, insisting that he is always engaged, and he’s somehow a different president than the one we see and hear.
In the days leading up to the State of the Union address, Biden’s schedule was light. We were told he was working on his address at Camp David. As the day of the address rolled around, there was talk of there being a low bar for a successful delivery.
We learned that the White House was busily quelling growing Democrat fears on the president’s age and acuity.
As the television networks began their coverage, a camera was situated at the door of the White House where the president would be departing for the Capitol, but anchors had to deal with the president running late.
Meanwhile, in the House chamber, Vice President Harris and Speaker Johnson were already in their seats on the dais.
Outside, cameras followed the president’s motorcade as it started the short trip.
Inside, the president’s cabinet walked into the chamber, the Defense Chiefs, and the members of the Supreme Court. They mingled and made small talk while awaiting Biden.
When he was finally introduced, there were several minutes of handshakes and kisses of legislators. He was late and didn’t care.
After picking up the copies of his address at the lectern, he turned and handed them to Harris and Johnson, at which time he began his address, however, he was supposed to await the speaker’s formal introduction:
Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor to present to you the president of the United States.
Only then was he to begin his address.
I found it odd that I couldn’t find any mention of his running late or his misstep in the formal agenda in any of the publication takeaways.
The Media Response
It was no surprise that MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough gushed over the speech, calling it “the best speech of his presidency by far,” adding that it was his “strongest speech, and, most importantly, for the people that were thinking, ‘Oh, he’s too old. He’s too that,” before following with his claim that the president “made his Republican adversaries look like fools.”
Here are few post address headlines:
“President Biden eased Democrats’ concerns about his age.” – AXIOS
“In-Your-Face Biden Takes on Trump on His Own Doubters.” – New York Times
“Fiery Biden takes on GOP, makes case for second term.” – Washington Post
Casting Doubt
On Saturday, I read Matt Margolis’ piece in PJ Media about the possibility that the president was given a drug to help him get through his address viewed by millions of Americans.
Biden’s increased speed and volume in his delivery could be attributed to his taking Adderall, or another amphetamine, to improve his focus, according to Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist specializing in elderly dementia patients.
Not one to immediately see a conspiracy by those who wanted to make sure the president was up for his major address, but it did get me thinking. Surely, the White House knew that Biden had to dispel concerns about his age and cognitive decline.
Hearing the president speak in Philadelphia the next day as he delivered a virtual carbon copy of the State of the Union address, he said, “Pennsylvania, I have a message for you: send me to Congress.” Later, while speaking of the Capitol riot, he said it was “where our freedoms came under assault on July the 6th.” Not January 6.
It was then that Scarborough’s claim that the president had “made his Republican adversaries look like fools” came to mind. And I remembered listening to former press secretary Jen Psaki discussing Biden’s delivery with Rachel Maddow, recalling her fielding comments concerning his slow speaking style.
Had we been had? Was the president drugged to dispel thinking of his inability to serve another term?
Recall this line in Hur’s report :
“Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone for whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt.
His advisors and the First Lady may think they did him a favor after Thursday night’s address, however, with Friday’s Philadelphia speech in mind, recognizing he has eight months of campaign speeches ahead, I think he’s going to be watched even closer.
Will there be another “October surprise?”
May God continue to bless the United States of America.
