One of the funniest passages in Mark Twain’s autobiography involves the effect of old age on his mental acuity: “When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened.” It’s less amusing when we recall that this could have been said by President Biden — if he could string together two coherent sentences. The latest example of his ability to remember things that never happened occurred last week, when he told fundraisers that foreign leaders have warned him former President Trump threatens democracy.
Once today’s journalists finally die off, objective historians … will marvel that a cipher like Biden ever occupied the Oval Office.
According to a CNN report Biden said, “As I walk out of meetings, a head of state will find an excuse to come up close … and say, ‘You’ve got to win.’ Not because I’m so special. ‘You’ve got to win because my democracy is at stake if the other guy wins.’ Nine heads of state have done that with me.” This is obviously what Mark Twain would have called a “stretcher.” Even if we accept the implausible claim that so many foreign leaders would be this indiscreet about Trump, a man who may very well be the President of the United States this time next year, there isn’t the slightest chance that Biden would recall it with such clarity. As Special Counsel Robert Hur noted in his report on Biden’s mishandling of classified documents:
He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (“if it was 2013 – when did I stop being Vice President?”), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (“in 2009, am I still Vice President?”). He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him.
This is where things get scary. Biden barely remembers major events in his political career and personal life, yet easily recalls things that never occurred. On January 30, for example, when asked if he would use his executive authority to ameliorate the immigration crisis, he responded thus: “I’ve done all I can do. Just give me the power. I’ve asked from the very day I got into office. Give me the Border Patrol.” In reality, of course, Biden hasn’t asked for this power because he already possesses it. He can solve the crisis by reversing some of his own executive orders and allowing the Border Patrol to do its job. Yet, when he shouted the above-quoted answer over the din of Marine One, he clearly believed his own words. (READ MORE from David Catron: Non-Citizens Have Been Voting Since 2008)
Biden has always been a man of imperfect honesty, but the increasing volume and implausibility of his “lies” suggests that he can no longer differentiate between fact and fiction. Last year, for example, Biden said he visited Ground Zero the day after 9/11: “I remember standing there the next day and looking at the building. I felt like I was looking through the gates of hell.” Even CNN called him out on that one. This isn’t like fudging the facts on Bidenomics. Is Biden’s cognitive state such that he “remembers” being at Ground Zero on 9/12? We don’t know because the White House has ignored the concerns of Congress, including those of former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas):
This is the fifth time we’ve sent a letter to the White House demanding Biden take a cognitive exam, however, while the administration has chosen to ignore each of these requests … As the former physician to three United States Presidents, extending over fourteen years, I know what it takes, mentally and physically, to be President. It is an extremely demanding job and being anything but top shape puts our country and American lives at risk.
Indeed it does, but the White House and the Democratic leadership in Congress are obviously more concerned about remaining in power than in the well-being of Americans in general or the country as a whole. Consequently, instead of expressing relief when Special Counsel Robert Hur decided not to prosecute Biden for “willfully” retaining and illegally “disclosing” classified materials over a period of several years, they were outraged that he pointed out the “significant limitations” of his memory. But this is hardly news to the public. According to the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll, “86 percent of Americans think Biden, 81, is too old to serve another term as president.” The only real surprise was that ABC didn’t bury the poll. (READ MORE: Biden’s Sound and Fury)
This brings us back to Mark Twain. In today’s degraded education system, it’s unlikely that many people know he published the Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. Grant had a very low opinion of journalists because of the slanderous treatment he received at their hands. Twain famously said, “Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper.” Grant, a Republican, was once considered one of our worst presidents. Yet he has been steadily climbing in the rankings. Meanwhile, once revered presidents like Democrat Andrew Jackson have been heading south. Once today’s journalists finally die off, objective historians the age of my grandchildren will marvel that a cipher like Biden ever occupied the Oval Office.
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