I have already communicated the fact that I watched the debate last week with increasing depression and disappointment as it went on. The President, far from being at his best, was closer to his worst. He looked haggard and worn, he spoke slowly and somewhat indistinctly at times and worst of all, he sometimes made no sense. The train of thought left the station before he did, or so it seemed.

My immediate response was that he simply needed to step aside, to announce that he had changed his mind and would not seek a second term. This announcement, coming before the convention, would presumably be accompanied by a release of his delegates and a convention free to make its own choice,

Of course, there are difficulties with this. It would be admitting that the President is not up to the job and that Democrats nearly nominated him a second time. It would remove the most stabilizing person(still, I think)in the Democratic Party and leave it leaderless and rudderless with the more traditional center-left Dems and the more radical ones free to slug it out, publicly or privately or both. It would present anyone who wanted to pursue the nomination with little time to organize and raise money. So much could go wrong.

But then there was Donald Trump’s debate performance. One survey showed the watchers of the debate agree 2-1 that Trump won. Well, to tell the truth I would have to say Trump won too, won in that he looked stronger, physically and mentally, and more likely to be able to take over(now there’s an idea for you-hold onto it). I even had to agree with him on one occasion when after Biden’s most rambling and confused moment of the evening he commented that Biden likely didn’t know what he was saying. True or not, it had that appearance.

But he was the same Trump. He told lie after lie, some of them egregiously stupid in that they could be easily checked(it was Nancy Pelosi’s fault that the troops did not arrive Jan 6 in time to quell the violence)and some just nutty. He also has taken lately, in recent days particularly, to threatening his political opponents. This is not something new to Trump, but it seems to be increasingly paranoid. “We’re coming for you” he says, meaning, we presume, his Justice Department after he’s President again. And he has named both Biden and Harris as possible targets to be imprisoned. He does this with a sincerity and dedication that make you wonder which would be worse–that he was just demagoging it or that he actually meant it. The latter would indicate the possibility of serious mental issues of his own.

The Professional Democrats(and I mean nothing snarky by using that term)are sticking by Joe. That is the members of Congress and Governors, to a very great extent stand by him, and so do most of the former non-elected power people(Carville, Stephanopoulos, Axelrod). But the latter group is less united and less convinced as you know if you’ve seen those three gentlemen interviewed. And the man who made him President, Rep. Jim Clyburn of SC, was tolerant, but nervous. He chose to stick by the President but added that this was a little bit like baseball–three strikes and you’re out. He sounded as if felt the President had had one strike so far.

As for me, I was in a quandary. Who knows what will happen if he serves another term? But what other choice do we really have? And I went round and round with myself with this and I decided it came down to two questions. 1)What would the US and the world be like if Biden won? 2)What would the US and the world be like if he lost? Which would be worse?

If Biden wins, the country and the world will likely be less stable. I actually think he has done a good job so far and may still be able to do one, particularly in foreign affairs where he has both experience and good instincts on the one hand and a terrific Secretary of State on the other. He’s also done well on most domestic policy matters, although I am aware of peoples’ feelings regarding inflation and the southern border.

It’s possible he would continue to be able to work at this level. But it also is possible he won’t. He is tired and the Presidency in no place to get your strength back. It’s a place which drains you of it. And regardless of that, how much cognitive decline could there be.? Maybe none, I know, but maybe a lot. And I don’t like to think about a cognitively diminished President dealing with a more aggressive Putin somewhere, possibly Ukraine. Or trying to solve the conundrum of how to be fair to both Moslems and Jews in the Gaza disaster. Or to handle Kim Jong Un if he suddenly threatens to use his atomic weapons directly against us. His foreign policy advantages of the past might not be up to it. And the future of civilization, certainly Western Civilization and individual freedom, would be at stake,

But then, what if he lost, and the nation got a second Trump Presidency? What would that likely portend? Well, nothing good, I have to say. What Trump’s mental state is I hesitate to even guess at. He is clearly more cognitively agile than Biden, uses words better and is occasionally capable of irony. But he is also capable of wild flights of fancy that take us to very odd places., I have mentioned some of this already, with his threats to jail political opponents. And he has odd ideas about loyalty and service in which it always seems that service ends up meaning personal service to him and his ego, not, or only secondarily, to the country.

What would he do in one of the scenarios I suggested above? Could he handle a determined and skilled Putin? A nutcase gone wild Kim? A possible confrontation with China in the Taiwan area or elsewhere? How would he do that? How would he convince them that he was solid enough to deal with and composed enough to hope for success?

I have mentioned to my wife and maybe a couple of others lately, that I can’t help remembering something I wrote about Alf Landon and FDR. I said something to the effect of how the US has faced situations in which it had two good choices but one had to lose–and also when it had two less desirable choices and unfortunately one had to win. I am afraid our country is heading into one of the latter.

So, what do I believe?–1) Although I am perhaps not aware of all the pitfalls involved here, I think Joe Biden, an excellent man and a very good President, now needs to step aside. I’m sorry, Mr President. We all love and honor you for your service, your courage in the face of all you have endured, and the way you have gone on to serve this country. But now I think it’s time to go, and may you live long and prosper, in all ways, in retirement. Of course you will continue to do your job with your usual determination and dedication until it is time for someone, perhaps VP Harris, perhaps someone else to pick up where you left off.

2) I doubt, for a number of reasons, that this will happen. For better or worse, Joe is likely to be the Democratic candidate we have all been expecting. I will not now delineate the reasons I believe this is likely, but it does appear what’s going to happen. If this is the case, then I hope he will beat Trump. The idea that Trump and who-knows who(Steve Bannon maybe one of them?) will be in positions of power and influence hardly bears considering in the world that the US may be entering. Because I dislike the idea of another Trump Administration so much, I would be willing to vote and contribute to Joe’s efforts. And while you’re at it, old boy, pull in a Democratic majority in both Houses of Congress. If Trump should win, that would put a nice blue wall between him and where he wants to go. It might be one of your greatest contributions.

But please consider the other way out. Despite the confusion it would engender, it just might work–lots of good potential Presidents out there including your VP. In any event, peace to you and many thanks.