Dear Mr. President: I first wrote to you about your age nearly two years ago when I, as a long-standing member, welcomed you to the octogenarian club. I endeavored to explain the good and bad that come with crossing the threshold to your 80s.
I returned to the topic a year later, when I concluded in a Sept. 15, 2023, column that you had earned another term despite ageist calls for you to step aside.
My judgment was based not only on your accomplishments but also on a Feb. 16, 2023, statement by your doctor, Kevin O’Connor. He said you were a “healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute duties of the presidency.”
The good doctor covered a lot of ground. O’Connor said you had undergone an “extremely detailed neurologic exam” that didn’t find any signs of disorders such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease. As for your frequent throat-clearing and coughing? O’Connor said those are because of gastroesophageal reflux. And your stiffened gait? A detailed physical exam and review of radiological imaging by a specially assembled medical team concluded it resulted from “degenerative (‘wear and tear’) osteoarthritic changes (or spondylosis)” of your spine, which were being addressed with physical therapy and exercise.
In other words, you were judged good to go by those in the best position to know.
Follow this authorColbert I. King’s opinions
Little more than a year later, Mr. President, we are experiencing profound changes in the state of our union. We are seeing a Supreme Court, reconfigured by President Donald Trump, shaking our constitutional foundation. We are witnessing the resurgence of the twice-impeached, convicted-felon Trump as a future commander in chief.
And then there’s your personal situation. You arefacing doubts from within your own party about whether you should continue to seek reelection following an abysmal performance in the first presidential debate.
Many are concerned about your fitness as a candidate. About whether you have the mental sharpness and physical ability not only to go head to head with Trump but also to competently take your case to the American people. And about whether you could handle the presidency for another four years should you win.
I know you have heard calls to step aside. That hurts and infuriates, I’m sure. But this isn’t a matter of pride or your competitive instincts. The question for you, Mr. President, is whether your presence on the ticket, even if you tenaciously give it your all, will help or diminish the chances of keeping Trump out of the White House.
One thing hasn’t changed, Mr. President. I remain three years your senior. So, I have standing to ruminate on aging.
I don’t have to speculate. At 84, going on 85 in September, I’m ensconced in the late winter of life.
I don’t fake it. I use a walking stick not to convey strength and power but because I need it for balance. Nowadays, I’m not as sharp with names as I once was, and facts come to mind more slowly. And, yes, I often catch myself rambling on. I also find young, whip-smart know-it-alls boring and hard to take. I endure, not enjoy, meetings. My day also comes to a hard stop at 5 p.m. Please, no lecturing about my cocktail-hour ritual. The self-righteous should live so long.
But I ain’t what I used to be, and neither are you, Mr. President. I retired from The Post’s Editorial Board in 2007. Now I’m on a glide path to my final exit.
Own where you are. Live with it. Recognize that you did the best you could with what you had.
And Mr. President, you did good.
What’s that “Gambler” song? “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away and know when to run.”
No running or walking for Joe Biden. You high-step it out of the White House, chin uplifted, should you choose to go. It’s your call.
You said during the ABC News interview on Friday: “If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race.”
Mr. President, I see you are a believer, as am I.
So, I guess you know the story of the man who found himself stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He prayed to God for help.
A man in a rowboat came by and shouted, “Jump in, I can save you.”
“Naw, it’s okay, I’m praying to God. He’ll save me,” said the man on the roof. The rowboat sailed on.
So it went when a motorboat and then a helicopter arrived. Same answer from the stranded man:“No thanks, I’m praying to God, and He is going to save me. I have faith.”
And old tale, sure, but let’s linger on how it ends: Eventually, the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. When he arrived in heaven and saw God, he exclaimed, “I had faith in you, but you didn’t save me, you let me drown. I don’t understand why!”
God replied, “I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter. What more did you expect?”
Could it be, Mr. President, that the friends and supporters calling for you to set sail to calmer shores are rowboats, motorboats and helicopters conveying God’s message: “Joe, get out of the race”?
Just a thought from an elder to another old man.
Of course, it’s your call, Mr. President.
Source link : https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/08/colbert-king-joe-biden-octogenarian-2024-campaign/
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-09 01:04:30
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.