Buttadeus: And the presidency is something that really does seem like it requires the kind of acuity that most people NEVER have, at any point in their life. But also, plenty of presidents have been less than peak.

Read the Times story about Biden. They say he seems more visibly exhausted and physically frail than years ago, confuses names more. No real accusation of mental problems. Includes an anecdote of Biden yelling at Netanyahu. Sources speculate his schedule is too demanding relative to his age.

I am torn between "yes, Biden has clearly lost a step" & "this is really the best you can come up with?"

Yeah - like, he's not senile. He's aging and has more struggles now than he had six months ago, and a year ago, etc. This would be true for basically anyone in their 80s. Does that mean he can still lead? Probably, I think. Less directly.

There seems to be some struggle here in deciding if the standard is "has capacity and does not need a durable POA" or if it's "time to retire from the NFL because you're not as fast as the younger guys"

And the presidency is something that really does seem like it requires the kind of acuity that most people NEVER have, at any point in their life. But also, plenty of presidents have been less than peak.

Everyone wants JFK without the painkillers, Clinton without the philandering, Reagan without the actual dementia, Nixon without the paranoia, FDR without the debilitating health issues, etc., etc. If anything it validates the Supremes' logic in granting the president divine powers; we ask for angels

you know who that was? It was Obama. You can dislike his policies, etc, but that's what he was.

Yeah - and I mean, Clinton too, for all his problems elsewhere, clearly was very much in control of what was going on and what he needed to know and do. The Bushes, etc.

Which is ironic, given how often, especially early in his presidency, Obama was clearly in way over his head & operating on broken premises, but he was (seriously!) smooth & smart & sharp as a tack so it's fine

being smarter and more focused may just not make you better at the presidency, which is weird.

Genuinely maybe it’s more a job about being able to pick up vibes than to reason things out.

Specifically it matters in terms of staffing, which is the most important thing about the job besides having a majority. Notably, Biden's worst hires are the ones in charge of his worst policy

I’m pretty well convinced that every president is in over his head at all times and it’s really just a question of degree

I mean, you're working the single most powerful job on earth, representing the third largest population by sheer number, and also managing the largest administrative state, all at once. No human is capable of that. It's all about making sure your weaknesses are covered by people you trust.

I mean, I really don't want Reagan under any conditions whatsoever, but I take your point.

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