The Presidential Fitness Test Is Back

Bret Stephens: Hi, Gail. Did you watch George Stephanopoulos’s post-debate interview with President Biden? Did it allay your concerns about his fitness to run for a second term?

Gail Collins: Oh, Bret, sigh. Biden certainly did prove he could have a discussion on TV without appearing to be a victim of senility. But if the goal was to demonstrate he could be a powerful presence in this sort of gig — OK, I was sort of dismayed.

It just felt … blah. Cannot imagine anybody going to work and saying “Wow, did you hear the president last night? I really loved it when he …”

Tell me how you felt.

Bret: Is there a word that combines the senses of excruciation, desolation and infuriation? It was painful to have to see an elderly man get grilled about his mental fitness. It was sad to have to think that this is what we have come to in America: a contest between Caligula Unbound and Joe Six-Hours.

But it was also enraging to watch Biden insist he has the stamina for another four years as president, which he clearly doesn’t, and that he’s the Democratic Party’s best bet to beat Donald Trump, which he surely isn’t, and that he doesn’t need to take a cognitive test, which he absolutely must. The words for this are denial, arrogance and narcissism.

The country, I think, is praying for a better option and will reward the party that gives it one.

Gail: You mean a third party? If so, prepare for my usual rant.