The Mystery of the Oval Office

Who could have watched the presidential debates and not have felt agony over a once-vital politician, stumbling and falling to pieces during the Trump/Biden debate? Voter concerns have their limits, however, and America’s voters have a right to know who was running the White House show, writes an indignant Matthew Hennessey in the WSJ.

The Constitution is clear about who wields executive power. It isn’t the first lady or the chief of staff.

Acting Chief of Staff?

Now we have Hunter Biden back in the spotlight. In a profanity-laced tirade against Joe Biden’s various critics, the younger Biden lashed out at Democrat elites and media superstars for derailing his father’s ill-fated election bid. In a single minute-long clip, it has been reported, Hunter used a version of the same expletive 13 times.

“F*** him and everybody around him,” the younger Biden said of actor George Clooney.

Hiding Joe’s Mental Decline

Hunter included Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, James Carville, Axelrod, Jack Tapper, Anita Dunn, among others, in his inner wrath.

“Look, that debate was awful,” admitted Hunter. “But we could have survived if it weren’t for the fact that people in this, in the Democratic party, the inside elite beltway group of people, were not going to allow it to happen,” Hunter offered in one interview.

Where the Buck Stopped?

For at least the final year of the Biden administration, nobody could say with confidence that the buck stopped with the man behind the Resolute desk. That can never happen again. We can’t allow it to happen again.

A Regency or Palace Coup? 

Hennessey reports that the House Oversight Committee investigated what transpired in the dark corners of the Biden White House.

What role did the first family play? Did a “politburo” of advisers make decisions about the direction of the country while Mr. Biden dozed in the residence? Did he even know his autopen was signing off on controversial pardons? We need the answers.

Many Americans don’t want the truth immediately. Time does heal, allowing passions to cool and reason to rule. With time, we can look at our big political mistakes with the objectivity they deserve.

Is Younger Better

The subpoenaed members of the Biden team aren’t going to rat on themselves. The 5th Amendment gives them the cover they seek. Thanks to Rep. James Conner, a Republican from Kentucky, for giving the nation a trail of crumbs to follow one day. The case for letting the possible coverup go—at least for a while—collides, however, with a complication, argues Mr. Hennessey.

The current president is himself an old man with age-related issues. The White House was forced to admit last week that Mr. Trump, 79, has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, an ailment apparently common among those over 50. The announcement came after several news outlets ran stories speculating about Mr. Trump’s swollen ankles and bruises visible on his hands.

Ending the Gravy Train

Wherever you stand on the political spectrum, the question isn’t going away. “How old is too old to be president?” It would also apply to all federal officeholders. That would end 15 careers among today’s senators.

Rep. John James (R., Mich.) proposed a constitutional amendment in 2023 setting 75 as the upper bound. Sounds reasonable until you consider that it would apply not only to the president but to all elected federal officeholders.

A better approach might be to ask, how young is too young?

The Constitution says a 35-year-old can be president. That seems as crazy in its way as handing the nuclear football over to an octogenarian. Recall President Reagan’s quip about Walter Mondale’s relative “youth and inexperience” at the 1984

presidential debate. Reagan was then 73, Mondale 56. My, how attitudes change.

Who is now going to pass the torch? To let a new generation have its moment? That could happen of its own accord, and soon, thinks Hennessey.

The 2028 field is already filling up with plausible contenders under 50. The list includes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (both 46), Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego (45), former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (43), Vice President JD Vance (40), businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (39) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (35).

A nation still reeling from exhaustion in the executive branch may feel that younger is better, but, alas, it’s not risk-free. There are no guarantees that a 40-year-old has lived a life so full of wisdom to be able to make strategic decisions on a national or global scale.

We tried it once. History’s verdict is decidedly mixed on whether the three-year Kennedy presidency was a lasting success.

Just witness the long, annoying post-presidency of the Obama family melodrama. The only thing worse would be 40 years of Instagram Live, an activity most Americans would rather eschew.