The news that Jill Biden confided fears of a stroke following her husband's debate performance is not merely a medical bulletin. It is a parable for our times: an aging empire propping up its figurehead while the foundations crack. The First Lady's admission, reported by a 'source', is reminiscent of Victorian courtiers whispering about the Queen's failing health.
Then, as now, the machinery of state demands the illusion of perpetual vigour. Let us be clear: Joe Biden's debate stumble was not a single gaffe but a symptom of systemic decay. The Framers, in their wisdom, created a republic, not a gerontocracy.
But we have drifted into a soft authoritarianism where leadership is a birthright of the party elite, not a contest of ideas. UK medics questioning the President's fitness is ironic: we who have our own moribund monarchy and a Prime Minister elected by a few thousand party members should tread carefully with stones. However, the parallel holds.
Like Rome's later emperors, beset by barbarians and inflation, the American presidency has become a ceremonial role, managed by handlers. The real power lies with unelected apparatchiks. The stroke scare is a memento mori for the American Century.
But do not expect change. The elites will circle the wagons, brandishing polls that show Biden still leads Trump. So did the dinosaurs, until the comet struck.
The question is not whether Biden will serve out his term but whether the American people will continue to be fooled by the gilded veil. For now, they prefer the comfort of the known to the terror of the unknown. So the charade continues.
We watch, we write, we wait for the fall.
