It’s summer, I shouldn’t have to worry about whether an old man can remember who people are or not

Joe Biden seems a fundamentally decent and principled person, but he is clearly unfit to run for President.

The 46th President freezes, speaks too quietly, and his verbal errors have repeatedly seen him call people by the wrong name. His latest error was to introduce President Volodymyr Zelensky as “Putin”, a mistake so cringe-inducing it made me want to hurl myself out the window.

What’s worse is, the person he was, or the leader he was, is still visible in glimpses. His grasp of the details on Russia and the need for improved security is clear, as is passion for NATO. The man knows his brief, and I believe he would have no problem when it came to governing. But elections aren’t about the big picture, but moments, and he has shown repeatedly he cannot win.

Who do you think you are?

His frequent ticks have left the West facing the re-election of a man who would likely let Ukraine fall, and further row back the rights of women. Donald Trump’s election would be a total disaster. But. This is not Mr Biden’s fault.

The fact he is still a candidate speaks to his own stubborn refusal to let go, but also, just how broken the US is a democracy and state.One of the richest countries in the world, and their choices have fallen to two old, forgetful men, one of whom doesn’t know people’s names, the other who only remembers slurs.

It is a country where, in the pantheon of political interventions, George Clooney calling for him to stand-aside is considered the most significant. This is laughable. Clooney is a fine actor and quite literally funds a satellite to monitor war crimes, but how on earth is he the moral arbiter to step in on this? Where is the Democratic party on this, how is it falling to people who do not even work in Washington?

In truth, I shouldn’t have to worry about this, we should not be in this position. It’s summer, there’s football on, and having already worried about two elections, I’m now having anxiety dreams about the results of a third.

This isn’t about his age, it’s about basic decency. Biden should have gone off into the sunset having beaten Trump, and passed the reins onto someone who can complete sentences. Instead, like a gunslinger looking for one last ride, he’s run again, forgetting all such heroes go out on their shield.

President Joe Biden is not fit to run for re-election, but that isn’t his fault. America is not a serious country, it’s a particularly unfunny joke.

I’m not sure where we go from here. Probably to a Trump victory, with no guarantee that another candidate could win. But they would, unless I’m overestimating their ability, know where they are, and who they’re speaking to.