With Biden the question is always how much of it is age and how much of it is him. Anyone who has followed Biden over the years knows that he has a knack for saying stupid and terrible things, and that he’s convinced that he’s a genius in his own mind. Obama and his people held him in fairly open contempt.

But age is obviously a factor. And even Biden’s own people are nervous about the situation, as a New York Times article reveals.

His energy level, while impressive for a man of his age, is not what it was, and some aides quietly watch out for him. He often shuffles when he walks, and aides worry he will trip on a wire. He stumbles over words during public events, and they hold their breath to see if he makes it to the end without a gaffe.

There’s a lot of talk about not overscheduling him and keeping him away from interviews.

Although White House officials insist they make no special accommodations the way Reagan’s team did, privately they try to guard Mr. Biden’s weekends in Delaware as much as possible.

Reagan was at the end of his second term in office while Biden is halfway through his first and wants another one. Even though he can’t handle this one.

The NYT article suggests that the country, at best, has a part-time president and at worst a guy who was out of his depth even at his best and is now largely a creature of his staffers who flails impotently about trying to assert his authority before being roped back in. So business as usual in Washington D.C.

The lack of credibility here is obviously catastrophic. 

The world didn’t take Obama seriously, but at least there was no question that he was functional. There are basic questions as to whether Biden is functional.

But overall, Dr. Kevin C. O’Connor, the president’s physician, pronounced him “a healthy, vigorous 78-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”

Fit in what sense of the word?