Joe Biden has found himself in the same impasse that Richard Nixon reached half a century ago.
His presidency cannot continue, and the choice he must make now is how to leave office.
Nixon could have fought his Watergate impeachment all the way to a Senate trial and held on to power — he might even have won.
A president has never been removed from office through impeachment, and the two failed attempts against President Donald Trump — both of which took place in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot — showed just how high the bar is.
However, if Nixon had been able to remain in office, he would not have been able to function effectively as president.
He finally did the right thing: On August 8, 1974, Nixon resigned for the good of his country.
Would Biden have the guts to do something similar?
Like Nixon, Biden can hang on by his toes if he wants to.
He could be re-elected, and polls show Biden remains competitive despite his public exposure of age-related disabilities.
Unless Biden gives up the Democratic nomination, no one can take it away from him.
And the party has no clear alternative that would be more electorally viable.
The most likely candidate to succeed Biden is Vice President Kamala Harris.
But her approval ratings are not as high as Biden’s, and Harris has little incentive to push for Biden’s replacement, since she expects he will become president anyway if he is reelected — something he would not likely do for long.
The truth is, whether he wants to admit it or not, he is unable to serve right now.
Reports from inside the White House suggest Biden won’t be able to work a full day, with Axios’ Alex Thompson saying he’s only “credibly available” between 10am and 4pm.
Journalists themselves have to work much longer hours.
The Biden campaign, frantic, is trying to scrap any events after 8pm from the schedule, with the president saying in a conference call with Democratic governors that he needs more sleep, according to CNN.
Campaigning aside, there’s no way Biden could carry out the duties of his presidency with such a schedule.
But his declining stamina and focus have limited him.
Americans have seen what happens when older politicians refuse to give up power.
By the time Sen. Dianne Feinstein died last September, she had become so enslaved by staff that she could no longer walk the halls of the Senate without an usher.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, who was born in the same year as Biden, will step down from Senate Republican leadership after the election, but his delayed departure has hurt the party. Republican efforts to retake the Senate have been hampered by uncertainty about who will lead the chamber and the lack of a dynamic leader to help campaign for colleagues and newcomers.
It’s worrying when senators are unable to do their jobs, but it’s unacceptable for a president to do so.
Already, the Biden administration is being heavily orchestrated by staff and family members, including his son Hunter, who, as critics have long warned, has engaged in presidential influence tactics and criminal activity.
No political party that takes democracy seriously can field a scarecrow for a second term.
Of the candidates the Democrats are set to nominate next month, only Kamala Harris is medically eligible to run for president.
She owes it to voters to be forthright and explain what she would do as president, rather than vice president, if she wins her race in November.
Harris may be prepared to wait for Biden to decline and fall, and the party may believe Biden is a better candidate than Harris despite Biden’s poor health, which is an indictment on Harris’ own abilities.
President Trump and the Republican Party may also want Biden to stay in office and continue campaigning, no matter how confident they are of defeating Harris.
After all, this is a fight they have rehearsed, and Biden’s age and infirmity are part of their strategy.
But there is more at stake than partisan advantage.
Nixon’s decision to resign was informed by political calculations: he knew that if he stayed on, the Republican Party would pay a huge price in the 1974 midterm elections (as it eventually did) and would suffer a devastating blow in the 1976 presidential election.
But he also understood his responsibility to end America’s suffering and give the country a president who could get the job done.
Biden has that responsibility too, and it is the final one he is prepared to fulfill.
He should end his presidency with dignity and be free to make his own choices about the country’s future.
Like Nixon, Biden must now write his final chapter. In any case, he has reached the end of the book.
Daniel McCarthy is editor of Modern Age: A Conservative Review.
