I really thought there was not much more that could be said beyond what Al From and I said Friday morning in The Spy’s From & Fuller.
Dave Wheelan asked in our discussion what it would be like at the White House. In a word: grim. Most people are just waiting while some try to explain away that which millions saw first hand and many millions more viewed in the news reports.
What hit me today as I watched some of the discussions was the question, how will we find out what President Biden decides?
Reports indicate President Biden and his family have gone to Camp David to reflect on the best path forward. So, will we get the equivalent of a decision about a Pope with, in this case, white smoke if he’s staying in the race or black smoke if he’s withdrawing?
To be honest, taking a White Top Presidential helicopter up to a Presidential Retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains where the President and his family have all needs met by an incredible military staff is not an approach that makes giving all this up a natural one. It would be like loading the fam on the Gulfstream jet for a flight to Paris and announcing you want people’s views on whether private aircraft should continue to be used.
I, for one, hope the decision comes soon. Staying in the race just seems like the cruelest of all conclusions. Will an acceptance speech at the National Democratic convention on August 22nd be easier on the current President? Will a second debate yield a different outcome? Would defeat in November forever be how a decades-long record of public service is remembered? And, if somehow, there was an election victory, what would the world witness at a January 2025 Inaugural or the 2026 State of the Union address? If our nation’s leader was to become seriously and obviously weaker, would we be stronger as a country?
I hope some of these thoughts are in the minds of those at Camp David. A meaningful, enjoyable and significant life after government is entirely possible. But, only if one lets go.
Send up the black smoke!