LETTER: Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

In last Monday’s opening of “The Lead,” CNN’s Jake Tapper stated: “There is a pattern, discernible pattern, of Democratic officials seemingly trying to convince you, the public, to not believe what you saw and what you heard with your eyes and with your ears on Thursday night.” Mr. Tapper further opines that these officials are spinning the event in a manner similar to a quote from George Orwell’s “1984,” which is to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.

This of course refers to President Joe Biden’s performance in the recent debate with Donald Trump moderated by Mr. Tapper and fellow CNN anchor Dana Bash. The next day however, the president was boisterous and energetic during a North Carolina campaign rally. It wasn’t widely reported that he was reading from a teleprompter, something he typically does.

It seems clear that, left on his own, Mr. Biden is no longer capable of functioning independently and this is likely one of the reasons why he has not participated in many media interviews during his presidency. He also refuses a cognitive examination, something that former President Trump completed and passed.

So I’m left wondering: Who is that man behind the curtain? Is it the mild-mannered, well-intentioned elderly man who has trouble completing a sentence whose wife pats him on the head and tells him what a good job he did? Or is he the person his handlers would have us believe he is so long as we ignore the obvious?