President Joe Biden's recent series of public missteps has reignited concerns over his cognitive health, leading to fresh speculation about the possibility of dementia. Critics have started to question his determination to run for a second term in light of these incidents.
Within a span of three days, the 80-year-old Commander-in-Chief twice misidentified Ukraine, the European nation currently in conflict, as Iraq, a longstanding Middle Eastern adversary of the U.S. This happened during a fundraising event in Chevy Chase, Md., and then again while conversing with journalists on the White House lawn.
Biden declared, "Putin's clearly losing the war in Iraq," misattributing the conflict location. "He's losing the war at home and he has become a bit of a pariah around the world."
In another odd instance, he unexpectedly left the set during a live interview with MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace.
Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist, insists that Biden's consistent mix-up of Ukraine and Iraq is far from a mere gaffe.
"These are not gaffes," asserts the Beverly Hills-based psychiatrist, who does not treat the president. "They are the latest sign of encroaching dementia. We can't wait two more years for a president without all his marbles."
She suggests that Biden's cognitive deterioration has been a steady, if gradual, process throughout his presidency. "His cognitive abilities are clearly diminishing," Lieberman adds. "And they'll only get worse as time goes on."
Another mental health professional, Dr. Gilda Carle, who also has not treated Biden, bluntly stated, "It's tragic, in a way, to watch this play out in such a public forum. The damage wrought by cognitive decline is real."
This comes at a time when a recent NBC News poll reveals that 70% of Americans are hesitant about Biden seeking a second term, with half of the participants citing his advancing age as a "major" concern.
A Beltway insider brusquely comments, "Biden can't run. If he is this way now, imagine what he'll be like toward the end of his second term when he's 86! He'll be even more lost in space." This renewed scrutiny of Biden's cognitive health continues to stoke public anxiety and political debate about his fitness for office.