On Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Alex Wagner Tonight,” House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) stated that “one of the really kind of sick aspects of this moment is that we are watching every speech, every rally, every debate and saying, how did he do today? And that’s just not the way to think about the presidency of the United States.” And the issue is if President Joe Biden is “able to be up three days straight and to make all of the correct decisions” in a job that requires near perfection.
Himes said, “[I]t’s really not about tonight. And one of the really kind of sick aspects of this moment is that we are watching every speech, every rally, every debate and saying, how did he do today? And that’s just not the way to think about the presidency of the United States.”
Himes further stated that foreign policy is Biden’s strong suit, and he showed that in his press conference earlier that night.
Later, he added, “The country and Democrats are in this moment where we’re so pleased, and, perhaps, not surprised, that the President did a reasonably good job tonight on foreign policy, which he knows so well. But this is what we’re focused on, forgetting the fact that the presidency, an office I have never occupied and probably never will, is so horrendously grueling, forget about a debate with Donald Trump, the presidency is 24/7. You’re awoken at 3:00 in the morning and the Russians are fueling missiles and, oh, by the way, the Iranians are doing something with Hezbollah and your political opponent has just accused you of being a traitor. This is a degree of stress that is unknowable to anybody but the president of the United States. And with — as much as I love and respect the man, this is not about whether he can give a good press conference, right? This is about whether you believe the trajectory, both for the country, three years from now, when the Russians are fueling missiles and Iran is doing something and the political opponents are calling him a traitor, is he able to be up three days straight and to make all of the correct decisions, right? This is a job — we’re going to watch Olympians in Paris, this is a job that, like them, requires as much perfection as providence will allow a human being, and people need to ask themselves whether that is the trajectory that they are witnessing right now. And they need to be honest about it.”
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