NOT THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS – AT 11:30 P.M. ET:   The President spoke to the American people in a formal address for the first time since his inauguration tonight.  Clearly part of the reason for the speech was to show the nation that he is coherent.  It wasn't much of a challenge.  When you have everything written out on a teleprompter, with hours of rehearsal and memorization available, and no questions permitted by the press, almost anyone with a pulse can pass the basic test.

And Biden passed.  There were no serious mental lapses, no moments of embarrassment like those that have piled up over the months.  Anyone hearing him could reasonably say that he's in good mental health.  But presidents don't spend their time giving formal speeches.  Trump was available to the press almost daily.  Even on his walks out to the presidential helicopter, he stopped and took questions from often-hostile reporters.  Biden hasn't done that, and the White House promise that he'll soon have a press conference makes us wonder what the rules will be.  The White House staff can hide Biden's impairment only so long. 

That aside, the president's speech was reasonable, if not particularly informative.  The subject was Covid-19, and what he is doing to bring the pandemic to an end.  The problem was that he took credit for almost everything that's been done, never even acknowledging the enormous role played by President Trump in steering the development in eight months vaccines that normally take years.  Acknowledging Trump's work would have given Biden's speech the size and statesmanship that it lacked.

The president, though, did list the things that will happen in coming months, and we came away reasonably satisfied that we're on a good track to vaccinate the population and suppress the virus.  He promised aid to open the schools, but came nowhere near denouncing the vast power of the teacher's unions, power that has resulted in outrageous delays in opening schools in big cities that could have been safely opened months ago. 

He told us about the "relief" checks we would get from the federal government, but never mentioned who pays for it.  See those young kids on the couch?  They'll pay for it.

Not a speech to remember.  No great lines.  But Biden's appeals to patriotism, and his remembrance of American troops abroad were welcome.  If we have to have a Democrat in the White House, he's better than most

March 11, 2021