EDITORIAL - Tougher choices

The much-anticipated debate between incumbent US President Joe Biden and his challenger Republican nominee Donald Trump has come and gone, and political analysts say Biden didn’t come out so good from the event.

He was showing his age. Aside from speaking in a hoarse voice, he seemed to forget key facts, struggled to put ideas together, repeatedly mixed up “million” and “billion” when mentioning amounts, and just looked like he was “not there” behind his own podium when it wasn’t his turn to speak.

At least one Democrat has called for him to be replaced come the November presidential elections.

But while Trump may look like he was the big winner during the face-off, he has also come under fire because of the lies he told during the debate. He said only a few people invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2021. That his administration had the lowest tax rates ever. That his administration saw the best environmental numbers. That his administration saw the best US economy ever. That immigrants were the main cause of crime in the US.

So it is would seem that this November, America will have to choose between someone who can no longer remember what he is saying versus someone who drops lies at a dime.

Perhaps another issue should serve as their guideline. We should acknowledge that fact that whoever becomes US president automatically becomes the de facto leader of the Free World. It’s not an official role with an investiture and clearly-defined functions; it’s just something that comes with the territory.

This means whoever should be elected should be familiar with the larger role of the US in world politics

This isn’t necessarily a push for Biden; many say he is too old and no longer possesses the gumption to rally other countries against autocratic nations or entire alliances that threaten others. And this debate just showed he may no longer have some cognitive abilities. On the other hand, we have Trump who insists on believing his own falsehoods, and who has time and again showed he has no understanding of this larger role and has even hinted that he will embrace autocrats if elected.

The choice for the next US president just got tougher.