resident Joe Biden is in serious mental decline, from the “perpetual state of confusion” displayed on his trip to France, to Washington insiders reporting that the president has performed poorly in meetings, the president’s cognitive impairment raises serious concerns for U.S. national security with a heightened potential for global conflict.
The mental acuity of a nation’s leader plays a critical role in shaping and executing foreign policy – akin in many ways to a general leading an army.
Gen. Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord, a noted German military officer and opponent of Adolf Hitler, is said to have categorized leaders on their intelligence and industriousness, noting:
“I divide my officers into four classes as follows: the clever, the industrious, the lazy, and the stupid. Each officer always possesses two of these qualities. Those who are clever and industrious I appoint to the General Staff. Use can, under certain circumstances, be made of those who are stupid and lazy. The man who is clever and lazy qualifies for the highest leadership posts. He has the requisite and the mental clarity for difficult decisions. But whoever is stupid and industrious must be got rid of, for he is too dangerous.”
Applying von Hammerstein-Equord’s classification to contemporary politics, some critics argue that Biden, in his current state, fits in the “stupid and lazy” category. This combination, while not ideal, allows for the possibility of stage management by staff, competent or otherwise. Though our system of government expects a vigorous executive — as Alexander Hamilton noted in Federalist 70, “energy in the executive is the leading character in the definition of good government.” Today, we have no energy in the White House.