(CNN)At 79, Joe Biden is the oldest president in American history. Eighteen months into his term, the burdens of governing have staggered him.
And to hear recent political chatter, you might consider those two facts directly related. Adversaries cast Biden as too feeble for the demands of the Oval Office; allies have begun nudging him toward retirement.
Yet that represents Republican opportunism and Democratic nervousness before November’s elections rather than any plausible assessment of cause and effect. Without doubt, Biden’s age complicates his hopes of winning another term. It has nothing to do with his problems in this one.
Consider the problems, which began to mushroom a year ago when most Americans still approved his job performance.
The first hammer blow resulted from Biden’s determination to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, a popular goal he shared with his two immediate predecessors. It wasn’t his age that caused the lightning collapse of the Afghan government and the damaging images of chaos that unfolded on live television thereafter.
