The most realistic way to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee – allow him a graceful exit

Joe Biden prepares to speak as first lady Jill Biden looks on at a campaign rally after the debate.& Evan Vucci/AP by Lester Munson, University of Sydney Within minutes of the conclusion of this week’s presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, it became clear to many that the 81-year-old Biden may not be capable of winning the general election in November. His inability to clearly communicate during the 90-minute debate earned harsh criticism from across the US political spectrum, most notably among Democrats. Van Jones, a former official in the Obama administration and CNN analyst, said about Biden: He had a test to meet tonight to restore confidence in the country and of the base, and he failed to do that. We’re still far from our convention. And there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward. Biden did land a few blows on his predecessor over Trump’s various personal indiscretions and the January 6 2021 insurrection on the US Capitol, saying at one point, “you’ve got the morals of an alley cat”. But it was not enough to persuade many sceptics that Biden is capable of fighting off the Trump campaign, not to...