Biden in denial of political reality, WaPo piece says

A high-anticipated Thursday night news conference failed to provide produce the clarity many voters looking for as to President Biden’s ability to campaign and lead the country, a Washington Post op-ed said.

The newspaper editorial board said Biden "managed to discourse knowledgeably on the questions" but still managed to make some mistakes.

"And yet there were moments in which Mr. Biden veered toward the same kind of embarrassing mistakes he had made during the June 27 debate with former president Donald Trump, including a cringeworthy reference to Vice President Harris as 'Vice President Trump,'" the board said in a Friday opinion piece.

Biden also  mixed up the names of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian antagonist President Vladimir Putin and claimed that five other presidents had worse poll numbers than his in an election year, without mentioning that most lost their reelection bids.

"Mr. Biden’s mixed reviews prolong the Democratic Party’s predicament, as evidenced by disparate statements from elected officials after the news conference," the op-ed states. "Some declared that he should leave the race, while others said the time had come to close ranks behind him. With time running out before the Democratic National Convention opens Aug. 19, Mr. Biden and his inner circle of advisers seem to be playing for time."

"Indeed, based on his comments Thursday, Mr. Biden seems to be somewhat oblivious to the political furor surrounding him and in denial about his frailty, personally and politically," the piece continued.