Opinion: Who's driving this rig anyway?

The first great coverup involving presidential succession occurred in 1919, when President Woodrow Wilson suffered a severe stroke that left him severely incapacitated.

Medical records indicate that Wilson was incapacitated and paralyzed on one side of his body for the remaining 18 months of his presidential term.

Whitehouse physician, Adm. Cary Grayson, who had tremendous personal and professional loyalty to Wilson, kept the severity of the stroke hidden from Congress and the American people. Grayson further refused to sign a document of disability for the president’s Cabinet, thereby eliminating any talks of potential presidential succession.

It was a case of patient-physician confidentiality superseding national security.

Regrettably, personal friendship, loyalty and patient confidentiality won the day. Wilson remained president with all messages being relayed directly through his wife, Edith. This left the question of who was running the country unanswered. Edith may have been a caring wife, but she wasn’t elected to any office.

It doesn’t take the Wayback Machine to remember that after the Biden/Trump debate it became evident to all Americans that President Biden was not fully functional. Worse than that, it became evident to the Democrat Party that their chosen candidate may not be able to win the election.

It’s important to note they were not worried that their candidate, the sitting president, did not have the capacity to govern; they were concerned that he could not win the November election.

Editorial writers began asking, “How is it possible that he’s too diminished to run, but not too diminished to have control of the atomic codes?”

The short answer from party activists was, “Never mind, we have another candidate.”

Today, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post are all writing exposes about the “effort to cover up Biden’s senility.”

Journalist Matt Margolis writes about the WSJ story, “It’s a shocking exposé that proves that the effort to cover up Biden’s senility was extensive and that a lot of people knew the truth but refused to admit it publicly.”

One recent headline ran, “Biden Has Been President-In-Name-Only Since Day One.”

Where was the White House physician? Who got us into major confrontations in Ukraine, in Iran, in Syria in Gaza and in Yemen? Who authorized use of long-range missiles against Russia? Who is still running the country until Jan. 21?

Edith Wilson’s coverup only lasted 18 months. Biden’s is at four years and inquiring minds want to know.

Rube Render is a former Clovis city commissioner and former chair of the Curry County Republican Party. Contact him:

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