Here come the Clintons, you might be thinking, and … well, based on what we have seen from the Clintons, it’s a distinct possibility. On the other hand, this may just be the first time that any Democrat of significance has been publicly pressed on Joe Biden’s competency and frailty in recent months, and this may be the best answer any of them will be able to muster.

How can anyone deny that Biden’s physical and mental state is a legitimate concern, especially after his trip to Japan? Hillary Clinton doesn’t even bother to pretend that such concerns are silly, as the White House routinely treats the issue:

Hillary Clinton weighed in on concerns surrounding President Biden’s age, saying it’s a legitimate issue and “people have every right to consider it.”

Clinton made the under-the-radar comments on Saturday at the Financial Times Weekend Festival in Washington, D.C., when questioned about Biden stumbling at the G7 Summit in Japan. …

Clinton responded, “It’s a concern for anyone. We’ve had presidents who had fallen before who were a lot younger, and people didn’t go into heart palpitations.”

“But his age is an issue, and people have every right to consider it,” Clinton added. “But, you know, he has this great saying – and I think he’s right – don’t judge him for running against the Almighty but against the alternative. I am of the camp that I think he’s determined to run; he has a good record that, three years ago, people would not have predicted would have gotten done.”

What else can she say after this clip made the rounds? It’s not just the physical stumbling, after all:

After shaking Kishida’s hand, Biden, 80, turned his attention to the prime minister’s 58-year-old wife, Fumio Kishida — bizarrely bending over with clenched fists, as if in a boxer’s pose, before also shaking her hand.

Kishida, 65, then began leading the US dignitaries to prearranged spots to pose for photos — eventually jumping in to politely guide Biden to his place as the president shuffled slowly over and looked at the ground in clear confusion as to where he was supposed to stand.

“We’ll figure it out,” the first lady joked as she and their hosts patiently waited for the aging commander-in-chief to work out where he should stand.

We could go on and on with clips, perhaps just since Biden’s return. The evidence of Biden’s decline has become so ubiquitous that it’s hardly worth curating at this point, and arguably impossible anyway in a single article. Even Hillary Clinton knows that she can’t pretend that age is not an issue for Biden, and she’s only five years younger than Biden.

That, among other reasons, is why she’s not sharpening a knife for Biden’s back in this interview. Even with a supine media trying to drag Biden across the finish line, there is simply no way of ignoring this issue while Biden barely can handle steps and can’t figure out where to stand in a group photo without someone holding his hand, almost literally. Hillary is trying to lay out the best possible defense of an aphasiac incumbent that is possible to make for the next 17 months or so. This may be the only possible strategy for dealing with Biden’s clear competency issues — by acknowledging that age is a legit issue but that Biden’s value exceeds the concerns.

Needless to say, that’s not just a poor calculation but utterly laughable.

That is why both Democrats and the aforementioned supine Protection Racket Media have to make sure this election is not about Joe Biden — a heavy lift for an incumbent in any cycle, and especially in a cycle featuring 40-year highs in inflation and a recession that appears to be just around the corner. To pull that off, they will need the election focus to fall on the challenger … which is why Biden, his fellow Democrats, and the media all want a rematch against Donald Trump.

Put simply: If Trump wins the nomination, the election becomes all about Trump and the “danger to democracy” he represents. If Republicans nominate anyone else, the 2024 election becomes all about Biden and the trainwreck his presidency has become — as well as his competency and frailty. Hillary is just playing short-term defense while Democrats and media scheme to boost Trump into position for a rematch.