In mid-September 1796, a public letter appeared in a Philadelphia newspaper. The letter opened with, “Friends and Fellow Citizens.” It was from President George Washington. While its words were mostly drafted by Alexander Hamilton, the ideas were all Washington’s. Now known as the “Farewell Letter,” Washington told the American people he would not seek a third term and would retire to his beloved Mt. Vernon. He was worn out at 64, his second term the source of much bedevilment. But he easily could have won another term.
King George III said at the time that Washington’s decisions to first give up military power after the Revolutionary War, and then the presidency made him “the greatest character of the age.”
One has to be of monumental ego to seek the presidency. And by design one also has to give up the power of the presidency when the time comes. It’s baked into our system.
The word on what drives President Joe Biden is the ever-present perpetual chip on his shoulder to prove doubters wrong. In that mix is a strong sense of empathy derived from a life marred by tragedy that includes the deaths of his first wife and two of his four children. He is a man to admire and was the right person at the right time in 2020.
But, at age 81 the time had come for Mr. Biden. The presidency has taken its toll, as it has done for those who held office who were far younger. His decision is one rooted in a personal character that is personally devastating, but one for the greater good. And thanks to him, democracy might just hold on for another four years.
