Writing in the Washington Examiner, Eddie Scarry makes a good point asking how, if President Trump really is in the throes of dementia – can't read, doesn't learn, etc., as so many of Michael Wolff's supposed White House whisperers claim – why hasn't the public actually seen any of this?

Wolff points out that Trump is a man who is continuously seen in public, far more so than any of his political rivals:

Where was this version of Trump when giving one of his dozens of interviews, hosting his rallies, or delivering public remarks at any point between 2015 and now?

Yes, Trump mostly spoke extemporaneously during the campaign, often repeating words and themes, a phenomenon otherwise known as speaking aloud.

But he's also delivered dozens of speeches off teleprompters, proving he can actually read, frequently going off-script to offer commentary and then returning to the prepared remarks.

During the campaign, from January to September in 2016, he hosted more than four[] and[] a[] half hours['] worth of press conferences, compared to Hillary Clinton's 38 minutes['] worth.

Scarry suggests placing a genuinely impaired elderly person on a stage and comparing him to Trump to see the contrast.

More to the point, we can point out that there really have been many impaired politicians, whether of declining mental facilities or failing overall health, to draw contrast to.

Like anyone else, politicians do get old, and when they do, their age frequently becomes obvious in public.

One example is House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, who has repeatedly slurred her speech and spoken gibberish, both of which point to declining mental capabilities.

Politicians also get life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer.  Whether or not you like John McCain, his brain cancer was the likely culprit for his inability to speak clearly during his questioning of James Comey last month, something most people can look upon with compassion.

Then there are politicians who try to hide that there are any health problems, such as Hillary Clinton, who has had massive coughing attacks in public, was seen with an odd red spot on her tongue, required a stool to lean on during her presidential campaign debate with Trump, has had apparent seizures during press gaggles that she attempted to laugh off, struggled to climb stairs, and has collapsed repeatedly in public.  She's never been straight with the public about what her health concerns may be, but it's pretty obvious something is not working.

Do we ever see any evidence of failing faculties like that with Donald Trump?  His own physician gave him a clean bill of health, and all we have seen is an "on" political leader, always crisply dressed and in full command of his faculties.  That he sometimes says things that aren't tactful is part of his extraverted personality.  He's not a sneaky, passive-aggressive type.  What it isn't is evidence of mental instability.

If psychiatrists want to ruin their professional reputations by saying Trump is mad, and Michael Wolff wants to make up stuff to sell books, fine.  We will believe that Trump is crazy when we see it.