Since before he entered the Oval Office, those who dislike Joe Biden's policies or worry about America having at its helm a man with declining mental abilities have found his moments at the mic noteworthy, and not in a good way.  Whether he's making up words, whispering into the microphone, insulting people, imagining facts, or making obvious policy misstatements that the White House then needs to walk back, people alternately cringe, laugh, or point to Democrats and say, "You did this horrible thing to America."

It turns out, though, that the anti-Bidenistas in America are not the only ones who dread seeing Biden in front of a live mic.  His own staff can't handle watching him off-leash, either:

When Biden gives public remarks, some White House staffers will either mute him or turn off his remarks, according to White House officials.

It's not that they're indifferent to what their boss has to say. Indeed, their livelihoods are directly invested in it. Rather, they're filled with anxiety that he's going to take questions from the press and veer off the West Wing's carefully orchestrated messaging.

"I know people who habitually don't watch it live for that reason," said one current official.

Biden's advisers have urged him to answer fewer of the questions being shouted at him by reporters covering his events. While the president sometimes obliges and quickly leaves the podium after remarks, he has a tendency to buck those staffers trying to rein him in. "I'm not supposed to take any questions, but go ahead," he said after addressing FEMA the other week.

Well, now you know: when Biden is referring to the mysterious "they" who don't want him to take questions, he's talking about his "advisers."  In other words, we still don't know who is dictating his policies, but it appears that everyone in Biden's orbit is begging him to keep his mouth shut and be the good little puppet they need.

The same article from Politico has a "cute" little anecdote about Biden joking about his own gaffe-prone statements, including the fact that Biden has hinted "that his loquaciousness earns him credit from voters who appreciate his authenticity."

That's wishful thinking at this point.  Those who oppose Biden have long known that his authenticity is limited to bad judgment, stupidity, and corruption.  As for his supporters, his charm is dimming:

[L]ately, his verbal miscues have been causing headaches for him and his team. Biden has delivered several self-inflicted wounds during freewheeling Q&A sessions that required immediate clean-up. On Afghanistan, he told reporters that a Taliban takeover of the country was "highly unlikely," said Al Qaeda was "gone" from Afghanistan when it wasn't, and declared that he'd seen "no question of our credibility" from allies when there had been a lot.

Biden has even flubbed scripted remarks, such as when he said the administration had evacuated 90 percent of Americans from Afghanistan when he was supposed to say 98 percent.

In sum, Biden is a loose cannon who is all mouth and no brain — and his staff knows and fears it.  The only one who doesn't have the good sense to know this, of course, is Biden himself:

To this day, Biden seems almost delighted by the prospect of tussling with the reporters that often gather in front of him, such as when he challenged Fox News' PETER DOOCY to contemplate alternative drawdown scenarios for Afghanistan.

Reading that, you know that Biden's like the drunk who gets in the ring, hurling imprecations at a genuine boxer and swinging wildly, only to knock himself out.

Image: Joe Biden's empty eyes.  YouTube screen grab.

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