From pinnacle of presidency, Biden saw political career melt in pool of pathos

New York, July 22 (IANS) Starting as a local councillor 54 years ago, Joseph Robinette Biden reached his lifelong ambition of becoming the leader of the most powerful country only to see his career melt in a pool of pathos, his mental and physical capabilities called into question.The 81-year-old President’s achievements in his 36 years in the Senate, eight as Vice-President and nearly four as the 46th President were dimmed by one television debate last month when he stumbled going against his Republican adversary Donald Trump.His performance raised questions about his mental and physical ability to run for re-election and on Sunday he quit the race after his support seemed to seep.Standing firm in 2020, he fought off Trump’s unrelenting vicious attacks against him in the most divisive election campaign of modern times and had his election certified by Congress — a process temporarily disrupted by hordes of violent Trump supporters invading the Capitol building.His selection of Kamala Harris to be Vice-President — the first woman and the first person of Indian and African descent to hold the office — is one of his marks on history.”Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential Presidents,” said Barack Obama, who had picked him as Vice-President, summing up many Democrats’ view of Biden’s legacy.”Today, we’ve also been reminded – again — that he’s a patriot of the highest order,” he added, referring to his decision to leave the presidential race to avoid hurting the party’s standing.When he was sworn in as President in 2021 alongside Harris, the nation was in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, virtually shut down and caught in an economic downturn.He steered the country through the last days of the pandemic to a semblance of normalcy, but ironically a bout of Covid confirmed the doubts about his capacity to lead as he hunkered down to heal while questions about his physical abilities swirled stronger.His economic policies to pull the nation from the economic doldrums also sent inflation spiralling to about 20 per cent becoming one of the issues ranged against him in his bid for re-election.But employment was back up reaching historic levels, and the stock markets boomed, which were his campaign points.His signature achievement in his presidency was the adoption of packages totalling about $1.6 trillion for an economic resurgence that included massive infrastructure projects, plans for increasing middle-class jobs and building self-sufficiency in key technology, particularly computer chips.Immigration was a weakness of Biden, who in the heat of the 2020 campaign gave the impression that he would welcome illegal immigration in a bid to differentiate himself from Trump’s harsh rhetoric.About 10 million people surged through the borders till he adopted Trump’s tactic to stem the tide that was becoming an electoral millstone.Biden made more of a mark on foreign policy by actively re-engaging with the world, raising the level of Indo-Pacific involvement and trying to extend it, rejoining UNESCO, repairing the damage to NATO ties from Trump’s rhetoric, and keeping a conflagration from engulfing the Middle East.On the foreign policy front, Biden faced three challenges: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Palestine crisis, and China’s challenge.One of Biden’s successes was in rallying NATO, and other countries, in support of Ukraine and against Russia that invaded it, making it an existential issue for Europe.But domestic support for financial and military support was turning shaky as the war verged on a stalemate.And Moscow continues to be a consequential adversary, acting in concert with China.Palestine pulled him into a vortex of controversy, his unconditional support for Israel soon after the Hamas attack dividing his party and making him harden his attitude toward Israel, pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza, as the Palestinian toll rose to about 30,000 and protests broke out across the US.In confronting China, Biden invested in relations with India and the Quad, the group of four countries that includes Japan and Australia.He lifted the Quad interactions to the level of Prime Ministers and a President.In facing China, the most contentious adversary, he took a two-pronged approach: Building up a coalition against Beijing and limiting its economic power by cutting access to technology and the market.He also has challenges from North Korea, an unstable nuclear and missile power, and Iran, a nation close to achieving nuclear capability and an instigator of troubles across the Middle East.He tried to make India the fulcrum of a regional policy extending the Indo-Pacific strategy towards the Middle East, setting up I2U2, another Quad with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.Under Biden, the US built up defence and technology relations with India aimed at boosting it as a counterweight to China and an alternative supply chain source, especially in hi-tech.The high point was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit last year to Washington, high on White House symbolism with pomp and ceremony, but matched by substantive policy agreements.Tragedies have seared Biden’s personal life but he has overcome them, soldiered on in