Replacing Joe Biden with Leon Panetta Could Save America

America is in serious danger.  President Biden is not mentally competent to fulfill the duties of office, and we all see it.  There is no joy in saying this about President Biden — my father suffered mild degenerative cognitive dementia for years — it was hard on him and everyone around him.  But continuing to deny the truth about President Biden is getting people killed, and many more will likely follow.  

The inept Afghanistan exit is one of the worst self-inflicted foreign policy disasters in America's history, and it took Joe Biden only seven months to make it happen.  Likewise, look at the chaos and human misery he has unleashed on America’s southern border, again in just seven months.  And now, America’s oldest ally France has recalled their ambassador in outrage over a Biden policy.  

Bottom line, President Biden’s incompetence is imperiling America’s future.  He needs to be replaced…and as soon as possible.

The problem is, few on the left, and even fewer on the right, feel comfortable with who sits in the line of presidential succession.  First is Vice President (Kamala Harris), second is Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi), and third is President pro tempore of the Senate (Patrick Leahy).  For most of us, these are not viable alternatives.

However, the fourth in line presents a unique opportunity.  This being Secretary of State (Antony Blinken) — who should have already resigned over the Afghanistan debacle.

Obviously, the Democrats don't want to lose political power, but they also recognize that with Biden in office their prospects are rapidly dimming for 2022 and 2024.  The Republicans, on the other hand, are feeling the wind at their backs.  But maintaining the status quo for another three years could do irreparable harm to our nation.  America is a nuclear armed power with numerous deadly adversaries.  And Afghanistan has proven that waiting out Biden’s term is no longer a viable option, the risks are simply too high.

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As such, Republicans and Democrats need to come together to find a viable solution — America must have a serious and competent leader at the helm.  Too many lives depend upon it.  But such a solution will only succeed if the replacement president is a respected Democrat, and one Republicans can live with.

There is one person alone who fits this billing — Leon Panetta.  

The Democratic leadership will need to engineer it, but the Republican leadership will need to support it.  And we all need to set aside partisanship for the moment, and view this as a national imperative.  The four point plan to make it happen:

1. Democratic Party leaders persuade Secretary of State Antony Blinken to resign.  
2. Democratic Party leaders persuade President Biden to nominate the highly qualified Democrat Leon Panetta as Secretary of State. 
3. Once the Senate confirms Panetta, the Cabinet (with leadership from both parties) persuades President Biden to resign for the good of the nation.  If Biden refuses, they invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him from office.  
4. As prearranged by Democratic Party bosses (Obama, Clinton, Soros, et al.), Harris, Pelosi, and Leahy decline (for personal reasons) to succeed to the presidency.  The succession falls to Secretary of State Leon Panetta with the full support of leadership from both parties — Panetta accepts and is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.

This is the ideal outcome for our nation.  

Similar to calling in Benjamin Franklin at age 81 to help draft the U.S. Constitution in 1787, Leon Panetta could be the key elder statesman of our day.  He is also one of the few key players never to have run for president, proving he is not power hungry. 

Leon Panetta is a highly respected statesman admired on both sides of the aisle.  Likewise, he would be one of the most experienced presidents in U.S. history.  He was Secretary of Defense (2011 - 2013), Director of the CIA  (2009 - 2011), White House Chief of Staff (1994 - 1997), Director of the Office of Management and Budget (1993 - 1994), Chair of the House Budget Committee (1989 - 1993), Member of the House of Representatives from California (1977 - 1993), and First Lieutenant in Military Intelligence (1964 - 1966) in the United States Army, receiving the Army Commendation Medal.

Panetta is an experienced stabilizing hand who may prove to be the healer-in-chief our nation needs in these turbulent times.  He is respected by American civilians, as well as the U.S. Military.  And he won’t be the puppet of the hard left socialists that Biden is.

With Panetta at the helm, America would again be respected on the world stage.  Our allies know him and respect him.  Our opponents in China, Russia, Iran, al-Qaeda, Taliban, also know him, and see him as a tough and serious adversary.  In fact, he was the CIA Director during the hunt and killing of Osama bin Laden.  Panetta also knows the Afghanistan situation better than most, and will understand how to navigate our current predicament.  

Panetta is also unafraid to do interviews on Fox News — as exemplified by his 20 minute interview with Fox's Neil Cavuto on September 13, 2021.  We need a president for all of America, and that means a president with the courage to take tough questions from all media outlets.  Not just those who throw softballs.  

As far as the 2024 election, Panetta's depth and experience make him a far tougher opponent for the resurgent Donald Trump.  (Harris, Sanders, Warren, Newsom, and most of the others pale in comparison.)  And if Panetta decides not to run in 2024, the Democrat who wins the nomination will be able to run on the stability Panetta brought to the nation.

For Kamala Harris, three years as Vice President under President Panetta may be just the experience she needs to mount a serious run in 2024.  Time will tell.

If Harris, Pelosi, or Leahy refuse to stand aside in succession though, the plan fails at onset.  Clearly none of them are ready to be president, nor will Republicans support them.  Plus, any one of them stepping in as president now will be highly unpopular and only compound Democrat problems for 2022 and 2024. 

As the situation stands today, the Panetta option will help the political future of the Democrats marginally more than the Republicans.  This is because it gets the Democrats out of their no-win Biden box.  Far more importantly though, this option saves the American Republic from an existential threat.  The Republicans need to stand tall and do what's right for the nation, politics be damned.  Americans will recognize and reward those who make this happen.

This plan should also be played out in the open for all the nation and world to see.  If secretly finessed, it might be viewed as a coup d'etat.

Could this Panetta succession plan present a constitutional crisis?  Perhaps.  Some may argue it is an end-run around our election process.  This effort is unconventional to be sure, but we are dealing with a dangerous and unprecedented crisis.  This plan follows the legal line of succession and with the leadership of both parties on board, it should pass muster.  The Supreme Court will have solid grounds to reject challenges. 

Is there a better option?  

If not, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead with executing the Panetta option.