Ok, you might say, if two seasoned pundits are coming to the same conclusion, doesn’t that strengthen the case that Bide will, in fact, be the nominee?

Maybe so. But it doesn’t take a conspiracy nut to think that something else is afoot here.

For one thing, if defeating Donald Trump is the Democrats’ paramount concern (to “save democracy” and all), Biden staying in the race seems like the worst possible choice. He is hugely unpopular, and that’s not likely to change. Minorities and independents are gravitating toward Trump. Biden’s physical and mental state will only get worse, and his decline is by all evidence, accelerating. It’s an open question whether he’d agree to, or would be able to, debate Trump.