To some of us that raises the question as to how exactly that Harvard grad happened to select Joe Biden to be but one heartbeat away from the Oval Office, where he ended up anyway — except when he’s not fled back in Delaware.

Biden’s long political career in Washington has been notable for the fact that there’s nothing notable in it — 36 Senate years and eight VP years. You’d think in such a long tenure Joe Biden would have accomplished something, anything, memorable in a positive way, if only by accident. But, no.

Besides cribbing a British politician’s speech as his own and getting caught. That was 1988 when, likely, no Democrat could have prevented, in effect, a third Reagan term with his VP George H.W. Bush.

Biden was/is noted for his gaffes, lies described diplomatically by supportive media as misspeaking, and a foul mouth caught on live mics. In those years of his irrelevancy, Biden was largely treated like a crazy uncle at the family Thanksgiving, whose rants prompt folks to roll their eyes while passing the potatoes.

But now, that old joke is leader of the Free World with control of nuclear launch codes.

The second way to view Joe Biden’s policies and actions as president is that he — or more likely the unidentified cyphers telling him what to do — seem bent on doing the precise things that damage the country, its democratic operations, and the people’s faith in long-revered institutions.

Seriously, if you wanted to screw up the country, you couldn’t be much more effective than the Biden’s initiatives — spending trillions of dollars in new spending that, in effect, encouraged millions to avoid full-time jobs, Or taking a quiet border with Mexico, where illegal immigration was drastically slowed, saying wild things that seemed to promise citizenship in the land of plenty, and appointing an incompetent to address the causes.

Then when the inevitable flood of desperate and, in some cases, unsavory types overwhelmed the border, basically giving up on enforcement and allowing hundreds of thousands of (unvaccinated) illegals to flood the U.S. And in some cases, flying or busing them to distant cities where finding them later will be impossible.

That’s all a pretty scary idea, that some kind of accidentally-elected double agent with a destructive agenda could sneak into the White House, dressed disarmingly as a harmless moderate acting confused in an uncle-like way, with a conniving coterie of socialist-minded aides bent on fundamentally altering the country.

And all because enough earnest voters were so focused on unelecting his mouthy opponent, who had rejected a new world order for an America First agenda..

With more than 55 years as a political junkie, including long experience working in media, government, and the business of politics, I’ve never been big on conspiracy theories. ‘Stupid’ is usually the best explanation.

Tom Brady, for instance, may be able to harness and steer the varied personalities, ambitions, and failings of 52 other NFL players toward a common goal. But doing the same with an immense collection of politicians, Deep-State worker ants, and outside interest groups with a lot of money seemed awfully far-fetched.

But now, I’m not so sure.

We have a seemingly harmless tool like Joe Biden out front, willingly taking orders on what to say and whom to call on. While a naïve, once-respected media shucks its constitutionally-protected watchdog role to go along,

Especially when Americans, confronted by a range of obvious dangers and threats like a pandemic and stumbling economy, remain so chronically inattentive to the patterns of everyday government and political operations.

You need not be a MAGA fan to see serious dangers in the credibility traction awarded the dark, bought-and-paid-for Steele Dossier and the faux Russia collusion narrative to defeat and undercut the duly-elected Donald Trump.

And what were the consequences for the conspirators in all that underhanded, underground planning? None. Nada. Zip. Benghazi. Solyndra. Fast and Furious. IRS hampering of Obama opponents. All the same. No consequences.

Let’s examine another of Joe Biden’s damaging, feckless policies with, so far, no consequences for the perpetrators: The Afghan withdrawal.

Most Americans agree that if 20 years of bloody soldiering and training in that forsaken land hasn’t worked, another 20 years or even 20 days of the same won’t either.

Inexplicably, weeks before his own announced exit deadline and against the advice of senior military leaders. Joe Biden ordered the last 2,500 U.S. troops to depart Kabul early one morning — unannounced to allies and the host country.

Think about this. Why would a responsible president do that? It won’t stay a secret. There’s nothing positive to be gained in creating such fear and chaos, except cratering the global standing of the United States as a reliable ally. And abandoning some $85 billion in modern (and classified) military gear to the recent enemy.

And leaving thousands of Americans and endangered Afghan allies behind, with no notice or evacuation plan, and then claim later the evacuation was a huge success? Huge, yes. Success,

What real president would want that?

Dutifully, of course, the U.S. military obeyed its civilian leader.

Was it just plain stupidity, dangerously derelict? Or as unlikely as one might wish, was it on purpose and just plain casually cruel? If a disputed Trump phone call to a Ukrainian leader that accomplished nothing could ignite his impeachment, Biden’s casual cruelty and incomprehensible Afghan orders surely require the same.

The U.S. military, being the U.S. military, well knew that it would be called upon to go back in for damage control. It prepared 6,000 troops to return to protect a dangerous evacuation that should have occurred first.

Thirteen of those troops were killed by a homicide bomber. Joe Biden did attend the solemn return of remains, but kept checking his watch to reveal his insincerity.

Joe Biden had promised on national television that the Kabul troops would stay as long as necessary to evacuate any Americans who wanted out. Biden broke that promise. Some are still being ferried out. The fate of others is unknown.

Where’s the outcry about any of this? GOP? Media? Honest Democrats? Anyone? Bueller? Does Joe Biden get a pass because he’s serially inept, and we all share understanding looks about his special needs.

Perhaps you, too, share a disconcerting unease about an empty leader propped up by meaningless photo-ops. We just keep stumbling along from Joe Biden stupidity to Joe Biden stupidity. You get an ominous sense that one of them is suddenly going to go off with awful consequences.