Today was one of the darkest days the United States has suffered in the last two decades. It opened with suicide bombings disrupting the already bungled evacuation attempt in Afghanistan. The latest count is that at least 13 American soldiers have perished, with at least 90 Afghans, including many women and children.

For nearly eight hours, the President of the United States remained silent. Shockingly, even as the death toll rose, we heard nothing. No written statement offering condolences for their deaths ever came. The White House couldn’t even muster a quick show of empathy via Joe Biden’s Twitter account. Once again, it became patently obvious that we simply don’t have a president.

Then, Biden finally emerged. Showing up 25 minutes late for the most important presser of his life, in which he’d be reacting to the deadliest day for the military in over a decade, the president’s performance ranged from cold to defensive to incoherent. When pressed on what will happen to the Americans who remain trapped in Afghanistan, Biden admitted that they would be left behind, only offering a passing promise that we’d work to extract them by other means.

To call what happened today a dereliction of duty would be too kind. This is a man who isn’t cognizant enough to even be derelict because that would require some semblance of awareness, and to be honest, I’m not sure Biden knows where he is most of the time. This is a man who is so out of it that it’s clear that his constant tardiness is likely not a choice, but a necessity, given his physical condition.

With all that said, it’s become painfully, tragically obvious that Biden is unfit for office.

So, what now? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. But for Republicans, they are answers nonetheless. Without control of the House, the GOP cannot start hearings and investigations to figure out what went into the series of incompetent, inexcusable decisions that led us to this moment of national disgrace.

But what they can do is call for impeachment. They can call for Biden’s resignation. They can start finally talking about his clear mental and physical decline. Will any of that lead to his removal? I have no idea, but what I do know is that this is no time to sit on the sidelines and hide behind norms and decorum. Rather, this is the time to take a strong position and take no prisoners in the process.

The GOP does not need a majority to file articles of impeachment. They certainly don’t need a majority to get in front of a camera and point out that Biden is suffering from some combination of senility and dementia. I realize those are things that many Republican politicians are averse to discussing. After all, conservatives typically don’t like to rock the boat. They don’t like to be bombastic. They don’t like to take a position that might elicit some semblance of heat in return.

Instead, they usually prefer to float above the fray, parroting platitudes like this.

Horrific terrorist attacks outside Kabul airport. My heart breaks for the U.S. servicemembers wounded in the explosion and the innocent Afghan lives lost. I am inspired by the strength and compassion of our troops and pray for their safety.

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) August 26, 2021

There’s nothing wrong with Romney’s statement in a vacuum, but Republicans have to go farther now. They have to make the choice that, whatever cordial relationship they had with Joe Biden, it is over now. That might mean not getting an infrastructure deal passed. So be it. It might mean having CNN say bad things about you. So be it. It might mean having to actually get in the mud and fight. So be it.

The time for meekness is over. Americans are watching, and they want accountability. They will not forget what happened today and what brought us here. If Republicans can’t unite around a singular call for Biden’s ouster, after everything that has occurred, then the GOP is lost.