There may have been a time when Joe Biden's mental fumbles could be blamed on his long-running penchant to commit various "gaffes." That time has long since passed, and the current situation is legitimately scary.

The United States of America, still the most powerful nation on Earth, is being run by a man whose mind is so gone that he talks to dead people. 

READ: Joe Biden Is Talking to Dead People Again - and It's Not Pretty 

President Joe Biden confused French President Emmanuel Macron with France’s long-dead former leader Francois Mitterrand. Mitterrand died in 1996. pic.twitter.com/7BPGasX8ZB

— Freyja™ (@FreyjaTarte) February 6, 2024

Recall that back in 2022, Biden called out for Rep. Jackie Walorski while he was giving a speech. The problem? She passed away in a car accident a month earlier. These are not the kinds of mistakes normal people make. They certainly aren't the kinds of mistakes a president, who is supposed to be on top of his game and ready to process and make decisions at a moment's notice, should be making. 

Fox News' Peter Doocy pressed Karine Jean-Pierre on this latest incident, asking how the White House plans to convince voters Biden isn't too old when he keeps having these "moments." The president's press secretary didn't like that question very much, and her answer says it all. 

.@pdoocy: "How is President Biden ever going to convince the three-quarters of voters who are worried about his physical and mental health that he is ok, even though in Las Vegas he told a story about recently talking to a French president who died in 1996?"

KJP: "I'm not even… pic.twitter.com/HM0Jt9GBnX

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 6, 2024

To put it more succinctly, Biden's handlers know how screwed they are. They are in a position, tied to a man who is legitimately senile, where they have no way to fix this situation. What are they supposed to do except pretend what's happening isn't happening?

Typically in politics, there are at least some things you can try. Maybe you change your messaging strategy. Maybe you do more public events to up your public image. Nothing is guranteed, but at least there are options. 

Jean-Pierre has no options leading Biden's comms department. He is what he is, and he's a massive liability heading into the 2024 election. They can't hide the fact that he appears to be suffering from dementia, and saying it's a "rabbit hole" to discuss the issue, is an admission in and of itself. Jean-Pierre knows it's a losing issue. 

I keep thinking to myself, "No way do they actually nominate this guy at the convention," but what choice do they have? It's February and the DNC essentially rigged the primary to ensure Biden wouldn't face a real challenge. If they boot him now, then they are stuck with promoting Kamala Harris, who might be even worse in the eyes of voters. High-level Democrat leaders should have had a heart-to-heart with the president last summer, insisting that he not run for a second term. 

Of course, that assumes Biden, a man who sees himself as a legendary statesman instead of the awkward joke everyone else sees, would even have listened. He seems deadset on going down with the ship, and if that's the result, it's all the better.