You might remember that back in 2020, when Joe was ushered into the White House (with no sign of the traditional welcome letter left on the Resolute desk from President No. 45, his ill-mannered predecessor) I found a picture of Joe with his old German shepherd, Champ, and the new rescue dog of the same breed, Major.
Champ died shortly after that, so Major had the job of protecting his Boss. But there were a lot of Secret Service people who were paid to do the same thing, and Major started nipping a few to keep them in their place.
Joe explained it away for almost two years, saying the White House was a very busy place and could be challenging for a dog, yet despite bouts of retraining, Major was shipped out to live a quieter life with friends in Delaware. At that time, Commander, another rescue German shepherd, was brought in for reinforcement.
Commander, it turned out, was much worse than Major had ever been. From the day he entered the Oval Office in December 2021 until October last year, Commander took a nip at 24 people, according to a CNN report at the time.
With multiple counselling and training sessions, he managed to enjoy a couple of years at the seat of power — which is not bad for a serial biter — but that’s what happens when you have the president for a master. He can ignore the constant flow of blood and pain because you’re his dog.
I wouldn’t expect the same from The Boss. He had a frisky blue heeler many years ago when the young missus and her brothers were in short pants: the heeler found alternative employment the first time she sunk her teeth into a childhood visitor. No messing about.
I could have told him a heeler would do that.
But look, Joe has kept telling us he’s not a quitter. He says his father told him that when you get knocked over, you get up — again and again.
That stubborn streak has served him and his dogs pretty well, all in all, and explains a lot about his instinct to hang on and take the fight once again to the Donald, who he defeated in 2020, then pressed home his advantage against Trump acolytes in the 2022 mid-term elections. He figured he could — and should — do it again.
Like a lot of people, The Boss thought Joe missed an opportunity to look statesmanlike when he announced he would run again. It would have allowed a field of younger Democrats to fight out a spot on the ballot.
But I could tell from the way he stuck with his dogs it wasn’t in his nature. And his instincts have helped him navigate a challenging political landscape over many decades and get a lot done.
If Kamala Harris wins the election, it will not only cement Joe’s record as having successfully shepherded through the biggest legislative program of any president since Roosevelt, but his belated decision to step aside will have ushered in the first woman — and woman of colour — to be president.
If she loses, however, Joe will forever be blamed. Like Major and Commander, history will conclude he will have stayed too long. Woof!
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