Well, yesterday’s comments came a day too soon.  Daffy old Uncle Joe has bowed out, leaving the crown to Her Royal Highness Hillary I.  Excerpt:

After months of tortured indecision, Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday he won’t be a candidate in the 2016 White House campaign, solidifying Hillary Rodham Clinton’s status as the Democratic front-runner and the party’s likely heir to President Barack Obama’s legacy.

Standing under bright sun in the White House Rose Garden, Biden spoke movingly about mourning the recent death of his son, Beau, a process he said does not match the political calendar. While he said his family was emotionally prepared to undertake a grueling presidential campaign, they arrived at that decision too late for him to mount a credible bid for a job that has long been the north star of his political ambitions.

“Unfortunately, I believe we’re out of time,” said Biden, flanked by his wife, Jill, and the president.

Now, anyone who has read these pages for any time (that’s you, True Believers) knows I’m no fan of Joe Biden, even if watching him on the stump is usually good fun and a Biden Presidential race would have been a laugh a minute.  But I sympathize with Biden for the loss of his son, and I suspect he may have challenged Her Highness if not for Beau Biden’s death.

Nobody should lose a child.  That’s just not how things are supposed to happen.  We go through life knowing we will one day lose our parents, and those of us who are married know that there is the possibility of one day losing our spouse.  But our children are supposed to be around to carry on when we’re gone.  Nobody should have to suffer this loss.

Joe Biden has, and I suspect he hasn’t recovered yet.  For that, political differences be damned, he deserves our sympathy.

So, the Democrat race will be a little duller without old Uncle Joe in it.  But Her Majesty is probably breathing a whole lot easier today.