Only one person can confront Joe Biden and convince him to drop out of the presidential race. And his advice would be clouded by a perceived self-interest in Biden's exit.
Barack Obama still draws adoring crowds of Democrats wherever he goes. He's the most popular living Democrat, and despite rumors of friction between the former president and the current president, Biden respects and admires his former boss. Obama is said to call Biden frequently to discuss politics and policy.
If any Democrat could metaphorically grasp Biden by the shoulders and shake him until he emerges from his fantasy that the race is still winnable, it's Barack Obama.
But Obama has a big problem. He can't advocate for Biden to drop out when his wife would be the primary beneficiary.
The appearance of Obama trying to usher Biden out of the race would set off cries of self-interest because by far the most popular Democrat to replace Biden is Michelle Obama.
Mrs. Obama has said repeatedly she's not interested in running for president. But what if the nomination were handed to her on a silver platter? The idea that she would say no is ludicrous.
Of course, there would be Democrats who would object, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.). But to avoid a convention bloodbath, most Democrats would do anything to sidestep that prospect.
But Barack would put his standing as a so-called politician above the fray on the line if he tried to ease Biden out of the nomination.
Michelle Obama would be a runaway favorite at the Democratic Convention. The betting boards are buzzing with action, and her odds of getting the nomination have dropped from 300-1 to 7-1.
"We just kept taking bets over and over again on Gavin Newsom and Michelle Obama," BetOnline political oddsmaker Paul Krishnamurty told Newsweek.
Head-to-head matchups also show encouraging results for Newsom and Obama. Newsom's odds are -140 against Trump (+100), and Obama is -250 against Trump (+170).
"As you can see from the head-to-head matchups we're offering now, we believe Michelle Obama has the best chance to beat Donald Trump in this election," Krishnamurty said. "Our professional bettors have been backing Obama for the last few months.
"She was as high as 25/1 in early May, and they've continued to bet her all the way down to the current odds of 7/1. Obama would be a massive loss for the book if she were elected."
"As former first lady, Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president," Obama's office told NBC News in March. "Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' reelection campaign."
Nitpickers might note that this statement was hardly "Shermanesque." She didn't rule out running unconditionally. "If nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve," former General William T. Sherman said in 1876. Mrs. Obama didn't come close to saying that.
So the door is ajar if she chooses to walk through.
There have been rumors that Mrs. Obama is very angry at the Bidens for the way they treated her good friend Kathleen Buhle, Hunter Biden's ex-wife. Buhle wrote a scathing book about her marriage to the younger Biden, and the Bidens apparently gave Hunter's ex the cold shoulder.
This didn't sit well with Michelle, to the point that she has refused to campaign for President Biden so far.
Biden is trying to convince Democrats that it's only one debate and there is plenty of time to recover. But Thursday night proved that every horrible thing Trump and other Republicans have said about Biden's infirmities is true. That kind of hit to the president's credibility will be impossible to recover from.
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