![Hillary Clinton by Gage Skidmore [CC BY-SA]](https://2paragraphs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Hillary_Clinton_by_Gage_Skidmore_2_cropped-620x375.jpg)
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been deeply engaged with American foreign policy for decades. Having met personally with Vladimir Putin (see video below) and numerous other world leaders, Clinton speaks from experience when she talks about geopolitical power moves, what’s at stake, and how goals are achieved.
Clinton clearly intends her tweet about the stealth Kyiv trip undertaken by President Biden to be seen as a compliment, as celebratory. Sharing the photo and adding her thoughts, Clinton implies commendation of the Commander-in-Chief for his support of Ukraine and democracy. But in her praise, Clinton uses a phrase that scans as a double-edged sword, calling the visit “Peak Biden.”
While the phrase “peak” connotes a (literally) high achievement, it also signals an apex from which the only subsequent direction is down. One can’t rise from the peak — the peak is the endpoint of a rise. (Think of an athlete’s peak years, usually occurring long before their retirement.)
Clinton captions her shared photo: “Riding on a train to the front lines of the fight for democracy? Peak Biden.”
Riding on a train to the front lines of the fight for democracy? Peak Biden. #RailForceOne pic.twitter.com/rhN0qhAygq
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 21, 2023
In the midst of so much talk about Biden’s age as 2024 approaches, Clinton’s choice of words, surely meant to be interpreted as pure praise, have an unintended consequence among those who believe Biden is “past his prime.”
Just when politicians are in their prime — or at their peak — is a subject much in the news lately after 51-year-old GOP candidate Nikki Haley‘s proposal that all politicians over 75 be tested for mental acuity. (Biden, 80, and Donald Trump, 76, would be subject to the test.)
Clinton didn’t mean to say that Biden had peaked this week. Or did she?
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