Andrew Yang uses the Joe Manchin situation to slam...Joe Biden (email)

[DFW]

8. I see Manchin's "it's staff driven" as quite the opposite of a dig at the President

I see it as an escape hatch, whereby Manchin can say he is on great terms with Joe Biden, and it's Biden's staff that went off on a tangent without consulting with Biden, himself. It leaves him a lifeline back to the Oval Office, and lets them both save face when they end up coming to their inevitable, if less-than-satisfying, deal. Then, the hand-shaking at the signing ceremony, while about as sincere as Mao and Chiang Kai Shek toasting each other in Chongqing, will let them both say they accomplished what they needed to do.