Yesterday was the last day at work for White House shadow president Chief of Staff Ron Klain. And before he left, he gave a tearful goodbye that, well… I think Ron Klain needs to get out of Washington DC and back to real life.

The now-former Chief of Staff was a notorious Twitter retweeter and serially online, well known for pushing out the administration’s talking points and retweeting media and polls who agreed with him. Which, fine, we all knew that Ron Klain was a loyal Democrat, who has been in top party circles for years before getting the tap to be Barack Obama’s Ebola czar back in 2014 because… he was a really helpful Democrat lawyer, which made him totally qualified. Anyway, Klain has been deep in the Swamp for a long time, and being the puppet master to Joe Biden’s “Weekend at Bernie’s” reenactment has probably been the biggest job of his career.

Now, White House Chief of Staff, by its very nature, is a 24/7 burn-the-candle-at-both-ends kind of job. Even a devoted believer like Ron Klain is going to hit a wall at some point, and given that Biden needs a full-time caretaker, he was probably doing more on the political back end than the public truly realizes – at least until the tell-all memoir comes out after Joe’s death at some point in the future. Between Jill Biden managing Joe on a personal level and Klain managing the political stuff, they’ve created a façade that mostly works until reality intrudes and Joe goes off-script. Still, Klain has managed to make Joe look alive for the last two years, and his successor, Jeff Zients, the former White House COVID Response Coordinator, is going to have his hands full.

Ron Klain got the full send-off yesterday, including a speech at the podium that had him sobbing and normal people raising their eyebrows.

“This is the best job I ever had,” the 61-year-old Klain blubbered as he began his remarks at an East Room transition celebration, forcing his 80-year-old boss to supportively rub his shoulder as he regained his composure.”

In the moments when he wasn’t crying, Klain seemed to confirm that Biden is running for reelection in 2024 and acknowledge PR woes for Vice President Kamala Harris, who has received bad press as workers flee what’s been described as a “toxic” vice presidential office.”

“It’s been an honor to be [Harris’] next-door neighbor in the West Wing these two years,” Klain said in a dry-eyed moment.”

“I wish every American could get to know Vice President Harris as I have. I would say she’s been the best vice president in history, but, eh, you know,” Klain said, jokingly referring to the fact that Biden also was a vice president.”

The outgoing chief of staff’s praise of his boss seemingly knew no bounds.”

At one point, Klain bawled, “I just want to say this one thing today: I learned everything I know about how to be a good father from Joe Biden. He’s the best father I know and the best role model I know and along the way he’s taught me a thing or two about politics and policy as well.”

Insert record scratch sound here. Uh, WHAT.

Klain: "I learned everything I know about how to be a good father from Joe Biden. He's the best father and role model I know." pic.twitter.com/dzi0ck54xP

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 1, 2023

I have some questions about Joe Biden’s parenting skills.

https://t.co/AKVXqphv99 pic.twitter.com/nEs40VO0FX

— Sunny McSunnyface (@sunnyright) February 2, 2023

There is a reason that Joe Biden is constantly invoking his late son Beau. He was the most successful of his children and was supposed to be the Biden family political heir apparent for the next generation of influence peddling. Now, Hunter Biden could be indicted for tax evasion crimes as well as lying in order to purchase a gun, as well as being a sexual deviant and predator. Ashley Biden has had her own issues, and whether you believe the diary or not, Joe’s relationship with his living children seems complex at best. And now, Joe’s son is paying child support for a daughter he denied was his, doesn’t want that child to have the Biden name, and Joe and Jill do not even count her as one of their grandchildren. And THAT is what Ron Klain calls “being a good father” and being “the best father I know.”

And don’t think that Ron Klain is leaving the political scene. In a moment where he addressed his three kids (who are all adults, as he mentions having paid for “six college and advanced degrees” for them), he thanks them for their support and then promises that he will “walk the dog” for the next two years. (Are these adult children with six degrees between them still living at home and walking the dog?) Then he went on to say this:

In a remark that all but confirms Biden’s plan to seek reelection — despite the fact that he would be 86 years old if he completes a second term — Klain said, “I look forward to being on your side when you run for president in 2024,” hailing Biden as a “wise, passionate, determined and fearless president” who was “determination to save our democracy and the soul of this nation.”

Uh, so… is Klain just taking a long sabbatical from Biden World? He’s only promising to walk the dog for the next two years.

His audition for VP https://t.co/wcRxIYKWVJ

— Brent Simpson (@BrentSimpson19) February 2, 2023

I suppose that would be one way to supplant Kamala and move Ron Klain from the shadows to the spotlight. So, don’t say a final farewell to Klain just yet. After all, no one ever really leaves the Swamp.

Featured image: Ron Klain as White House Chief of Staff, official portrait, cropped, public domain