The dust is finally settling, to the extent it’s going to, on last Thursday night’s presidential debate.

After a performance that was, at a minimum, troubling, some well-placed Democrats are calling for President Joe Biden to step away from the race while others are encouraging him to stay the course.

From where we sit, we believe if old campaigner Biden is going to quit the race in favor of a younger candidate, he must do it now. Not, next week or next month but now.

Biden had one job to do in the debate and that was to assure Americans that he was still up to the job.

Republicans, specially former president Donald Trump but pretty much any prominent member of the GOP, have been hammering Biden on his age and fitness for literally years.

On Thursday night, Biden’s performance, which was unabashedly bad, seemed to confirm the worst.

He seemed confused, frail and unable to parry the many opportunities Trump gave him.

True, he did perk up some as the event wore on but not enough to undo the damage that had been done in the beginning.

We doubt that Biden will step away from the race at this point. That’s just not the way he’s wired.

That said, even if he did, who would the Democrats name as his replacement?

This is a hot mess waiting to play itself out. It’s just a question of what that direction will ultimately be.