Ancient philosophers and tragedians would have understood the human folly—from the media, the president, and his party—that led to last week’s debate debacle. A day before Thursday’s presidential debate, the New York Times ran a front-page story in its print edition railing against the posting of unflattering videos of Joe Biden. Among the president’s many “adversaries,” observed the Times, was the “distorted, online version of himself, a product of often misleading videos that play into and reinforce voters’ longstanding concerns about his age and abilities.” Such voter concerns were misguided, according to the Times and its sources. Former Illinois representative...