It's Thursday, January 16, 2025.

I'm Albert Mueller, and this is the briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.

Last night, Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, went before the American people sitting behind the

Resolute Desk in the Oval Office to give a farewell address.

Now, George Washington, the nation's first president, delivered a farewell address, but in modern

terms, you have to go back to 1961. January of 1961, when Dwight David Eisenhower was concluding his two terms as president of the United

States. Going back to George Washington, he issued two famous warnings. One was against the formation

of too many treaties, which he referred to as entangling alliances, and the other was the development

of permanent political parties in the United States.

It was not long until the United States was actually doing both of the things that George

Washington had warned against. Skipping forward in time to President Eisenhower, he warned

against the development of what he called a military industrial complex that he said would

threaten the integrity of democracy. Now, considering the fact that General Eisenhower was the five-star

general who led the United States and allies to victory in the European theater in World War II,

given that role, you would think that it was particularly poignant that

President Eisenhower would, years later, warn about this military industrial complex.

But hold that thought, because President Biden came to make a similar warning last night.

The context of a farewell address is poignant, and that's particularly so when you are considering

the farewell address offered by President Biden. And that is because just a matter of months ago,

he did not intend to be giving a final address to the American people. And in a recent interview,

he said that he believed if he had continued in the race, he would have beaten Donald Trump.

But then he went on to say in that same interview with USA Today, he wasn't sure he would be able

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