In marking the anniversary of the Capitol insurrection, President Joe Biden rediscovered the sense of mission and political clarity that had disappeared when his presidency slumped during a cascade of crises in the second half of 2021.

Biden's speech Thursday -- from the spot where Donald Trump's mob defiled the US tradition of peaceful transfers of power a year ago -- was easily his most authoritative moment as President. He redefined himself against the extremism of the ex-President after struggling to project control during brutal months when a resurgent pandemic and chaos in his own party withered away any sense that he was commanding the political stage.

In generations to come, his address may be viewed either as the rallying call that saved the American experiment or as a pained eulogy for the democracy that his predecessor and would-be successor seems determined to destroy.