It was Bob Hawke, speaking after the coup that deposed John Howard in favour of Andrew Peacock, who coined the famous phrase "if you can't govern yourselves, you can't govern the country". The silver budgie also made the timeless observation that in politics "disunity is death".
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Both these maxims apply to the US Democrats in spades. The party, now tearing itself apart over whether or not Joe Biden should stay on as the presumptive candidate for this November's presidential election, seems hell bent on handing the Oval Office to Trump and the Republicans on a silver platter.
President Biden, on the one hand, is adamant that only God almighty could make him relinquish his position at the head of the party's ticket. His stubborn streak is being cheered on by his wife Jill, son Hunter, and a close inner circle of advisers who obviously have a lot of skin in the game.
Others within the party, including serious Democratic fundraisers such as George Clooney and Michael Douglas, are looking at the bigger picture. Then there are the many senators, congressman and other candidates who need a strong presidential candidate to fall across the line. They fear that if Biden goes down ,they will go down with him.
There is a very real risk, given President Biden's competence is now the single biggest issue in this election contest, that unless he is replaced - and replaced very soon - the Republicans under Trump could make a clean sweep of the presidency and both houses of Congress.
While Biden's allies were quick to claim his performance during Friday's post NATO summit presser was not quite the train wreck his debate against Mr Trump two weeks ago was, they are missing the point.
First and foremost, it was far from being an unqualified success. Confusing Ukraine's President Zelensky with President Putin and Vice-President Kamala Harris with former President Trump was a terrible look.
Coming as they did in the wake of the debate debacle these blunders dominated the coverage of what should have been a very significant reaffirmation of America's commitment to NATO and Ukraine.
If this was a James Bond movie the director would have done a cutaway to Presidents Putin and Xi laughing maniacally while watching the performance, with white fluffy cats on their laps, on large screen televisions, in their respective underground lairs.
The Democrats are their own worst enemies. While it has been obvious for well over a year the President's best years are behind him, most of the party's heavy hitters have been in a state of denial.
Vice-President Kamala Harris has been relentlessly white anted by fellow Democrats who have their own ideas on who should step in if the President relinquishes his candidacy, and there has been a complete lack of any serious attempt at succession planning.
Having made their own weather the Democrats can't complain about the rain.
The insurmountable obstacle Biden's supporters face is that the American public has woken up to the fact that the President seems to have suffered a significant cognitive decline since 2020. And, as anybody who has lived with an elderly relative knows, while people can have good days and bad days they will never be as sharp, even on a good day, as they were in their prime.
Voters are not that focussed on President Biden's competence today. The real worry is "what will he be like in 2026 and 2027?"
In an ideal world President Biden would accept he is not the man he once was and depart with dignity. That, unfortunately, seems unlikely.
With the election now less than five months away the Democrats need to act quickly to install a younger, and more electable, candidate.
