I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.

I’ve been in front of the camera a handful of times, but because I have the perfect face for radio, only a tiny, unlucky subset of the American people have ever experienced the misfortune of turning on the idiot box and seeing my unkempt look and awkward — but notably surly — demeanor in their living rooms.

So I am not a medical expert, unless you count a couple of extended hospital stays, a couple of broken bones, witnessing a cesarean section and meeting my daughter moments later and watching some TV medical dramas.

None of that, of course, provides any particular insight about former President Joe Biden’s diagnosis with what has been called an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer. We can watch as many episodes of “Medical Center,” “Marcus Welby, MD,” “ER” or “House” as possible and still know little to nothing about how the human body works and how a disease like cancer develops and affects the people who have it.

I’ve watched people I love and care deeply about battle cancer. Too many fought valiantly, but eventually lost the fight. Others are still battling various forms of the disease. Some have fought and won, eventually being declared cancer-free.

People should hope and pray for the best outcome for the former president and those close to him. Many people today have a difficult time putting aside political differences, but if we can’t do it when someone is fighting to stay alive,we have a problem as people and as a society.

That said, I can’t help but question the medical care Biden received during his time in office and perhaps even before that. Thus far, I’ve watched several prominent doctors — including noted oncology specialists — who seem convinced that Biden had to have been afflicted with this cancer for a long time, maybe even years, before the diagnosis was announced this week.

I’ve had a few anecdotal chats with medical professionals this week. Each said their experiences with prostate cancer patients lead them to believe Biden was not simply diagnosed now, after the disease spread to his bones.

If that is truly the case and the Biden family and his White House team kept this serious health issue a secret, such a coverup raises serious questions. With the pending release of books — including one by CNN’s Jake Tapper — about Biden’s cognitive decline during his four years in office, some Democrats insist that it’s time to lay off the former president, his family and the handlers.

I can wish Biden and his family the best in this serious medical fight. But even without the cancer diagnosis, the fact remains that what we witnessed with regularity as the former President’s term played out was decidedly obvious, even from our couches. This man was clearly not — as Joe Scarborough claimed — “the best version” of Joe Biden anyone has seen.

But that’s what we heard from left-leaning pundits, Biden’s wife Jill and Whitehouse spokespersons Jen Psaki and Karine Jean-Pierre. Those close to Biden all insisted he was “sharp as a tack,” and by extension, so did media types such as Scarborough, Tapper and many others. It eventually became clear that he wasn’t the same man who was President Barack Obama’s VP for two terms and spent decades in Congress as a Delaware representative and senator.

The American people were effectively told not to believe their “lying eyes” for much of Biden’s presidency. But even before his 2020 victory over incumbent President Donald Trump, there were signs of decline.

Remember an angry Joe Biden calling a woman “a lying, dog-faced pony soldier” at a campaign event? I’m still haven’t learned what that means.

He also engaged in a heated exchange with a man in Iowa during another stop, calling him “a damn liar” and challenged him to a push-up contest.

During a Michigan appearance, Biden was questioned about guns by an auto worker, who accused the then-candidate of seeking to take away his guns. Biden denied it, then told the man he was “full of [expletive]” and asked him, “You want to go outside with me?”

Each of those interactions happened within a few weeks of each other early in 2020. Biden made few such appearances as the 2020 election approached and the explanation for his “basement campaign” was always about COVID-19. But maybe it was more about limiting his public exposure because his campaign handlers never could be sure what he’d say next.

The protective cocoon around Biden didn’t go away after he was sworn in as our 46th President. To me, he appeared the be the least accessible president I’d seen since I was old enough the notice how presidents and other high-level politicians interacted with the media.

Something wasn’t right and a flurry of books, stories and television appearances by people like Tapper and even those inside the White House has already begun. Those who were close to Biden now seem more willing to reveal what they knew at the time or eventually learned later.

I’m sorry that Joe Biden is now fighting for his life. I wish him the best. But the idea that his illness automatically renders his presidency and what happened during it off limits to scrutiny is something I can’t endorse.

There remain serious questions about Biden’s capabilities as president. If he wasn’t completely engaged in the day-to-day business of running the United States, who was doing the job? Americans deserve to know.

Ed Puskas is editor of the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator. Reach him at 330-841-1786 or epuskas@tribtoday.com.