America is in dire straits

The 2024 Election Takes an Unpredictable Turn

The 2024 election ⁤took another unpredictable turn on February‍ 8 when Justice Department special counsel Robert Hur concluded that President Biden had willfully retained and​ disclosed classified information but did not deserve prosecution⁣ because a jury would see‍ him ​as a “well-meaning, elderly ​man with a poor memory.”⁢ The special counsel report ‌reinforced GOP ​criticisms of a two-tier system of justice while amplifying ⁣widespread doubts that Biden is up to the job of president.

And how did Biden respond? With a defiant, combative ⁤statement and press conference​ where he read from notes, ⁤caustically dismissed the report’s findings that his memory is fading, insulted ​reporters, and then, in unscripted comments, confused the presidents‌ of Egypt and Mexico and said that Israel’s response to the Hamas atrocities of October 7 has been⁢ “over the top.”

It may ⁣have been the worst Oval Office‌ address ⁤in my recollection. Only Bill‌ Clinton’s “I did not have sex with that ​woman” screed springs to mind​ as competition. In a spur decision,‌ Biden tried to debunk concerns over his age and ability—and promptly confirmed our worst fears about what is happening⁢ inside the⁢ White House.

Now we know‌ why his staff has kept Biden under wraps. Why ⁤he won’t do a Super Bowl pregame interview—reaching the massive NFL audience on an unofficial ⁤holiday—for the second⁣ straight year. It’s not just that ⁢his aides worry he’ll confuse Travis and Taylor. They’re petrified he might cause a​ national⁢ security​ crisis.

Here’s ​why America ‌is in‍ trouble. We are headed​ toward a general-election showdown that the public would prefer ⁢to avoid. And ⁤the‍ Democratic incumbent’s condition is ‍growing worse. Americans aren’t the only ones who read Hur’s report or watched Biden’s televised⁢ meltdown.⁣ America’s enemies did too. The world was a dangerous place before this afternoon. It has grown⁢ more dangerous since.

Who is Running the White House?

There’s another reason for concern. Who is ​running the White House? It is hard to believe it is the sad and defeated man ⁤who addressed the nation ‌Thursday⁤ evening. ‌As⁢ Biden’s situation has worsened, he’s become more reliant on the progressive Democratic base. His latest policy ‍blunders have weakened the country to further his bitter hopes of a second term.

On January⁢ 26, for example, the Biden administration said it would freeze‌ permits for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export projects. The decision ​was jaw-dropping. Cheap and bountiful energy is ​the⁤ basis​ of‌ strong, noninflationary ⁢economic growth. America’s​ shale revolution creates jobs,⁣ made this country “energy‍ independent,”⁤ and built the world’s ⁣ biggest LNG export industry.

American LNG ⁣is cleaner than oil and coal. ⁤It ⁢contributes to global security by‍ offering‌ our allies and partners an energy source derived from ⁣a commercial republic under the ‌rule of law. American LNG shielded Europe​ from Russia’s oil and ‌gas weapon. It’s a classic tale of American innovation and⁣ entrepreneurship making the world a better place. ‍What’s not ​to like?

A lot, it turns out—if you are a climate catastrophist bent on ⁣crippling America’s domestic production​ of ‌carbon fuels.​ The sort of person who funds Joe Biden’s campaigns and serves as a political appointee in his administration. Exactly‌ the type ​that the president ‌fears.

The green-energy lobby scares Biden. He could‌ spend more time crowing about the tremendous amount‍ of‍ carbon-based ​energy produced⁢ during his tenure. It⁤ might⁤ improve his numbers. ‌Yet he remains silent. Why? Not just because he keeps out of the public eye.‌ Because of​ the ​potential backlash from greens who finance​ the Democratic Party‍ and micromanage his environmental,⁣ industrial, transportation, and tax policies.

Biden ‌plays their game. Kills the⁤ Keystone Pipeline.⁤ Closes the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.‌ Drains and ​fails to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Restricts offshore drilling.⁢ And now, with this latest move, hampers a​ key‍ node of the ⁤world ‍economy, ‌empowers Russia, Venezuela, and Iran ⁤and other⁤ autocratic energy producers, shifts‌ LNG transport lanes toward a Houthi-terrorized‌ Red Sea, and denies Americans jobs​ and a better standard of ‍living. Just to rustle up some votes.

Brilliant, Joe.

Executive orders ⁤can be reversed, ⁣but ‌a fractured foreign policy is ‌hard to repair. Especially if that policy is, ‍as Secretary ‌of State Antony Blinken​ put it ⁤ this week during​ his fifth trip to the region since the ‍October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, “a concrete, time-bound, irreversible path to a Palestinian state.”

Blinken is delusional. There won’t be a Palestinian state so long as⁤ Israel considers one to be a security threat. And ⁤it is the height of folly​ to push⁤ Palestinian statehood as⁢ Israel conducts‍ an existential war​ against Hamas, readies its forces against ​Hezbollah, and cracks down on⁣ brewing‍ threats in the West Bank. As the U.N. and UNRWA⁤ are exposed as dens of anti-Semitism and complicity in violence against Jews. As America sinks into low-intensity conflict ⁤with Iran’s proxies‍ in Syria, Iraq, and​ Yemen.

Like many secretaries of⁢ state, BIinken wants to recapitulate‍ Henry Kissinger’s legendary shuttle diplomacy of the mid-’70s. Back then, ⁢the late, great American statesman traversed the Greater Middle‍ East and laid the foundations for ​peace between ⁢Israel‍ and Egypt. Blinken has replaced shuttle diplomacy with shuffle diplomacy: He limps from country ‍to country, getting nowhere.

Worse, Blinken indulged in some appalling moral equivalence while in Tel Aviv, saying, “Israelis were dehumanized in the most ​horrific way⁢ on October 7. The hostages​ have been dehumanized every day since. But⁣ that cannot be a license to dehumanize others.” As if there were any similarity, in any respect, between the atrocities Hamas committed that day and since and the way ‍in which Israel has⁢ behaved as it tries to minimize ⁢civilian casualties and deliver ⁢aid—that Hamas steals—to Gaza.

Worse yet: Biden’s comment that Israel’s response has been “over the top.” Is he serious?

Domestic politics explains Blinken’s and Biden’s remarks, ‍their frenzied pursuit of a ‍Palestinian‍ mirage, and the⁣ general incoherence of President Biden’s ​actions in the Middle East. Biden is petrified that Arab Americans living in Michigan won’t⁤ vote for him in November, thereby⁤ cracking the ⁤Blue Wall and ​handing the election to Trump. He assumes their votes can be⁢ bought‌ by pandering, by removing​ the conditions for Palestinian statehood, by taking a ⁤tough rhetorical⁣ line against Israel. That’s‍ why Samantha Power engaged in her own‍ version of shuffle diplomacy this week,‌ flying to⁢ Dearborn as Tony “Too Nice“‌ Blinken​ flailed overseas.

Here I thought this ⁤was another⁢ case ⁣of⁤ a troubled incumbent flailing to command events. What the​ Hur report⁣ and the Biden ​speech reveal is far more‌ troubling. Remember the liberal⁤ media catchline during Trump’s presidency? “This is not normal.” Yes, indeed. America is in deep⁣ trouble.

How ⁢does​ the ‌Biden ⁢administration plan to address the power vacuum created ‍in Afghanistan and ensure regional stability after the hasty withdrawal of US forces

Peace between Israel‌ and its Arab neighbors. But​ Blinken fails to recognize that⁤ the⁣ conditions today are ‌vastly different from those of the 1970s. The region⁤ is now engulfed in ⁣sectarian strife, proxy wars, and the rise of extremist groups ⁢like ISIS ⁣and Hamas.⁣

Biden’s ‍foreign policy team seems determined⁤ to repeat the mistakes of the past. ⁣They want to resurrect failed negotiations and appeasement strategies that only embolden our adversaries and undermine ‌our ⁤allies. They ignore the fact that Israel is ​the only true​ democracy in the region, a steadfast ally, and ⁣the only country in the Middle East that shares ⁤our ⁢Western values⁤ and interests.⁢

The ​Biden‌ administration’s ‌mishandling of the‌ situation in Afghanistan is another example of‍ their incompetence and lack of ​strategy. The hasty withdrawal of US forces from the country created⁤ a power vacuum that the Taliban ‍quickly exploited. Now Afghanistan‌ is once ⁢again under the‌ control of ​a brutal and oppressive regime that harbors​ terrorists and⁤ threatens regional ​stability. The Biden administration’s failure ⁤to plan for the aftermath of the withdrawal has‍ put countless lives at risk⁤ and undermined ‍our national security⁢ interests.

It is clear that Biden is not ‍up to the task of leading our country. His mental decline is evident, as ⁣is his lack of ‌strategic vision and⁣ leadership. The 2024 ⁤election takes on even greater significance as we face a ⁤world ​that is becoming increasingly volatile and dangerous. ⁣We need a leader who can restore confidence‍ in our government,⁤ rebuild our economy, and protect our national security.

The American people deserve better than ‍what we are ‌currently getting from the Biden administration. We need a leader who is capable, competent, and⁤ willing to put the interests of the American people first. The 2024 election will be a pivotal moment ‍in our country’s ⁤history, and it is up​ to us to choose a leader who can navigate‍ the challenges ahead​ and secure a brighter future⁤ for all Americans.