OPINION:
Once upon a time, there was an ironclad adage in America: “Politics stop at the water’s edge.”
Its meaning is simple: We can disagree at home all we like, but when the president of the United States — America’s president — goes overseas, we are all Americans. All of us. Whether you voted for the current president or not, Americans are bound together by the simple undeniable bond that we are all, in the end, just that: Americans.
But for Democrats, they don’t care one bit that America’s president is being bashed overseas, U.S. policy ridiculed. They hate America’s president so much that they sit idly by — and mute to boot — as Londoners violently protest and throw detestable names at America’s president (whom I’m not going to name in this column precisely because his specific name should not matter).
America’s president flew to Britain on Sunday for an official state visit that included a lavish banquet with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. He was also there as the top U.S. official to celebrate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, when America and its allies thrust a dagger into the heart of Nazism and saved the world.
Back at home, House Democrats were busy preparing to move forward with a censure against America’s president as an alternative to impeaching him. Rep. Ro Khanna, California Democrat, said it would be “a permanent mark on the president’s record.”
While Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, when the Chinese military slaughtered hundreds and perhaps thousands of young students, Yahoo! News went with this headline, “[America’s president] accused of breaking royal protocol by touching the queen’s back.”
CNN’s top story: “Here’s what the anti-[America’s president] protests look like.” The second top story: “Nancy Pelosi is winning the impeachment fight.”
Meanwhile in Britain, America’s president was being harangued.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan called America’s president a “fascist,” deemed him a “growing global threat,” and said Britain — America’s greatest ally — should not roll out the red carpet for America’s president. Forget for a moment that it’s … what’s his name, the London mayor was saying all this about the president of the United States.
Mr. Khan said America’s president is “the antithesis of our values in London and as a country,” and claimed that the president’s “divisive behavior flies in the face of the ideals America was founded upon — equality, liberty and religious freedom.”
Other U.K. politicians have denounced the state visit. Some refused to attend the palace banquet with America’s president, others sought to ban him from speaking to Parliament.
Through all this, no Democrat — not one — defended America’s president from the savage attacks against him. No Democrat is unhappy that some miserable mayor is slamming America’s president? Not one of them would step forward and say, simply, “Hey, we can say that, but you can’t, so shut it”?
This has all happened before. When America’s president met in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018, a former Obama official deemed it “treason.” A CNN “analyst” called for a “shadow government” to take him out. An MSNBC contributor said the performance of America’s president will “live in infamy” as much as Pearl Harbor or Kristallnacht. Former FBI Director James B. Comey said, “Patriots need to stand up and reject the behavior of this president.”
Hillary Clinton went even further. “Question for [America’s president] as he meets Putin: Do you know which team you play for?” the two-time presidential loser wrote on Twitter.
(A quick aside: I didn’t vote for Barack Obama, but he was MY president. I disagreed with almost every one of his policies, but when he went overseas, nobody better slam him or his policy. I’m an American and he was the American president, So I’ve got his back. I also don’t agree with everything America’s current president does, but when he’s abroad, he’s MY president.)
America’s president on Wednesday will celebrate Britain’s steely nerve on D-Day. On June 6, America’s president will represent all Americans in France for more ceremonies to commemorate the momentous day.
But Democrats couldn’t care less. They’ll continue to bash America’s president, even as he is overseas representing us. Not Republicans … all of us.
They oughta be ashamed.
• Joseph Curl covered the White House and politics for a decade for The Washington Times. He can be reached at josephcurl@gmail.com and on Twitter @josephcurl.
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