OPINION:
“I’m going to get in trouble with mom and dad if I don’t do this the right way … ” This could be a normal comment by a 10-year-old who is being allowed to handle the microwave for the first time. But now replace the words “mom and dad” with “the staff” and what you have is a verbatim statement from President Biden speaking to a gaggle of international media at the G-7 summit.
Mr. Biden’s overseas trip joining the G-7 summit has been nothing less than a catastrophe, peppered throughout with reminders to the world that the American president is not just following the instructions and orders of a faceless “staff,” but there might be a good reason for this to be the case.
For the times when media was allowed to be present at a G-7 interaction, Mr. Biden exhibited cognitive deficiencies that are not just an embarrassment but must be considered a national security risk for no other reason than the comfort and inspiration it must give our enemies.
The meeting, hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Cornwall, England issued several alarms about Mr. Biden’s condition. In an episode garnering international attention, during a statement to the media a perplexed Mr. Biden confused Libya with Syria no less than three times in a 90-second period. A spokesman later confirmed the president meant Syria when he mentioned Libya repeatedly. This confusion was not the only concern. Throughout, his delivery and demeanor were often confused, slow and seemingly dazed.
For those who might have thought Mr. Biden’s puzzlement during those Syria-Libya remarks were a one-off to be dismissed as fatigue suffered by an elderly man during a long trip, more disturbing behavior was observed during a round-table discussion led by Mr. Johnson.
As Mr. Johnson was concluding the introductions, Mr. Biden interrupted, aggressively pointing to President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, who was sitting directly across from Mr. Biden and said with a firm tone as though he was ordering Mr. Johnson, that he introduce “the president of South Africa.” Mr. Biden then clenched his fists and pumped them as though he had done the South African leader a favor.
Then, no doubt to the delight of everyone who prefers to see the United States of America embarrassed and weak, Mr. Johnson had to interrupt Mr. Biden to tell him he had already introduced the South African. Then everyone around that table, the leaders of the G-7 representing the core of our allies, laughed. They were not laughing with Mr. Biden, they were laughing at him, and ultimately at us.
Two possibilities exist to explain this: Either Mr. Biden did not know Mr. Ramaphosa’s name (whom Mr. Johnson clearly introduced just seconds earlier), and the only Black participant at the table, or he genuinely had no clue what had just transpired despite sitting next to Mr. Johnson.
Like having a toddler escape from the children’s table in another room and sneaking onto the adult table, Mr. Johnson then twice had to shush Mr. Biden with a hand gesture to keep him from continuing to interrupt. Is there any other president in American history whom any other leader would have been comfortable shushing? Or who would have allowed it? Donald Trump? Barack Obama? Either Bush? Bill Clinton? Either Roosevelt? One thinks not.
At one point during the summit, Mr. Biden was seen at a casual dining area in a suit paired with white sneakers, alone, wandering aimlessly giving the impression he was lost. A reporter then shouted a question at him at which point Mrs. Biden ran up onto the dining platform from an offside location, grabbing him by the hand saying, “Come on!”
The tendency of some may be to see these episodes as “I told you so” moments, or to use them as convenient and appropriate political arguments about the serious problems coming from the Biden administration. But the most serious issues, separate from the American people’s embarrassment, are the national security implications.
Events like the public G-7 conference, are in large part a public relations theater demonstrating to the world the unity of these global allies and the power and leadership of the United States of America in particular.
Meanwhile, there are tyrants and monsters around the world watching as well. Russia, China, al Qaeda, North Korea and Iran, no doubt, are enjoying themselves immensely realizing American leadership is not in any way prepared to deal with a serious Black Swan event challenging the global feckless “order.”
The Macrons, Merkels and Johnsons of the world may want to check their glee, and consider if the American president doesn’t know what’s happening from one moment to the next, what happens when China decides now is the time to invade Taiwan? Or if Russia decides, with a bewildered American president being pushed around by flustered bureaucrats, this would be the perfect time to invade Ukraine? Or if the North Korea lunatics decide there is no time like the present to teach Japan a lesson?
We’ve already seen what Mr. Biden’s presence on the scene has encouraged Iran to pursue. Its death squad Hamas already attacked Israel with thousands of missiles, as they, too, were looking forward to a “return to normal.”
What we must hope for at this point is any damage being done can be somehow contained, while we pressure good people on both sides of the aisle to admit and recognize the national security implications of the Penny Dreadful theater troupe currently running the country.
• Tammy Bruce, president of Independent Women’s Voice, author and Fox News contributor, is a radio talk-show host.
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