OPINION:
The past four weeks have been unlike any other in American history. Still, amidst the unprecedented events we’ve experienced as a country, serious national security concerns underscore the urgent need for President Biden to resign.
President Biden’s clear and evident weakness is one that our adversaries like China, Russia, Iran and the drug cartels will seek to manipulate and exploit — even more so now that he has publicly admitted he is not physically capable of campaigning for another term as President. Simply put, if he cannot handle the rigors of the campaign trail, we cannot trust him to lead our nation in a crisis. And you can bet that is an opening our foreign enemies will seek to exploit in the months ahead.
It goes deeper than Mr. Biden’s frail debate performance, subsequent blunders and decision to give up the ghost of his presidential campaign. America’s enemies are already pushing the envelope on a president who can only be on the job between 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
The interception of Chinese bombers off the coast of Alaska, Russian nuclear submarines in Havana and the ever-increasing flow of illicit drugs across our southern border illustrate Mr. Biden’s inability to safeguard our national security. Our adversaries smell blood in the water. It is clear: Mr. Biden lacks the mental capacity to serve as president of the United States for the next five months, and our national security cannot afford a part-time president whose decline and denial are getting worse every day.
The political landscape is fraught with tension and urgency, and Mr. Biden’s inability to lead effectively exacerbates this instability. Contrary to the spin from Mr. Biden’s supporters, he did not voluntarily decide “not to run again.” He was, for all intents and purposes, driven out of the presidential race under intense pressure from Democratic party bosses far beyond the primary season and just a month before the Democrats’ National Convention in Chicago.
His exit was not a magnanimous act of patriotism but a result of cratering donations and polling that consistently showed him trailing President Trump in key battleground states, including in my home state of Michigan. For instance, the Detroit Free Press published a poll on July 21 showing Mr. Biden losing to President Trump by a whopping seven percentage points – less than 12 hours later, Mr. Biden announced he was ending his reelection campaign.
Prominent Democrats, like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, recognized Mr. Biden’s lack of a viable path to victory in November and pressured him to step down, albeit reluctantly. To that end, I was incredibly dismayed that Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer never publicly called for Mr. Biden to end his campaign and resign immediately; however, it’s not shocking given that she is playing her own presidential parlor games.
The mainstream media may attempt to cast Mr. Biden’s exit from the race as a noble gesture, but the truth is far less flattering. If Mr. Biden plans to remain president, he must explain why he is unfit to run for reelection yet fit to lead the nation for the next six months. The demands of the campaign trail are grueling, but the responsibilities of being the leader of the free world are far more daunting. Our military service members and their families across the globe deserve an attentive commander-in-chief, not one who struggles to maintain coherence behind a teleprompter.
If Mr. Biden is unfit to campaign, he is equally unfit to serve. His June 27 debate performance was not an isolated incident but a manifestation of a deeper issue. The recent incident involving Russian and Chinese bombers near Alaska is a stark reminder of the national security threats we face. Mr. Biden’s continued tenure jeopardizes our ability to respond effectively to such threats. The interception of these bombers underscores the need for a capable and decisive leader at the helm – our military and national security apparatus must operate with confidence in their commander-in-chief.
While Russia and China are clearly emboldened abroad, we see Mr. Biden’s ever-weakening presidency also failing in the Middle East as conflicts worsen that threaten to lead to a full-on regional war that would drive up oil prices and endanger millions of additional lives. Hamas still refuses to release innocent Israelis held hostage for nearly a year, and Iran is planning yet another attack on Israel. Terrorist organizations and their sponsors are taking advantage of weak U.S. leadership.
Make no mistake, if Mr. Biden insists on staying in office, he will face relentless ridicule and undermine the security of our nation. Democrats claim “democracy is at risk” in this election, which rings hollow, especially as they move to nominate a candidate who never was voted for in the primary. Our national security is at stake, and Kamala Harris, as Vice President, is complicit in the dangerous situation we are in as a country. For the sake of our national security,
Joe Biden must resign — Democrats, starting with Kamala Harris, should echo this call if they truly have our national interest at heart.
- Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland) represents the 95th District in Michigan’s House of Representatives. He previously served as a civilian intelligence officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency, working in Washington D.C., Mexico and the Middle East.
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