OPINION:
Two recent stories were so crazy that they made me step back and examine how our enemies around the world must see us in the age of President Biden.
First, a story by Reuters and others reported that most of the aid being sent to the Gaza Strip through the American-funded pier was, in fact, being stolen. The experts I checked with unanimously agreed it was likely being stolen by Hamas.
America’s lack of competence and seriousness is once again illustrated by the Biden administration, which is now spending taxpayers’ money subsidizing the resurrection of Hamas. We already knew that 10% or more of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency staff in Gaza supported Hamas — including some who helped with the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. It was almost certain that food and supplies would go to Hamas rather than the people of Gaza — or go to the people of Gaza as gifts from Hamas. So, the current scenario seems designed to strengthen Hamas rather than help civilians.
Second, Secretary of State Antony Blinken — who was once described by Sen. John McCain as “dangerous to America and to the young men and women who are fighting and serving our country” — proved his utter lack of seriousness by going to Kyiv and playing at a nightclub. The Biden administration can’t get its bureaucracy to deliver weapons fast enough, but it can at least get its secretary of state to sing in a bar in the Ukrainian capital.
Mr. Blinken’s musical interlude reminded me of President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of State Madeleine Albright dancing for Kim Jong Il in North Korea in 2000. Albright did not stop the North Korean march to nuclear weapons, and I suspect Mr. Blinken’s musical interlude did not frighten Vladimir Putin.
As I thought about these two events’ strange lack of realism, I began to rethink the entire Obama-Biden approach to the world.
It is important to remember that Mr. Biden’s disasters are simply a continuation of the anti-American, pro-radical regime policies of President Barack Obama.
Mr. Obama launched his administration with a speech in Cairo in which he apologized for America. Mr. Obama mocked Mitt Romney for suggesting that Mr. Putin and Russia were dangerous in the 2012 presidential debates. Mr. Obama did nothing when Mr. Putin invaded Crimea. Mr. Obama did nothing when the Syrians crossed his “red line” against chemical weapons. Mr. Obama wanted to be liked by the Europeans and let them shirk their NATO military obligations. The Obama administration failed to protect its own ambassador in Libya — and then lied about it.
Again and again, the pro-globalism, appeasement-biased, anti-American attitudes were spawned by the Obama administration, with then-Vice President Biden and then-adviser Blinken deeply involved. After all, it was during the Obama administration that Mr. Biden threatened to withhold billions in aid unless the Ukrainians fired the prosecutor investigating the company that had hired his son Hunter.
Mr. Biden has applied the lessons of appeasement and weakness even more aggressively than Mr. Obama.
Mr. Biden’s administration pulled out of Afghanistan with inadequate preparation and ended up leaving more than $7 billion in weapons for the Taliban. Mr. Biden built on the Obama record of giving cash to the Iranians. He released tens of billions of dollars in subsidies and impounded money as the Iranians were using their proxies to try to kill Americans.
Watching all of this, I am reminded of the Peter Sellers movie “The Mouse That Roared.” In the film, a tiny country decides to invade America so it can be defeated and then have America rebuild it and take care of its citizens. After all, that is what America always does.
Unfortunately, the Iranians, the Taliban, Hamas, Mr. Putin and the rest are not trying to lose.
With this record, our enemies must be laughing at America and thinking they can get away with almost anything.
It is a sobering thought.
• For more commentary from Newt Gingrich, visit Gingrich360.com. And subscribe to the “Newt’s World” podcast.
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