Jonathan S. Tobin
JNS, July 1, 2024
“Obama’s ideas and policies are more or less identical to those of the current administration.”
For some observers worried about the widespread perception of American weakness abroad, President Joe Biden’s shocking performance in last week’s debate with former President Donald Trump provided an easy explanation for the country’s problems. The disasters on his watch—from the disgraceful rout of the Afghanistan withdrawal to the war in Ukraine and the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel facilitated by American appeasement of Iran—have left American foreign policy in ruins and a world in chaos. Thus, the evidence of Biden’s diminished capacity on display during the 90-minute verbal wrangle can be seen as a reason why the nation’s enemies have been emboldened during the last three-and-a-half years.
But even if Biden is a liability, to the United States as well as the Democratic Party, the problem goes deeper than the president’s apparent decline.
No matter how sharp the current commander-in-chief may be, the crises abroad are as much a function of flawed policies that the Biden foreign-policy team has been pursuing as the president’s lack of acuity. A weak leader is a standing invitation for provocations they believe will not generate a robust response. But if the aim of American policy is diplomacy for its own sake and a desire to appease the most dangerous foes, then even a great leader might not avert disaster.
A 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. president?
As for Biden’s problems, an explanation for what might be described as the most disastrous public appearance for a president, let alone at a presidential debate, the attempts to spin the fiasco from inside the White House raised more questions than it answered. … [To read the full article, click here]