WHO REALLY CONTROLS THE WHITE HOUSE?

Biden's first term, or Obama's third?

 

By  Damian Pachter 

 

Israel Hayom

October 27, 2021

 

 

It's an uncomfortable thing to discuss. The establishment is ignoring it, preferring instead to continue pandering to the US president on every possible issue. But something bad is happening in the White House, and Biden's ability to lead the strongest power in the world is in question. It's starting to trickle down and is nearing the point of no return, while America's enemies are plotting against a figure projecting weakness.  

A new trend has swept across America in recent weeks, with impassioned chants of "f**k Joe Biden" erupting at football and baseball stadiums. The phenomenon is far from being an isolated one and reflects the mood in recent months among large portions of the American public – exhausted from a deadly, never-ending pandemic still in search of a leader. Biden's advisers are trying to keep him as far from the spotlight as possible, as evidenced by the small number of speeches he delivers. Biden and his people would rather his speeches be pre-recorded – without annoying, prying questions from journalists.

If he does have to answer questions, friendly journalists are called on. Their names appear on prepared lists in briefing rooms. This has nothing to do with efforts to differentiate himself from the abrasive style of his predecessor Donald Trump. That's an excuse. The real reason is that in most of his public appearances, Biden looks confused, particularly when it comes to numbers, and he tends to share incorrect statistics and jumps from subject to subject without any logical connection. The man simply looks lost, and many have called his mental state into question.

He declared in August that "350 million Americans have been vaccinated," even though the entire US population totals 331 million. "We can work with Russia, for example in Libya," he said several times before meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, when he actually meant Syria. "I want to thank that fella Down Under," the US president said last September in reference to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Biden simply forgot his name.

Biden's lack of lucidity raises a series of tough questions. Who really controls the White House? Does Biden impose his will on his people, or do his advisers take liberties? And yes, in light of the string of failures clearly indicative of severe faults in the chain of command – how should sensitive matters of national security be handled?

When examining the administration's foreign policy, things only get worse. One such example was the chaotic and deadly withdrawal – or flight – from Afghanistan, amid the very strange cooperation with the Taliban in the process. The same can be said of the administration's ambiguous policy toward Iran: There is a dual strategy in place that doesn't work against the new government in Tehran. On one hand, the White House is stressing that "all options are on the table," but on the other, Washington is eager to return to negotiations.

But what does "all options on the table" mean exactly? Would the administration that left Afghanistan – in the way that it did – possibly use military force against the ayatollah regime in Iran? Moreover, does it have the legitimacy to do so as it disengages from the Middle East? "All the options" equate to "nothing," and the aggressive rhetoric has made little impression on a regime that regularly hangs its opponents from cranes in public squares.

The Biden administration is consistent in one area, however: pressuring Jerusalem and strengthening the Palestinian Authority, which is ruled by a tyrant with even less public support than the ayatollah regime. This two-headed tactic does not work, and if they want it to, they will have to issue a clear ultimatum.

More than Biden's first term, this looks like Obama's third term in Washington.