By Ray Cardello for July 16, 2022 Season 11 / Post 50

There were low expectations and high apprehension about Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East. Initially part of his recent European swing, but Biden’s handlers knew a ten-day trip was too challenging. The White House told us that this trip was an audible not to tire out the aging Biden.

He first went to Israel, where he unveiled the Presidential Fist Bump. Can anything look less presidential than our President in dark aviator sunglasses fist bumping foreign dignitaries like he is a cool young dude, and it showed? The White House said the fist bump was a COVID action, but since Joe was seen hugging and handshaking off camera, that explanation didn’t work.

The Middle East is a complex region that has been in turmoil for centuries. Some people in this area of the world still live like they did hundreds of years ago. Many Presidents have tried to broker peace agreements between the rival countries, but none faired so well as Donald Trump, and he left the stable Middle East to Joe Biden. Joe quickly dissolved that stability.

The first thing he did was resume the Nuclear Treaty talks with Iran. This will prove to be a huge mistake as they are now on the verge of nuclear missile capability, and their first target will be Israel. In the stroke of a pen, Joe Biden put every citizen in Israel in danger of atomic annihilation.

The next thing he did was to meet with the Palestinians, who also wanted to see Israel obliterated. He opened up the checkbook during this meeting, pledging over $300 million taxpayer dollars. These funds that were all halted by Trump will aid Palestine refugees through the United Nations, aid in infrastructure, and fund a 5G internet network..

None of these funds have been approved by Congress. When asked, Rick Scott (R-FL) asked about the slush fund available to Joe Biden. He questioned how the President could announce $310 million dollars in aid without going to Congress first. Congress controls government spending, not the Executive Branch.

Biden concluded his trip with a stop in Saudi Arabia, the country and regime he called pariah during the campaign. Pulling off the visit was a “herculean effort,” as an official described it, after the Saudis demanded nothing short of personal presidential attention to make amends for Biden having maligned the deeply conservative kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, over the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Though there is no evidence, Biden claims that he broached the subject and death of Khashoggi with the Crown Prince.

The underlying purpose of this trip was for Biden to urge, no, beg, countries in the region to increase their production of crude oil and exports to the United States. These requests were not received well, and Biden was referred to OPEC, where his urgings would die.

So with little results, more unauthorized spending, increased tensions between rivals, and no oil to help our rising energy costs, it appears the President’s trip was a failure. I cannot say I am surprised.