By Ray Cardello for July 3, 2021 Season 2 / Post 19

Joe Biden stood before a gaggle of reporters today and embarrassed himself for all to see. One of the reporters dared to ask about the safety of our troops leaving Afghanistan. He lashed out at the reporter and said he would not answer any questions today on the subject of Afghanistan because it is the 4th of July weekend. What the hell does that mean? He was asked a substantive question and deflected it and said he would only answer questions about topics on his holiday list. Again, what the hell does that mean?

The list he waved at the group of reporters had these subjects:

1. Covid deaths down
2. Economy growing faster than at any time in 40 years
3. Unemployment is down
4. People are going to ballgames this weekend
5. Wages are up quicker than any time in 15 years
6. Bringing the troops home (but he won’t talk about it)

“I’ll answer all your negative, I mean legitimate questions next week. But right now, I want to celebrate the holiday.” C’mon man. You cannot be serious. Our troops are reportedly in danger coming out of Afghanistan. You are asked a question about their safety, and you refuse to answer. Unacceptable.

It appears like he was dodging the questions because he was ill-prepared to give an appropriate response. Did his staff mess up by not anticipating the question and giving the President the approved talking point? Did he not have the answer on his cheat sheet? None of these questions matter. The President has to be able to field a fundamental question about troop safety. This President could not. That failure is a problem.

We are in the seventh month of a forty-eight-month marathon. The riders crashing in the Tour de France are faring better than the fumbling President Biden. We have had some bad Presidents and some embarrassing executives in my lifetime. Carter and Clinton come to mind. You can apply the appropriate adjective to each. But what we have with Biden is virgin territory. We had a President who managed the country very well from a wheelchair, but we now have a President whose wheels have come off.

Since taking office on January 20, Biden has been at his best when he is not in front of a microphone. His performances have been weak, dull, bungled, incoherent, or his latest tactic whispered. None of these instill confidence in the man who should present himself for what he is, the most powerful man on earth. Nobody will ever accuse Joe Biden of filling that role. That ship left years ago for Biden, and he is no longer capable of creating that mystique. Maybe he never was.

We are at the start of our 4th of July weekend. It does not feel like a celebration. Somehow it feels empty this year. We are at a crossroads with more questions than answers. One party is trying to keep the ship afloat, while the other wants to chart a different course. We should be unified in our love of this country, how we rallied to defeat a Pandemic, and recognize the unlimited opportunities this great country has for each of us. Instead, we may be more divided than ever, and those on the Left will be happy if that chasm widens and deepens. That is not who we are. Let’s look deep within us and find that common ground, that singular purpose our forefathers envisioned for us. Let’s make America Great Again, that shining beacon on the hill. Reagan brought us together after the Carter years. Let’s find the Reagan of today who can repeat the miracle. 

God Bless our Troops, God Bless America, and Godspeed to every one of us.