By Ray Cardello for June 17, 2021 Season 2 / Post 2

Who on Biden’s team thought it was a good idea for him to meet one-on-one with Vladimir Putin? Who thought that Biden was in a place to hold his own against the seasoned politician and former head of the KGB? Whoever it was either grossly underestimated Putin’s abilities or overestimated Biden’s. Along with Biden himself, that person took a significant step in weakening the United States on the Global Front.

We do not yet know the specifics of the Putin / Biden meeting. What we do have is the post-game recap by both combatants. They have a very different story to tell of their time together. Putin came across as the brave, confident guy in the Black Corner sporting messed hair from moving freely around the ring. Biden came across in his press conference as the guy who just got beat up because he was not ready for prime time.

In addition, Biden should have been in the ring with the Pitbull, Putin, that they had separate press conferences after their meeting was a rookie mistake on Biden’s part. They should have been on a stage, standing next to each other. Each person should have been given the same time limit, and each should have been allowed to talk and take questions on any iteration of the talks.

Putin took to the mic first. He had no prepared list of “approved reporters.” He fielded questions from every person who had a question. He was blunt, direct, and sometimes forceful. When one reporter stepped over the line and asked not one but a follow-up question about the growing list of Putin challengers who have ended up missing or dead, he growled. Then, of course, denying the allegation of him being a hitman, the young lady is now on 24/7 watch. He denied any connection with Russia on the latest Ransomware attacks in the United States even though Biden claims the contrary. Putin even went on to charge the US with cyber espionage. There was no levity in Putin’s demeanor or his answers.

Biden, on the other hand, took to the mic with a chuckle ala Kamala Harris. Maybe both our President and his sidekick are suffering from anxiety and nervous laughter. He spoke to the fact he had a list of approved reporters, and the majority are from placating media outlets to the President. Biden fumbled through most of the questions and often did not answer the specific question asked. Things did get testy when he was leaving the podium. Peter Doucy, from FOX News, who never gets called on by Biden, shouted out a question. Biden snapped back a sharp retort to the original and the follow-up about the relationship between Biden and the leaders of Russia and China. When a reporter shouted out one more question as Biden was exiting the stage, he walked back and challenged her and questioned her intelligence. It seems not so long ago that the Dems were criticizing Trump for being rough on the press. It is okay for Biden to be rude, but he is taking it to a new level. It is not pretty, and the honeymoon must be over.

This meeting with the G7 leaders and with Putin could have gone one of two ways for Biden. He could have come across as the strong leader America and the world needs to see, or he could have failed the test and left America vulnerable. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans see the latter as the outcome for Biden. This lack of strength will cause our adversaries to test us, and the question for us is who will it be and when. Not a comforting feeling for us, and Biden has not a clue what he has done.