Biden fiddled while America burned

BRYCE ON POLITICS

- This is getting embarrassing.

Two more significant snafus emerged from the Biden administration last week: begging to OPEC for gasoline, and the fall of Afghanistan. Both events have shaken the credibility of the administration in the eyes of not just the Republicans, but of the Democrats as well. It is like when the country heard the legendary call from Apollo 13, "Houston, we've had a problem here." Americans saw it the same way this past week, which has shaken our confidence in the president and the country overall.

First came President Biden's call to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to increase production in order to offset spiraling inflation in the United States. OPEC refused as they saw no reason to increase more oil than what they currently produce.

In response to the president's call, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, along with notable oil producers from his state, claimed Texas was ready and able to increase production provided the Biden administration "just stay out of the way," meaning lifting the operating burdens imposed by the president.

Keep in mind, these regulations were implemented as an attempt to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and polluting our environment. This means the Biden administration believes the Middle East can do a more responsible job in this regard. Huh? Their policy also means he would rather take jobs away from Americans and transfer them to the OPEC countries. I guess the Biden administration wants the energy resources, but doesn't want to get their hands dirty.

Over the last few years, we finally achieved energy independence and was actually selling gas and oil to other countries, but this all came to a screeching halt this year. By being independent, it was no longer necessary to become immersed in Middle Eastern entanglements as policemen, thereby saving American lives. By forcing Mid-East states to cooperate as opposed to depending on the United States also encourages peace treaties, such as those between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and the Sudan. Imagine; peace in the Middle East. Who-da-thunk-it.

Next we come to the fall of Afghanistan, which seemed to crumble at warp speed before our eyes, making the fall of Viet Nam look like an orderly fire drill. I have veteran friends who feel disgraced by how the president handled the collapse. The scenes of people trying to flee the Kabul capital at the airport was reminiscent of the opening scene from the movie "Lost Horizon."

By abandoning Afghanistan, the president has created a Jihadist state. The Taliban released ISIS and Taliban fighters from Afghan jails who will naturally join their army. More than this, Afghanistan is now the go-to place for frustrated Middle East terrorists to re-group and start again.

Because there wasn't an exit strategy, the Taliban seized American munitions and equipment, such as a fleet of Blackhawk helicopters. They may not have anyone to fly them yet, but they can sell them to the highest bidder, such as China who would like to study their strengths and weaknesses.

The atrocities being performed by the Taliban, particularly to women and children, is offensive to everyone. Knowing this would likely happen, why wasn't there a plan to shelter the helpless?

In hindsight, I believe nation building is wrong for third world countries like Afghanistan. These are primitive people who have lived under autocratic rule for thousands of years. They simply couldn't handle the concept of living as a republic. No wonder the Afghan leaders fled the country.

Most likely, we will have to fight the Taliban again sometime down the road.

My veteran friends claim the fear now is that America is viewed as impotent militarily and politically. We no longer have the wherewithal to get things done. Further, such actions will encourage the Chinese to try something, such as taking over Taiwan.

The fact President Biden was resting in Camp David, while Afghanistan was savaged, did not sit well with the American people. Afterwards, when he finally spoke up, he claimed nothing was wrong and the chaos was to be expected. Even the News Media didn't buy this one.

Between illegal immigration, oil production, and Afghanistan, we look rather silly right now. As for President Biden, his credibility is shot, along with his ability to lead. Nobody in the international community will take him seriously, including Americans, there was simply too many missed queues along the way.

As my veteran friends say, these are dark days.

Keep the Faith!

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Copyright © 2021 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.