"When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse." – Osama Bin Laden, 2001
It brings me no joy to quote an evil, satanic, mass murderer to raise commentary about America's current role in world affairs, but if you take a moment to reflect where things stand right now under the lack of cohesive vision and leadership from President Accident Joe Biden, you'll see that the parallels to the climate that opened the door to the 9/11 terror attacks are unnerving and uncanny.
Let's be clear... on the world stage, right now, under Joe Biden, America is, regrettably, the weak horse.
Call it "leading from behind," call it "deferring to our NATO allies," call it flat-footed incompetence, whatever you call it, America's voice is either non-existent or even worse, heard but ignored as we face this very real Ukrainian crisis.
Although Joe Biden devoted the lion's share of his State of the Union address to the Eastern European battlefield (one wonders what he would have talked about had Putin not invaded just days before the speech), nothing the "leader of the free world" said in his globally viewed address projected power, leadership or even competence in this time of crisis.
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Other than the typical platitudes that any president could have and would have delivered, there was nothing really memorable coming from America's president at a time when major proclamations and stalwart resolve would have been welcomed.
In fact, the one Ukraine-related "headline" coming out of the sad excuse for a SOTU projected a lemming-like mentality more properly suited to a Canadian address to Parliament rather than America's long-standing role as the tip of the spear for freedom around the globe.
"Tonight, I'm announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American airspace to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia and adding additional squeeze on their economy," the president read while squinting at his teleprompter.
The declaration that we are closing American airspace to all Russian flights will impact only the select few Russians who travel to our country to do business in New York, Washington, or the West Coast. It in no way impacts the travel of Russians who are trekking to other parts of the world, considering we are literally on the other side of the planet than the giant, Eurasian nation.
But even more significant than the insignificance of the policy is the statement announcing it.
"Tonight, I'm announcing that we will join our allies in closing off..."
Joining our allies. In other words, even in this shallow, barely significant measure, American is following. We are joining our allies, not leading them against Russia.
It's so bad that even Canada's feckless Fidel wannabe Justin Trudeau announced the same policy for the Great White North ahead of Biden's speech. We're not just leading from behind... we're leading from behind Canada.
But this feckless and meandering foreign policy in the face of Russian aggression against our ally impacts not just our standing in Europe and the projection of our instability when it comes to defending a friend on the world stage. Sure, Taiwan is probably realizing that they might need to rely on Japan and Korea before they see a US carrier fleet cruising into the Taiwan Straight went the inevitable Beijing offensive is launched.
But the danger is much deeper than that.
Biden is the weak horse. Therefore, our enemies perceive America as the weak horse.
Yes, there is a danger for Ukraine, Taiwan, and other US allies around the world, but there is also a palpable danger for America and her homeland.
The 9/11 attacks occurred after eight years of benign neglect at the hands of the mediocre presidency of Bill Clinton. Slick Willy only saw the use of American might on the world stage as a means to impress interns eager to help relieve the Commander-in-Chief's stress during a missile strike on Afghanistan or, subsequently, as a way of distracting from his sexual scandals by launching a military intervention in the Balkans.
Clinton set the stage for the terrorists to blindside us because we were the weak horse. And we are the weak horse again.
No matter where you stand on Ukraine or Russia or the role of NATO or our obligations (or not) to our allies who were promised our protection when they gave up their nuclear arsenal... one thing is for certain: Joe Biden and his team of "grown-ups" have made America appear indecisive, un-moored and incapable in the face of the greatest international threat since the al Qaeda attacks.
And that weakness makes us vulnerable for the next 9/11 attack that could very well be in the planning stages as we speak.
Say what you will, Trump, Pence, Pompeo, O'Brien, and Grenell exuded more confidence and strength than the gang of Ivy Leaguers hiding under their desks right now.
Oh, what we wouldn't give for a few mean tweets right about now.
