On Saturday, April 13th, as Iran fired over 200 drones and missiles into Israel in the latest cowardly sneak attack on the Jewish state, there was a deafening silence from most of America’s alleged “leaders” in government.
President Joe Biden was said to be “racing” back to the White House after cutting short his plans to relax all weekend at—where else—his beach house in Delaware. (His helicopter Marine One landed at Joint Base Andrews at 4:34 pm; media were kept at a comfortable distance…not close enough to even shout questions about the crisis.) Biden then motorcade to the White House and did not even stop to utter a single comment before he entered the Oval Office at 5:04 pm.
Also conspicuously invisible was Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, possibly in hiding while rethinking his absurd call recently for new elections in Israel to depose Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister. What do you suppose are the chances Schumer’s ill-timed blast at Netanyahu may have emboldened mullahs in the Islamic Republic of Iran to unleash Saturday’s attacks? Asking for a friend…
But even as the Iranian drones were still carrying their deadly explosive payloads screeching through the skies toward Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson was quick to step forward and declare America’s unequivocal support of Israel.
“As Israel faces this vicious attack from Iran,” Johnson stated, “America must show our full resolve to stand with our critical ally. The world must be assured: Israel is not alone.” Johnson promised that he would continue to engage with the White House to insist upon a proper response. Then he defied the typical Washington, D.C. doublespeak and boldly added: “The Biden Administration’s undermining of Israel and appeasement of Iran have contributed to these terrible developments.”
Period. End.
While Biden and Schumer—the twin acolytes of appeasement in the months following the horrific slaughter of Israelis on October 7th by Hamas terrorists—try to placate “progressives” in the Democratic Party by undermining the Netanyahu government’s prosecution of its war to eliminate Hamas, Speaker Johnson has been unwavering in his pro-Israel stance. The very first legislation he passed after taking the gavel as Speaker was $ 14.5 billion in emergency aid to Israel.
In a one-on-one interview he granted me a few days later, Speaker Johnson made clear his moral compass on the Israel/Hamas war: “I thought gee, there’s $67-billion sitting in a fund to hire 87,000 IRS agents to audit middle-class Americans and small businesses. In the hierarchy of need and the urgency of the hour, I thought it was more important to take $ 14 billion of that and put it toward aid to assist Israel.”
That’s leadership.
Mike Johnson has his share of detractors. Virtually everyone “likes” him and describes him as a decent, Christian family man who was the right person to assume the Speakership after Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was kicked to the curb. But Johnson’s razor-thin 1-vote Republican majority in the House has led him to seek compromise and common ground with Democrats across the aisle to pass legislation. This enrages party purists and ultra-conservatives, including Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene who is threatening a vote to remove Johnson as Speaker. His evolving views on FISA reauthorization and aid to Ukraine rub others the wrong way, as well. That’s how Washington works: your friend on military preparedness may oppose you on an education bill…and no Speaker—including John Boehner and Newt Gingrich—had 100% support on every issue.
Johnson is no slouch: he’s hitting the rubber-chicken dinner circuit this campaign season to protect and expand the GOP majority in the House this November. (He raised $ 20 million in campaign cash for his colleagues in 1st Quarter alone.)
He’s also taking his agenda directly to the American people on a new Salem Media Group weekly radio/TV program entitled “THIS WEEK ON THE HILL.” In his first outing this past week, Johnson led co-host Tony Perkins directly back to his strong support of Israel.
Recapping his invitation to Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress, Johnson noted that the event is being blocked by (surprise!) Chuck Schumer. “Right now, Israel is at war. Their very existence is being threatened, and the idea that we would not roll out the red carpet and invite our close friends and allies to come and update the Congress is unconscionable. I don’t know what Chuck Schumer is doing on that…he needs to sign it.” (Some “ally” Schumer is.)
Not unlike Joe Biden, who finally issued a statement—no on-camera appearance—saying that in a phone call with Netanyahu, he told the Prime Minister of his “ironclad commitment to Israel.” Of course, he added a sucker punch by “making it clear that the United States will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran.”
Wow! That “support” sounds more Jello-clad than iron. With friends like Biden and Schumer, who needs Hamas or Hezbollah?
Fortunately for our friends in Israel, two people have clearly demonstrated the commitment—and backbone—to fight for the survival of Israel.
One is Bibi Netanyahu. The other is U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Move over, double-talking weasels. They’ve got this.