Split-screen projections reinforced the perception that Republicans were unable or unwilling to govern. Too many Republicans in the House operate in a bubble made up of false claims about the 2020 election and a hodgepodge of other topical conspiracy theories — a worldview echoed by Fox News. ‘s diet and former President Donald Trump’s insane and sometimes dangerous statements. Their legislative goals, as far as their priorities go, are largely unrealistic in a Congress as narrowly divided as this one.
Biden cannot afford to deal with the kind of world he has created. He is the leader of the free world and events intervene, as they have for the past two weeks. It is questionable whether his handling of the Israel-Gaza war has changed perceptions of a president with low approval ratings. But it provided a case study on the value of experience, expertise and preparation when the unexpected happens.
The Republican Party is currently unable to unite around the person who will become Speaker of the House of Representatives, so it has effectively shut down the legislative branch of the government for two weeks. After firing former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), they nominated Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) to be speaker, but he was later appointed without a floor vote. He allowed himself to weaken to the point that he withdrew his nomination.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) raised his hand, but suffered three defeats on the House floor, each time falling further short of the required number of votes. House Republicans then notified Jordan on Friday that his weekend hours were over and Congress was paralyzed. Chaos hardly describes the scene at the Capitol. They are not only undermining themselves as a political party, they are undermining confidence in the United States as a stable democracy.
With the Republican Party still mired in infighting, Biden sought to offer something different. His week was unlike most presidents experience. His days included impromptu trips to the war zone that is today Israel, advances and setbacks in efforts to bring humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. While in Tel Aviv, he fully supported Israel’s right to defend itself and spoke openly publicly and privately about the difficult choices Israel must make militarily.
On Thursday night, he finally gave a speech in the Oval Office, in which the president called for $61 billion in additional aid to Ukraine and $14 billion in aid to Israel, and how the United States should lead in the face of these challenges. He reiterated his belief that this must be done. “America’s leadership is what holds the world together,” he said. “Our alliance with the United States is what keeps us safe as Americans. American values are what make us a partner that other countries want to work with.” The decision to approve or not is left to the House of Representatives, which does not yet have a speaker.
Biden has faced considerable criticism during his nearly three years in office. His detractors say he is old, weak, unmotivated, and worse. His chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 left a permanent scar on his foreign policy record. Some blame him for the Hamas attack, saying he was not tough enough on Iran. He must fight for re-election next year in a likely rematch of the 2020 election against Trump.
Some presidents have found themselves unprepared when international crises erupt. Woodrow Wilson wanted to be a president focused on domestic policy, but then World War I broke out. George W. Bush was an inexperienced leader when terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.
Those who know Biden closely say his response to both Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’ horrific killings and hostage crisis in Israel reflects a lifetime of diplomatic experience and long-held views about the United States’ role in the world. He says he is. They point out that this conflict represents a world familiar to him. He has long valued Europe and America’s traditional alliances there, and has spent decades working with Israel and the Middle East.
“They are part of the infrastructure of world politics that has been around for a lifetime,” said Ivo Daalder, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and current president of the Chicago Council on International Affairs. “He has a framework that allows him to successfully execute the arguments he needs to make.”
Mr. Biden, who entered the Senate in 1973, served as a senator for many years, and eventually served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before becoming vice president in 2009, has experienced various events and spent decades working abroad. He has met and gotten to know the leaders of the United States and formed strong views about the United States. Geopolitical role. As he reiterated Thursday night, he believes this is a particularly critical turning point and a time to once again ask the United States to step up.
Public support for Israel is strong in this country, perhaps stronger than it has been in recent years as a result of the Hamas genocide. Although support for continued aid to Ukraine has declined among Republicans, most Republican leaders in Congress still support the course pursued by Mr. Biden. Combining aid to both countries into the same package increases the chances that Ukraine will get what administration officials think it needs.
On Ukraine and now Israel, Biden has won praise from abroad as well as from much of the domestic foreign policy community. As for Ukraine, she took the unusual step of sharing U.S. intelligence to warn European allies and Ukrainian leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin was preparing to go to war with his neighbor. Lectured. When that happened, Biden was able to rally a coalition to provide weapons and other aid that would allow the Ukrainians to continue their war effort.
When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Biden responded by offering full US support to defend Israel, calling Hamas “pure, unadulterated evil” and announcing his commitment to visit Israel. Indicated. In doing so, he was able to provide candid advice to Israelis and warn leaders to carefully consider the military measures they were preparing.
“Yesterday when I was in Israel, I said that when America went through the hell of 9/11, we felt anger as well. We sought justice and we got justice,” Biden said Thursday. I also made a mistake, so I warned the Israeli government not to be blinded by anger.”
It is an open question whether Biden’s predecessors could have acted so quickly and decisively. Still, difficult days lie ahead for Biden. The Ukrainian side has not been able to achieve the counterattack breakthrough that U.S. officials had hoped for. If Congress approves $61 billion in new aid, Ukraine will have the resources it needs to survive the fighting in 2024.
Despite Russia’s huge losses, President Putin may be looking ahead, hoping that the 2024 election will lead to a Trump presidency and the US withdrawal from Ukraine. Maintaining full support from European countries will require continued efforts by U.S. officials.
There are many more dangers in the Middle East. Biden is not in charge there. Events will control him, and Israeli and Hamas decisions will shape those events. A full-scale ground war by Israel aimed at annihilating Hamas risks mass civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and could undermine the international support Israel currently enjoys.
The biggest fear is that the war between Israel and Hamas turns into a regional conflict, with Hezbollah attacking from Lebanon with support from Iran, and Israel overreaching in response, sparking an all-out conflict. Some analysts believe these risks are much greater today than they were a week ago.
This is Biden’s world, and will likely continue until next year’s election. He set his direction and made his priorities clear. After two weeks of trying, House Republicans, beholden to President Trump, have been unable to even elect a speaker, let alone agree on a viable strategy at home or abroad. The contrast speaks volumes about the current state of American politics.
