Biden Means What He Says – OpEd
“I mean what I say when I say it!” Those words were spoken by president elect Joe Biden in December 2020 during a meeting with a group described as “civil rights leaders.” Video of the meeting was leaked and Biden’s insulting and dismissive attitude towards Black people was clear even to those who ignored this tendency he has shown throughout his 50 years of public life.
Biden did us a favor by revealing himself and by telling us to pay attention when he speaks. That advice should be followed no matter how strange his words may seem. Even in his bad tempered confusion, Biden always reveals what he is doing.
He recently made news for all the wrong reasons during his recent trip to Europe where he attended a combination G7 summit and NATO meeting in Brussels followed by a trip to Poland.
At the NATO meeting he rather nonchalantly informed the people of the world that they will all suffer because of the misguided effort to punish Russia with sanctions. “With regard to food shortages, yes we did talk about food shortages and it’s going to be real. The price of these sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia. It’s imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well. And because both Russia and Ukraine have been the bread basket of Europe in terms of wheat for example.” Ukraine won’t have a good harvest in the near future and Russia won’t be able to sell what it grows. That means rising prices for those scarce wheat products that may still be available. Biden’s casual tone is an indication he thinks people and governments all over the world should accept the oncoming disaster he created without complaint.
Not content to disrupt global food supplies he also announced his future plans for Ukraine. He said this to 82nd Airborne troops stationed in Poland. “And you’re going to see when you’re there. And you — some — some of you have been there. You’re going to see — you’re going to see women, young people standing — standing the middle of — in front of a damn tank, just saying, ‘I’m not leaving. I’m holding my ground.’ They’re incredible.” Why are U.S. troops going to see anything in Ukraine? He tried to clean it up with “you may have already seen it” but he was saying that he intends to have US troops deployed in a country where Russia already has forces. His photo opportunity turned into the announcement of a hot war.
The most remarkable Biden statement that his apologists call a “gaffe ” also took place in Poland. He gave what was supposed to be a conventional speech portraying the U.S. as the beacon of freedom and democracy while Russia is really bad. His remarks should have been fairly standard and unexceptional but as always Biden told us what he was up to. In referring to Vladimir Putin he said, “This man cannot remain in power.”
The clarifications and backpedaling were immediate, but no one could unhear Biden’s words. Despite all denials to the contrary, Biden is after regime change against the Russian government and his actions prove it. The very idea that Russia’s government will fall because of sanctions pressure is ludicrous. But once again, Biden gave a heads up in July 2021 .
“When I was with Mr. Putin, who has a real problem. He’s sitting on top of an economy that has nuclear weapons and oil wells and nothing else. Nothing else. Their economy is, what, the eighth smallest in the world now, largest in the world? He knows he’s in real trouble, which makes him even more dangerous, in my view.”
The trope of Russia being a “gas station masquerading as a country” or some other such insult is untrue and a sign that this country’s foreign policy is run by people who are out of touch with reality. It explains why Biden thought he could instigate a proxy war between Ukraine and the Donbas region which would be used to kill the NordStreamII project and sanction Russia. Biden told us that on January 19, 2022 . “And so, I think what you’re going to see is that Russia will be held accountable if it invades. And it depends on what it does. It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do, etc.” Biden and his team of amateurs actually thought they could create a limited crisis in Ukraine that would not result in a serious response from Russia.
Biden does not have the Bill Clinton or Barack Obama gift of gab. They could finesse their way through war crimes in Serbia or Libya with great eloquence. Only those paying close attention could see the havoc and devastation they brought to the world. Biden is often confused but he is focused when he talks about foreign affairs. His delivery may be reminiscent of a crazy old relative that one wants to ignore, but he is deadly serious. From his own words we can see that he believes the U.S. can do whatever it wants and consequences be damned.
The peril of the Biden presidency is unlike any created by an administration in the past few decades. Of course, each administration builds on the work of its predecessor. It would be a mistake to see Biden as being unique. He is unique only in his frankness and shows his hand with every utterance.
He does mean what he says when he says it but what he says must be confronted. If this country were the great democracy that it claims, any president would be afraid to do what Biden has done. Money that covered the uninsured for covid tests is now gone, while Ukraine and the military industrial complex are flush with cash. The saddest thing of all is that the people go along without so much as a peep in protest. Unless that changes Joe Biden’s words will become a terrible reality.
