I sat in on a virtual forum yesterday. The discussion point was Yemen and the increasing aggressiveness of the Houthis (backed by Iran of course). The consensus from the "expert" presenter was that what we're seeing in Yemen is a direct result of the U.S.'s soft-approach to foreign policy. He stated that in his opinion (and he had the regional credentials to be considered at least very knowledgeable)...the U.S. looks weak to both our allies and adversaries in the Middle East. They routinely take advantage of the current administration's unwillingness to respond to aggression with force. They realize they can continue to slow-roll their tactical and strategic plans up to the U.S.'s "red line" and then back off long enough to regroup and attack again. I'm sure others would have a different opinion but it seems clear that these groups do not worry about a U.S. response enough to cease and desist their efforts. Whatever we're doing may not be enough to tamp down current attacks. CNN (which leans pretty far left) had an article entitled: "Foreign diplomats react with horror to Biden's dismal debate performance."
“It is a sad reality that Biden is old, and he is getting older. We saw it. I had difficulties understanding what he was saying, and I understand English pretty well,” said a second European diplomat.
“Trump ate him alive,” said an Arab diplomat.
“I was shell-shocked. I could not believe my eyes,” an Asian diplomat said of Biden’s performance.
As to the age issue.... of course the media is spinning this at warp speeds. However, I watched the White House press conference today and KJP did her best to put a positive face on all this. Her body language and non-verbal's painted a different picture to me. And it was clear the media reps in the room were either not happy with her answers or not buying them...or both. I get the age of the two contenders is not that far apart.... but their appearances in public settings (movements, facial expressions, situational awareness) are vastly different. Having a parent who developed dementia and later, passed away from Alzheimer's, the mannerisms, expressions and even the verbal delivery of Pres. Biden show tell-tale signs of a person potentially entering that condition regardless of KJP's answer to that direct question when it was posed to her today. Of course she's going to say no. It's very sad to go through that condition with a parent up-close as they can no longer drive, remember people, situations, etc. It's also very sad to see the current leader of our country in his condition and no one wanting to recognize it, admit it and more importantly, do something about it for fear of losing power. For his own quality of life, he should step down and let the political situation run its course. If, as the Administration is saying, his Vice President is competent and ready to step in should she have to do so (the #1 job of a VP and the reason they're picked)... let's see that play out. Let's put her 59 years up against the other candidate's age argument and let the voters decide. Neither current candidate is a great choice and it's just unbelievable that this is the best we can do.
Thanks
I sat in on a virtual forum yesterday. The discussion point was Yemen and the increasing aggressiveness of the Houthis (backed by Iran of course). The consensus from the "expert" presenter was that what we're seeing in Yemen is a direct result of the U.S.'s soft-approach to foreign policy. He stated that in his opinion (and he had the regional credentials to be considered at least very knowledgeable)...the U.S. looks weak to both our allies and adversaries in the Middle East. They routinely take advantage of the current administration's unwillingness to respond to aggression with force. They realize they can continue to slow-roll their tactical and strategic plans up to the U.S.'s "red line" and then back off long enough to regroup and attack again. I'm sure others would have a different opinion but it seems clear that these groups do not worry about a U.S. response enough to cease and desist their efforts. Whatever we're doing may not be enough to tamp down current attacks. CNN (which leans pretty far left) had an article entitled: "Foreign diplomats react with horror to Biden's dismal debate performance."
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/28/politics/foreign-diplomats-biden-debate-reaction/index.html
Some of the quotes:
“It is a sad reality that Biden is old, and he is getting older. We saw it. I had difficulties understanding what he was saying, and I understand English pretty well,” said a second European diplomat.
“Trump ate him alive,” said an Arab diplomat.
“I was shell-shocked. I could not believe my eyes,” an Asian diplomat said of Biden’s performance.
As to the age issue.... of course the media is spinning this at warp speeds. However, I watched the White House press conference today and KJP did her best to put a positive face on all this. Her body language and non-verbal's painted a different picture to me. And it was clear the media reps in the room were either not happy with her answers or not buying them...or both. I get the age of the two contenders is not that far apart.... but their appearances in public settings (movements, facial expressions, situational awareness) are vastly different. Having a parent who developed dementia and later, passed away from Alzheimer's, the mannerisms, expressions and even the verbal delivery of Pres. Biden show tell-tale signs of a person potentially entering that condition regardless of KJP's answer to that direct question when it was posed to her today. Of course she's going to say no. It's very sad to go through that condition with a parent up-close as they can no longer drive, remember people, situations, etc. It's also very sad to see the current leader of our country in his condition and no one wanting to recognize it, admit it and more importantly, do something about it for fear of losing power. For his own quality of life, he should step down and let the political situation run its course. If, as the Administration is saying, his Vice President is competent and ready to step in should she have to do so (the #1 job of a VP and the reason they're picked)... let's see that play out. Let's put her 59 years up against the other candidate's age argument and let the voters decide. Neither current candidate is a great choice and it's just unbelievable that this is the best we can do.