John Kirby joined the White House briefing on Thursday to play clean-up man for a series of recent Joe Biden blunders. 

As RedState reported, the president made two claims during a fundraiser on Wednesday evening, including what appeared to be a call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. He used the term "pause," claiming that one was needed to "get the prisoners out." 

For starters, there are no prisoners in Gaza. There are hostages. That should be clear to anyone commenting on the matters, and using the term prisoners plays directly into Hamas propaganda. Regardless, Biden's words left the press scrambling because it appeared to be a major shift in policy. 

Kirby was quick to qualify the matter during the briefing. 

Top Biden spokesman John Kirby: "We're really not just talking about like one pause, what we're trying to do is explore the idea of as many pauses as might be necessary" pic.twitter.com/Q2fMCMxR6i

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 2, 2023

I'll admit to still being completely confused as to what is being suggested. Why would Hamas agree to a pause in order to "get people out?" They've steadfastly refused to release the hostages short of farcical demands to empty Israeli prisons of terrorist fighters. It seems to me that a pause would actually be a one-sided affair where Israel backs off, and aid is sent into Gaza to be hijacked by Hamas, who will then use it to reinforce. To be frank, that's an insane strategy in any war. 

Next, Kirby took on Biden's claim that he negotiated a "ceasefire" with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Just hours after Biden bizarrely claimed he "convinced Bibi to call for a ceasefire," spokesman John Kirby walks it back pic.twitter.com/cIBQV7cUmf

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 2, 2023

In other words, there was never any ceasefire, and Biden just made something up to try to appease the protester who was heckling him. He knew she wanted to hear the word ceasefire, and he was happy to say it. What a strange thing to do, though, given it can be so easily disproven. 

As I wrote recently, this administration is listless. It's being dictated to by the radicals in the Democratic Party, and that leads to messaging ping-pong, where Biden sounds pro-Israel one moment and indirectly sympathetic to Hamas the next. Watching Kirby try to explain it all away is watching a man have his soul sucked out of him. It's a sad scene because you know he doesn't believe most of what he's saying. But he signed up for the job, so that's on him. 

Past that, the biggest news from the briefing was an announcement that Biden would veto any Israeli aid package that wasn't coupled with yet more aid to Ukraine. 

BREAKING: John Kirby confirms Biden "would VETO an Israel-only bill" pic.twitter.com/nq7Ddcwzez

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 2, 2023

That decision is indefensible. The situation in Israel is not comparable to the situation in Ukraine. The former has a clear path to a short-term military victory. The latter is in what is a years-long war of attrition after having already received somewhere around $200 billion in military aid between the United States and Europe. 

However one feels about either conflict, the idea that they should be tied together is asinine. Any number of Republicans in Congress, for example, could have wildly different views on aid to either country. They should be able to vote to send aid to Israel and not send aid to Ukraine if that's their position. 

The kind of political blackmail being attempted is exactly what so many voters hate about Washington. You've got two distinct wars, and they should be in two distinct bills. If Republicans have any backbone, they'll force the issue.