I wrote a story about Joe Biden's ridiculous foreign policy approach that amounts to "Don't." When he gets truly fierce, it's "Don't, Don't, Don't."
Not exactly something that's going to put fear in the hearts of bad actors who don't wish us well. But it's something he's often employed, particularly when referring to Iran. That didn't exactly work well this weekend when he warned them "Don't" on Friday, and then they attacked Israel over the weekend after he went on vacation to his beach house in Delaware.
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During the briefing on Monday with White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby, Fox's Peter Doocy hit on the question I think many Americans have: What the heck kind of a policy is "Don't" to deter people?
Is Biden thinking about "maybe beefing up the public Iran posture to be more than just one word?” Doocy asked. Because they [Iran] did it anyway, he pointed out.
DOOCY TIME: “John, has President Biden considered maybe beefing up the public Iran posture to be more than just one word?”
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 15, 2024
WH’s John Kirby: “You — you’re referring to, ‘don't’?”
Doocy: “Yeah.”
Kirby: “And so, let's —”
Doocy: “Because he said —”
Kirby: “— talk about —”… pic.twitter.com/KufejLZFnX
Kirby did his best to spin it, saying that they'd successfully fended off most of the attack. Well, yeah, maybe that happens when you allegedly got a heads up and they choose a slow-moving drone, so you know the attack is coming with a lot of lead time. How much of a show was this?
But the bottom line, as Doocy pointed out, is that the "Don't" stopped no one. They don't fear Biden. They think they can do what they want with him. Doocy made that point to Kirby,
“Now that we know that the Iranians do not listen to President Biden’s public warnings, is there any regret here about unfreezing billions of dollars for Iranian leaders during the President’s administration?” Doocy asked.
Doocy: “Now that we know that the Iranians do not listen to President Biden’s public warnings, Is there any regret here about unfreezing billions of dollars for Iranian leaders during the President’s administration?”
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 15, 2024
WH’s John Kirby: “What unfreezing are you talking about?”… pic.twitter.com/TW6mrCNmzG
Kirby replied, “What unfreezing are you talking about?” as though he was completely clueless about what Doocy was saying.
Doocy reminded him of all the billions Joe Biden unfroze for Iran. Kirby tried to wiggle out of that question, saying it wasn't for the "leaders."
Doocy countered with the fact that money is fungible, "Well, doesn’t that free up money for them to spend on other stuff? But where do you get the money for an unprecedented number of munitions to — to fire at Israel?”
Kirby said that they were "watching that account very, very closely" to make sure that they weren't touching it.
Translation? Kirby didn't have any real answer for Doocy's point about fungibility. Plus, when he has been asked about that money in the past, at least once he seemed to have no idea about what was happening with it.
Then Doocy also skewered Biden on another issue — the constant vacation and how Biden had to come rushing back. It's insane that he left to begin with. Doocy said the Biden team “often defend all the trips to Delaware" by saying Biden is "not on vacation," that he can work from anywhere. "So, why do you have to come back on Saturday?”
Doocy: “And, you guys often defend all the trips to Delaware by saying the President is not on vacation. He’s working. He can be the President from anywhere. So, why do you have to come back on Saturday?”
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 15, 2024
WH’s John Kirby: “Oh, we got indications shortly after arriving — we got… pic.twitter.com/w37bYsbzbb
Kirby claimed Biden had a busy weekend dealing with this. Yet, again, he didn't answer the question: Why did he have to come back then? They don't have an answer because they're full of hooey.
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