In his new book, legendary journalist Bob Woodward offers a remarkable look behind the scenes at President Joe Biden’s blunt, profanity-laced assessments and interactions with the world leaders who have shaped his presidency, from Benjamin Netanyahu to Vladimir Putin.
This whole article just points to a man so frustrated with all that’s going on around him, has the power to change it, but still does nothing. Biden is literally blaming everyone around him but himself. He blamed Obama for not taking a firmer stance on the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 and now he has to deal with Russia and he blamed Bibi for not having a strategy but still sent him money and arms unconditionally. This man is literally the dealer in an international poker game and is still somehow losing control of so many players.
First of all, both could arguably be true. Secondly, in the case of conditional sales of weapons to Isreal, you’re asking Biden to do what Sen. Bernie Sanders couldn’t get congress to do. Which amounts to be the expenditure of immense political capital during an election year. The big chair is not that easy to sit in.
No one said it was going to be an easy chair to sit in. This man ran for president on being a career politician who knew how to get stuff done and work with people on both sides of the political spectrum. Sure, he had some good wins domestically like the infrastructure bill and the chips act. But this man is losing all credibility on the world stage. Even the most hard line Zionist presidents in the past have been able to control Israel, Biden cannot. Putin has never been so brazen and openly defiant in the past. And now, organizations like BRICS are being formed in light of these kinds of weaknesses America is displaying. If you’re the leader of the richest and most powerful nation on the world and you can’t control any situation you’re directly involved in except to bitch about it in private, then you’re not a competent leader. Leaders really need to be help to a much higher standard, especially when the stakes are so high.
Regarding your comment on the weapons sale to Israel. Bernie isn’t Biden. Biden holds a lot more executive authority and his words carry a lot more weight than a senator, even one as popular and well known as Bernie. This wouldn’t even be that unpopular of a decision either. As of February, two thirds of Americans support the decision for Biden to call for a ceasefire. And these numbers have been more or less consistent for the past year.
Biden has lost no credibility on the world stage, only on your very small stage.
Bernie couldn’t even get close to having Congress act on weapons condition. Congress is a representation of the people. So, the people have spoken and you don’t like what they said. So, of course, you blame Biden.
Congress is a representation of corporate interest and little more. Maybe there’s some religion in there too, but it’s definitely not representing the average American citizen.
Biden has lost no credibility on the world stage, only on your very small stage.
If you want to believe that then that’s your choice. Just don’t act surprised when other American proxies decide to lobby American politics so heavily in their favor like Israel is currently doing. The past year has shown the world just how susceptible American politicians are to foreign interference, and that includes presidents.
Congress is a representation of the people. So, the people have spoken and you don’t like what they said.
If that were true then US would have had things like universal healthcare a long time ago.
I guess we are running off on a tangent. Most countries do lobby. Some spend just as much money doing that as Isreal. Nothing new there. Never liked it myself.
Universal health care was discussed in congress and was rejected.
It’s not a tangent, it’s my whole point. How can you honestly expect people to actually respect the POTUS when they fail to even control their own proxies? Foreign lobbying has never been so bad. Trump should have been the oddity in this case but Biden is normalizing it. Keep in mind the US has military bases all over the world and is the only country to be able to launch a full scale offensive anywhere in the world at any moments notice. Not to mention the fact that they have the most advanced and largest arsenal of weapons. Recent years have signaled to the whole world that the might of the American military is open to the highest bidder, and there’s a lot of deep pockets around the world. That doesn’t exactly scream credibility and respectable now does it?
Universal health care was discussed in congress and was rejected.
It was rejected in defiance of the majority of American’s opinion. The same as the inaction when it comes to Israel. That’s been my point. Congress doesn’t always act in the interest of it’s constituents like you claim they do.
Lobbying is basicly as it’s been for years and years by foreign countries. US military bases are there for a multiple of reasons. Mostly, to face aggression like Ukraine is experiencing today. It’s a leftover notion from WWII.
The majority of Americans don’t know what Universal health care is. You could ask why it was defeated, but instead you jump right to congress not listening to their constituents.
The majority of Americans don’t know what Universal health care is. You could ask why it was defeated, but instead you jump right to congress not listening to their constituents.
The reason’s are irrelevant. Fact is, majority wanted it and continue to not get it due to corporate lobbying. This is a common and growing trend within American politics. Again, because of lobbying.
This man is literally the dealer in an international poker game
No, actually, the US does not have the power to control all these world events. We have a lot of influence, but not that much. For instance, we would not be able to mind control Netanyahu and make him lift the restrictions of food aid entering into Gaza to relieve the famine.
Also, I’ll remind you Biden withheld arms over Rafah, stemming a large scale Israeli attack into the region.
The US has a lot of power and sway with regards to their proxies like Israel, or should at least, but lately it feels like it’s the other way around. The US also has a lot of soft power for other countries they can use when they feel like they need/want to and a lot of countries have respected that up until recently. For example, Iran’s first attack on Israel a few months back was largely for show and they actually warned the US via back-channels before attacking. The latest one that happened last week was not the case. It was a message to the US and it’s allies that said “If you don’t do something and control this, we will.”.
Also, I’ll remind you Biden withheld arms over Rafah, stemming a large scale Israeli attack into the region.
I remember. But like the sanction Biden imposed on a few Israeli settlers these actions are more symbolic than trying to actual pivot the flow of events. It’s Biden’s way of saying “See I’m doing something” and meanwhile Israel continues doing what it does best. Also, Israel still ended up attacking Rafah, which further invalidates that point.
Perhaps it feels like that because we don’t actually have vassal-like proxies, we have allies, which allow free will and independent decisionmaking based on a simple cost/benefit calculation. Because this free-will aspect is retained, they have to be wooed, convinced, cajoled, pressured, bribed etc.
Israel dropped some bombs in Rafah but did not launch the large-scale offensive people were fearing. It was a case of US pressure actually accomplishing some harm reduction. Not harm negation, mind you, harm reduction.
Perhaps it feels like that because we don’t actually have vassal-like proxies, we have allies
I see where you’re coming from and you’re logic as well. But I would disagree. Israel get’s a huge amount of funding from the US and in turn the US is able to exert it’s influence on the region through Israel. To me, that’s a proxy.
They still attacked Rafah, just in a smaller scale. It’s not much of a comfort to the civilians killed because of it. I wouldn’t actually count that as a win in my opinion.
Not saying all of Israel’s money is coming from the US. I’m saying the main reason Israel still exists is because of the money and arms America sends to them. If it weren’t for that I would seriously question Israel’s ability to survive given how hated they are in the region. This level of support let’s the US exert it’s influence on Israel. My original point was that recent years have shifted the dynamic where the US can no longer control Israel and it feels as if is Israel is playing the US.
Having nukes goes a long way to ensuring survival. That said, we definitely have influence, no question. A lot of influence. But even a whole ton of influence is something different from complete obedience.
For instance, your boss has a lot of influence on you, because they are responsible for your paycheck. However, we would not call it complete obedience, even with your livelihood in their hands. Because of this very basic principle, I would argue the US has never had control over Israel, despite what certain propagandists would claim.
Hell, they’ve even attacked our navy ships before, decades ago.
No arguments on those points from me. What I’m just saying is that the amount of influence America was capable of exerting on Israel has diminished substantially.
This whole article just points to a man so frustrated with all that’s going on around him, has the power to change it, but still does nothing. Biden is literally blaming everyone around him but himself. He blamed Obama for not taking a firmer stance on the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 and now he has to deal with Russia and he blamed Bibi for not having a strategy but still sent him money and arms unconditionally. This man is literally the dealer in an international poker game and is still somehow losing control of so many players.
First of all, both could arguably be true. Secondly, in the case of conditional sales of weapons to Isreal, you’re asking Biden to do what Sen. Bernie Sanders couldn’t get congress to do. Which amounts to be the expenditure of immense political capital during an election year. The big chair is not that easy to sit in.
No one said it was going to be an easy chair to sit in. This man ran for president on being a career politician who knew how to get stuff done and work with people on both sides of the political spectrum. Sure, he had some good wins domestically like the infrastructure bill and the chips act. But this man is losing all credibility on the world stage. Even the most hard line Zionist presidents in the past have been able to control Israel, Biden cannot. Putin has never been so brazen and openly defiant in the past. And now, organizations like BRICS are being formed in light of these kinds of weaknesses America is displaying. If you’re the leader of the richest and most powerful nation on the world and you can’t control any situation you’re directly involved in except to bitch about it in private, then you’re not a competent leader. Leaders really need to be help to a much higher standard, especially when the stakes are so high.
Regarding your comment on the weapons sale to Israel. Bernie isn’t Biden. Biden holds a lot more executive authority and his words carry a lot more weight than a senator, even one as popular and well known as Bernie. This wouldn’t even be that unpopular of a decision either. As of February, two thirds of Americans support the decision for Biden to call for a ceasefire. And these numbers have been more or less consistent for the past year.
Biden has lost no credibility on the world stage, only on your very small stage.
Bernie couldn’t even get close to having Congress act on weapons condition. Congress is a representation of the people. So, the people have spoken and you don’t like what they said. So, of course, you blame Biden.
Congress is a representation of corporate interest and little more. Maybe there’s some religion in there too, but it’s definitely not representing the average American citizen.
So, do you vote?
If you want to believe that then that’s your choice. Just don’t act surprised when other American proxies decide to lobby American politics so heavily in their favor like Israel is currently doing. The past year has shown the world just how susceptible American politicians are to foreign interference, and that includes presidents.
If that were true then US would have had things like universal healthcare a long time ago.
I guess we are running off on a tangent. Most countries do lobby. Some spend just as much money doing that as Isreal. Nothing new there. Never liked it myself.
Universal health care was discussed in congress and was rejected.
It’s not a tangent, it’s my whole point. How can you honestly expect people to actually respect the POTUS when they fail to even control their own proxies? Foreign lobbying has never been so bad. Trump should have been the oddity in this case but Biden is normalizing it. Keep in mind the US has military bases all over the world and is the only country to be able to launch a full scale offensive anywhere in the world at any moments notice. Not to mention the fact that they have the most advanced and largest arsenal of weapons. Recent years have signaled to the whole world that the might of the American military is open to the highest bidder, and there’s a lot of deep pockets around the world. That doesn’t exactly scream credibility and respectable now does it?
It was rejected in defiance of the majority of American’s opinion. The same as the inaction when it comes to Israel. That’s been my point. Congress doesn’t always act in the interest of it’s constituents like you claim they do.
Lobbying is basicly as it’s been for years and years by foreign countries. US military bases are there for a multiple of reasons. Mostly, to face aggression like Ukraine is experiencing today. It’s a leftover notion from WWII.
The majority of Americans don’t know what Universal health care is. You could ask why it was defeated, but instead you jump right to congress not listening to their constituents.
That is false. It’s been trending upwards for some time and has never been so high.
The reason’s are irrelevant. Fact is, majority wanted it and continue to not get it due to corporate lobbying. This is a common and growing trend within American politics. Again, because of lobbying.
No, actually, the US does not have the power to control all these world events. We have a lot of influence, but not that much. For instance, we would not be able to mind control Netanyahu and make him lift the restrictions of food aid entering into Gaza to relieve the famine.
Also, I’ll remind you Biden withheld arms over Rafah, stemming a large scale Israeli attack into the region.
The US has a lot of power and sway with regards to their proxies like Israel, or should at least, but lately it feels like it’s the other way around. The US also has a lot of soft power for other countries they can use when they feel like they need/want to and a lot of countries have respected that up until recently. For example, Iran’s first attack on Israel a few months back was largely for show and they actually warned the US via back-channels before attacking. The latest one that happened last week was not the case. It was a message to the US and it’s allies that said “If you don’t do something and control this, we will.”.
I remember. But like the sanction Biden imposed on a few Israeli settlers these actions are more symbolic than trying to actual pivot the flow of events. It’s Biden’s way of saying “See I’m doing something” and meanwhile Israel continues doing what it does best. Also, Israel still ended up attacking Rafah, which further invalidates that point.
Perhaps it feels like that because we don’t actually have vassal-like proxies, we have allies, which allow free will and independent decisionmaking based on a simple cost/benefit calculation. Because this free-will aspect is retained, they have to be wooed, convinced, cajoled, pressured, bribed etc.
Israel dropped some bombs in Rafah but did not launch the large-scale offensive people were fearing. It was a case of US pressure actually accomplishing some harm reduction. Not harm negation, mind you, harm reduction.
I see where you’re coming from and you’re logic as well. But I would disagree. Israel get’s a huge amount of funding from the US and in turn the US is able to exert it’s influence on the region through Israel. To me, that’s a proxy.
They still attacked Rafah, just in a smaller scale. It’s not much of a comfort to the civilians killed because of it. I wouldn’t actually count that as a win in my opinion.
Israel’s budget ran around 125 billion/year, pre-war. If we wanted full control, I think it would cost a little more than what we give.
No, not a win, I agree on that one.
Not saying all of Israel’s money is coming from the US. I’m saying the main reason Israel still exists is because of the money and arms America sends to them. If it weren’t for that I would seriously question Israel’s ability to survive given how hated they are in the region. This level of support let’s the US exert it’s influence on Israel. My original point was that recent years have shifted the dynamic where the US can no longer control Israel and it feels as if is Israel is playing the US.
Having nukes goes a long way to ensuring survival. That said, we definitely have influence, no question. A lot of influence. But even a whole ton of influence is something different from complete obedience.
For instance, your boss has a lot of influence on you, because they are responsible for your paycheck. However, we would not call it complete obedience, even with your livelihood in their hands. Because of this very basic principle, I would argue the US has never had control over Israel, despite what certain propagandists would claim.
Hell, they’ve even attacked our navy ships before, decades ago.
No arguments on those points from me. What I’m just saying is that the amount of influence America was capable of exerting on Israel has diminished substantially.
He’s crooked and just doesnt want to be seen doing it. He’s alwas been crooked. They didnt call him the senator from MBNA for nothing.