One of Team Biden's most bewildering traits is its obsession with offering professorial geopolitical prognoses and then taking credit for wise predictions, as though claiming extra-credit points in a college seminar.
It could be looming catastrophes they forecast and do nothing about, or good economic news they have nothing to do with but are happy to take credit for. In all instances, the administration's reflexive reaction is to act like an armchair cable pundit.
In that vein, Biden and his national security team went to great lengths to advertise their foresight of Russia's plan to invade Ukraine. What did they then do to prevent the war from happening? Nothing in particular. But take credit they did, like a meteorologist giddy about correctly foreseeing a devastating natural disaster.
When the war in Ukraine finally broke out, Biden and his team enthusiastically pivoted to blaming the nation's surging inflation rate and energy crisis on Vladimir Putin's actions.
Did anyone think of unleashing America's enormous, cruelly untapped energy resources to reverse the spike in prices and bankrupt Putin's primary source of revenue?
Of course not.
But once again, Biden and his team are more than happy to take credit for their foresight, and all we now hear about is "Putin's price hike" at the pump.
The list goes on, and applies far beyond the crisis in Ukraine, but the trend is clear. The Biden White House these days is essentially an ivory tower of Ivy League-educated pundits, offering the world rambling commentary in hopes of inspiring the rest of the world to action.
As Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said yesterday: "weakness is provocative." Well, nothing signals weakness more than the Biden administration's armchair punditry.
Which brings us to Antony Blinken.
He is a career mid-level bureaucrat turned secretary of state whose primary qualifications appear to be his longtime friendship with Biden and the fact that he is the polar opposite of his esteemed predecessor, Mike Pompeo.
Just this week, Blinken delivered a thunderous "Mission Accomplished"-style pronouncement, claiming that "Russia has already failed" and "Ukraine has already succeeded."
Having returned from spending nearly a month on Ukraine's front lines, this writer can tell you nothing is farther from the truth.
Yes, the Ukrainians have fought valiantly and skillfully so far.
Russia's initial plan to capture Kyiv and topple the Ukrainian government within days of invasion has, of course, been foiled.
But, despite what Biden and Blinken may hope to will into reality, this war is far from over.
The Donbas is about to witness the largest tank and artillery battle since World War II, where upward of 40,000 veteran Ukrainian troops face encirclement and unfortunately, but likely, annihilation.
The vital Black Sea strongholds of Odessa and Mykolaiv are now being bombed daily, and may very well face a full frontal assault in the near future.
Russia is actively mobilizing its forces in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria, threatening to invade Ukraine from the west.
And, most importantly, Russia is successfully targeting NATO's ability to bring in military aid and resupply Ukraine's depleting military by destroying key infrastructure and transportation hubs.
The problem isn't just that Blinken's premature declaration of victory is incorrect or an attempt to take credit for something the United States will have played little part in. The harsher reality is that these blunders may usher Ukraine's avoidable defeat.
Much to Ukraine's consternation, the administration hasn't provided fighter jets that we are phasing out anyway, or missile defense systems similar to Patriot missiles . . . we have giveu Ukraine just enough to prolong the inevitable, but certainly not enough to win a war that in fact can and should be won.
With harsher sanctions on Russia and more immediate aid to Ukraine, the West can still help defeat Putin. Without this assistance, as courageous as Ukraine's military may be, Russia will ultimately prevail by sheer numbers and force.
The problem is, Blinken and Biden would clearly prefer to pretend the war has already been won, take credit, and move on. That is not only cynical and dishonorable, it's also extremely beneficial to Russia's war effort.
Michael Grimm is currently in Ukraine as a Newsmax correspondent. He is a former U.S. congressman who represented New York's Staten Island, and a former FBI agent. Read Michael Grimm's reports — More Here.
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