Staff Reports
It seems the White House has decided that addressing escalating tensions in the Middle East is akin to playing a high-stakes game of dodgeball—except everyone is throwing real bombs, and they’re dodging their responsibility. Tensions have ramped up between Iran, Israel, and other regional players, particularly after Israel took a strong stance against Hamas by eliminating one of its key political leaders located in Iran. Unsurprisingly, Iran and its sidekick Hezbollah are promising retaliation, which raises the stakes to hilariously absurd levels.
President Biden has, in a rare flare of assertiveness, taken some action by speaking with allies and moving U.S. military assets closer to the area, possibly looking for a lifeboat in a sea of diplomatic disaster, all while keeping his public appearances as sparse as a snowstorm in July. If anyone was looking forward to a rousing national address from Biden about America’s approach to the threats posed by Iran, they’ve probably been grasping at straws. Even as international tensions climb, it seems Biden believes this is the perfect moment for his “You take the lead, Kamala” plan regarding public relations.
White House pressed on rising Middle East tensions https://t.co/q2wO2YxPpT
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 6, 2024
The absence of National Security spokesman John Kirby from the press briefing circus on Tuesday only added a splash of intrigue. Perhaps he was preparing for a game show where “Anything But Clarity” was the theme. Meanwhile, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took the stage, facing a barrage of questions without a clear idea of what the administration was doing—much like a magician who forgot the trick. Despite her best efforts to project optimism and assert that Biden’s plans might work, the lack of hard facts seemed to hang in the air like a bad odor.
Jean-Pierre attempted to portray the administration’s posture as one of strength, emphasizing the need for “de-escalation conversations” that they were “monitoring closely.” With the stakes so high, one might think transparency would be key. Yet, the administration’s vague responses did little to assure anyone that the White House has a firm grasp on the situation. The audience was left to ponder if they were merely listening to an episode of a political soap opera rather than a briefing on national security.
In a further attempt to maintain an air of control, Jean-Pierre skirted around questions regarding direct communications with Tehran, reaffirming that continued dialogue is somehow the magic wand that will fix everything. Coupled with the administration’s inability to point to progress definitively, one can’t help but wonder if all this diplomatic talk is just a smokescreen. In the chess game of international affairs, Iran seems to be holding all the pieces while the Biden administration just shuffled the board.
