This will be a short, somewhat angry post. It is the result, mostly, of watching the reaction of both media members and political leaders to the President’s visits with the leaders of Israel and Saudi Arabia.

I happen to like Joe Biden. I was for him from day one of the campaign and therefore did not have to say that I was for Bernie, or Elizabeth or Pete or anyone else, but now was getting on the bandwagon. I was there already right then. I voted for him and presented with the same choice today would do so even more enthusiastically, given what we have learned about Trump since he(thankfully)left office. So I am not entirely unprejudiced. But neither, I would say, were some of those recently criticizing him.

1. On the issue of Israel and Iran–first, he and the Prime Minister seem to have agreed on just about everything except how to deal with Iran, now in its 5th decade of being a MId-eastern trouble maker. There actually doesn’t seem to be that much daylight between the President and the PM. Both recognize that Iran is a threat, and a nuclear Iran might be a deadly threat. Biden, I think correctly, emphasizes diplomacy. The PM says, also correctly, that there may be situations in which nothing but force would work. These are not mutually exclusive. It is better to do this all without violence if we can. But Israel has 2 or 3 times made air strikes on Arab nuclear threats and the US has not been publicly hostile about it. Common sense and restraint should prevail and it should be made clear to Iran that as President Kennedy once said of the Soviet bloc, “our patience is not inexhaustible.” One thing Biden should do, I think, is to work very hard for a full restoration of the Iran nuclear agreement with the US as a full partner. He should also make it clear publicly he is doing so.
2. On meeting with MBS and affording him the usually accepted dignities of great power diplomats–unfortunately, sometimes you have to deal with SOB’s. It may be politically embarrasing but still necessary. Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill both knew this and, fortunately, so did Harry Truman. Otherwise peace after WWII might have been impossible. Stalin was bad enough the way things were. A hostile approach from the west denying him the usual formalities of diplomacy would have almost certainly made things worse. So this is Joe Biden’s SOB moment. Well, the first one, anyway, there may be more. Given the realities of the world situation is is necessary to have some kind of accomodation with Saudi Arabia, For reasons, economic, diplomatic, and perhaps(in Ukraine)military we cannot afford to have them drifting toward Russia or China. OF COURSE, the Saudis, and especially MBS, need to be put on notice that certain behaviors are expected of them and as much as we wish to have them cooperating, they could lose the whole deal. They should be told that this is not negotiable and is meant sincerely. If they wish to play chicken with us on this matter I think they will lose. I think they know that and would refrain. They also, could perhaps benefit from the quotation from JFK I just used
3. While I understand, more than many I think, the importance of symbolism, the huge fuss made about the fact that the President did a fist-bump with ABN seems to me way out of proportion. He had to make some kind of gesture of greeting. What they did and said after the fist-bump is way more important than the act itself. The Biden critics are on firmer ground, at least psychologically and humanely, when they speak of the fiancee of Mr Keshogi, the murdered journalist. The woman’s feelings are understandable and heart-breaking. The President responded as well as anyone could, I think. In fact his first words, the obvious but also feeling “I’m sorry she feels that way,” were exactly what I though he should say when I first heard the question. Some will likely think this inadequate, but it catches, I would say, the sadness of the situation and the sometime helplessness of leaders to relieve their people’s pain.
4. On the issue of the Saudis allowing Israeli commercial flights over Saudi Arabia–one critic speaking on TV right after the conference, said this was a ridiculous requirement the Saudis had insisted on, and his off-the-hand dismissal of it suggested that it was not an accomplishment of much note. Well, maybe. But no one else had ever done it, had they?
5. Joe Manchin doesn’t have anything, really, to do with this, but he popped into mind anyway. Joe, we appreciate that fact that you have helped the party on a number of occasions. But really, after torpedoing one of the President’s most important programs, you can hardly be surprised that a lot of Democrats are suggesting you might want to consider what, politically, you really are. Personally, I hope negotiations between you and the leadership will continue and be successful But if they fail it may be time for one side or the other to make a decision or two.