I have long thought Joe Biden was an idiot, even before he started losing brain cells like a scalp shed dandruff, and the complete fecklessness of the 21st Century mutation of the Democratic Party has been brain-blowing for quite awhile as well. This sequence, however, is signature significance for an administration without any internal logic or ethical compass at all:
1. Hamas (a.k.a. the government of Gaza) launches a brutal sneak attack on civilians in Israel, raping women, killing babies, and taking hostages. The U.S. condemns the attack and proclaims its full support of Israel.
2. Israel, appropriately and necessarily, declares war on Hamas (and therefore Gaza), vowing that it will not permit the terrorist organization to exist literally next-door. The U.S. provides economic aid and weapons to the effort.
3. Israel’s assault kills Gazans as well as Hamas fighters, which is how Hamas intends it, because the Hamas tunnels containing war material and fighters is deliberately positioned under schools, hospitals and other structures that turn Gazans into human shields.
4. Major Democratic voting blocks begin supporting Gaza, ergo Palestinians, thus Hamas and terrorism, because extreme woke ideology sanctifies thosewho attacked Israel as the equivalents of victims of white oppression. This is historically and factually bats as well as ethically inside-out, but never mind, Biden and the Democrats are more concerned about winning in November than principles or consistency. Thus they adopt the insane position that Israel is pursuing its war too vigorously, because Gazan civilians (who polls report support overwhelmingly both Hamas and the elimination of Israel, which is why they placed the terrorists in power). The Policy now is to support the Israel war effort while providing “humanitarian aid” that undermines that war effort, essentially taking two sides of a conflict simultaneously. Spokespersons for the Biden Adminstration insist that its support for Israel is “unwavering,” while the President condemns the Israeli war effort and joins other Democratic leaders (like Sen. Schumer) in saying that “too many” “innocent civilians” are being killed in Gaza. This rhetoric helps bolster the rampant anti-Israel, anti-Jew sentiment around the world, at the United Nations, and on American college campuses. It also, Democrats hope, will help salvage endangered Biden votes from Jew-hating Muslims in Michigan.
5. Encouraged and enabled by the vilification of Israel by prominent U.S. politicians and the Biden administration, which, unlike the Trump administration, has coddled the nation that refers to the U.S. as “the Great Satan,” Iran makes it clear that it plans on attacking Israel imminently. After all, even the united States agrees that it is an international criminal, and supporters of the Biden administration say that Israel is committing “genocide.” And Biden is sending aid to Gaza to protect the Gazans from the evil Jews! As with Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine when it seemed imminent, Biden’s response to Iran is to warn the aggressors not to proceed while displaying no metaphorical stomach for actually doing anything to make them think twice about it, or, as social media wags and pundits summarized the ‘policy’ in various satirical versions of Teddy Roosevelt’s famous line, like “Speak in a hoarse mutter but carry a limp noodle.”
6. The result of this waffling and posturing was predictable: Iran launched a drone attack at Israel. Also predictable: Israel repelled it. Now Israel is going to retaliate against Iran. Absurdly, the Biden administration, which materially assisted in creating this mess by its cynicism, electioneering, lack of integrity and utter stupidity, now tells Israel not to retaliate against a nation that just attacked it. Its argument: the attack didn’t work. Morons. That’s moral luck. Would the U.S. ever sit back and do nothing if, for example, Russia launched nuclear missiles at our cities and we successfully shot down all of them? (Well, with this administration, who knows, come to think of it.)
Summary: Under President Biden, the U.S.’s handling of the Hamas-Israel war can be fairly characterized as “We’re with you! We’re against you! We’re with you! We’re against you!” There are no principles, long-term objectives or ethical values in evidence, just weakness, empty rhetoric, pandering, poll reading, and stupidity.
This is how wars start. Joe Biden claimed, while campaigning against President Trump in 2020, that Trump would start a war with Iran.
Ethics Alarms 
I’m not so sure about some of this. Iran also launched missiles at one of our air bases after we killed one of their generals at the beginning of 2020 and nothing really came of it beyond that other than they were allowed to tell their people that they had retaliated. The attack did almost no damage other than giving a few people some headaches. They telegraph this attack and Israel had plenty of time to prepare for it. They shot down almost everything that Iran sent their way and there was also some target practice for us and for the RAF. But damage was negligible. Do you think this could have been just a show attack for their own people? I think it’s possible. However, I also think it is or could be an attempt to goad Israel into retaliating and doing some damage in Iran, which they can then point to and accuse the Israelis of overreacting or of attacking them.
This is a dangerous game to play. Israel is not the United States and Netanyahu is not Biden. If Israel feels like there is an existential threat, they might not hesitate to use their strategic, in other words nuclear, arsenal against whoever is bringing that existential threat. Israel also won’t just walk away from an attack. There’s a chance, although not a very big chance, that the assault could result in escalating use of weapons, which would be bad.
In the meantime, Biden is trying to play both sides against the middle. It makes me think of the little known war of Italian unification which came right around the time of our civil war. The Kingdom of the two Sicilies, which was the driving force behind the unification, sought aid from Napoleon the third of France, in order to drive the Austrians out of what was properly Italian territory. The idea was to conquer Lombardy and Venice. In return for this, France would receive the territories of Nice and Savoy. things worked almost too well, and not only were there several defeats for the Austrians, but the people of the Austrian ruled territories of tuscany, Modena, and Parma as well as the papal territory of Romagna, also revolted.
At this point old Louis decided to do the dirty on the Italians, supposedly it was because the casualties were just so horrible, but I think it was because he feared Italy uniting too quickly. So he went behind their backs and negotiated a secret treaty with the austrians where are the Italians would receive Lombardy, but Austria would keep Venice and everything else would return to status quo ante. However, he still demanded the full price. Understandably this did not go over well, and it was looking like Italy might try to take back Nice and Savoy by force. However, they swung a deal where France could keep Nice and Savoy but Italy was allowed to annex the States that had revolted.
Napoleon III was lucky. He played both sides and came out ahead, but it was looking pretty ugly there for a while, and I don’t doubt that many Italians were not the least bit saddened when he was thrown out of power after the Franco Prussian War. I don’t think Biden can do the same. Israel isn’t interested in land, it’s interested in securing its borders and avenging blood. That can’t be dealt with be a simple swap of land.
The “little attacks are OK, but big attacks aren’t” is a dangerous policy, and I felt that way in 2020. The way to keep American interests and the public secure is a policy of “attack us and we squash you like a bug.” A lot of Democrats didn’t want the US to respond after 9/11: Michael Moore made the argument that 3,000 citizens was no big deal—more than that die in auto accidents. But assuming arguendo that the US was right to shrug off a “symbolic” attack—which is like letting someone spit in your face—Iran attacking the US and Iran attacking Israel are not equivalent. Iran is a true threat true Israel, and in the neighborhood.
5. Encouraged and enabled by the vilification of Israel by prominent U.S. politicians and the Biden administration, which, unlike the Trump administration, has coddled the nation that refers to the U.S. as “the Great Satan,” Iran makes it clear that it plans on attacking Israel imminently.
You left out the step prior, step 4.5: Israel bombs Iranian consular building in Syria, killing two Iranian generals, plus five other officers.
Since Iran was using Hamas and Hezbollah as cat’s paws, Iran had it coming.
However, if memory serves, consular property is viewed as sovereign territory: bombing that building was tantamount to a direct attack on Iran.
Does that make the US flip-flopping more rational? I don’t think so. Iran was behind the Hamas terrorist attack: as you say, Iran was a legitimate target for Israel, and bombing a consulate is a warning as well as restraint.
True, the U.S., under Obama, let a country attack its consulate with impunity….
This has nothing to do with US flip-flopping, or what Obama allowed.
While Israel had justification to directly attack those generals, where they chose to do so was bound to invite Iranian retaliation, as the Israelis well knew.
The Iranian retaliation was as pro-forma as they come, and it came as a consequence of an Israeli action you left off the timeline.
I don’t see how it is in Israel’s interest to further attack Iran. The US knows this, so it can make noises cautioning Israel to not do what it won’t do anyway.
It “can,” but it shouldn’t. It further isolates Israel. It’s wrong.
Ann Althouse’s comment this morning, which tracks with my position and is well-stated: “So, the only response to an attack should be the defense against the attack. Where is the deterrent? Just in the humiliation of showing that, so far, the attacking has failed? The message would seem to be: Attack all you want, but your attacks will be ineffective. Is that a desirable stasis?”
Well, we bombed the French embassy after they wouldn’t let us use their airspace to attack Libya.
Actually, we didn’t.
On account of reasons which are too technical to go into here (I did not take part in the Libya raid, but I was an F-111 pilot and got to see the detailed after-action report.), but we what we had was an extremely lucky miss. The weapon missed its intended target, but hit a terrorist comms facility, which happened to be across the street from the French Embassy, which sustained damage confined mostly to the facade.
Hold up though. According to Isreal, that was not an embassy or consulate:
“According to our intelligence, this is no consulate and this is no embassy,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told CNN. “I repeat, this is no consulate and this is no embassy. This is a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building in Damascus.”
The reporting I read put the location directly next to the consulate. Of course, that could be wrong.
I read this morning the the bombed building was adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus.
Bob Gates warned us Biden’s foreign policy acumen.
I am in Steve’s camp regarding retaliation. Bebe should communicate to Tehran very publicly that Israel will not be as restrained if any other attack by or facilitated by Iran occurs.
That’s Bebe’s choice. The US should not be announcing that it opposes retaliation. And if a few of Iran’sdrones had gotten through and killed people? How many would have to die to justify a retaliation? 1? 10?
The logic here reminds me of “Failsafe” as in “nuts.”
I would not criticize Netanyahu no matter how he handles this.
I would probably just say enough is enough and turn Tehran into glass and send all the ayatollahs to meet Allah.
For that reason alone makes me ill suited for the foreign service corp let alone high elected office.
I agree. The mullahs need to meet their 72 virgins.. Tehran van be rebuilt.
Iran has an educated population, many attending schools in the West. They detest the Iranian regime and the morality police. Obama had a chance to move Iran toward the 20th century by supporting the Green Revolution but he dithered and Iranians suffered terribly. Biden has no real, coherent Middle East policy.
The current mess should be laid at Carter’s feet. He actually believed radical mullahs living in exile would be a moderating force compared to the Shah, Pelavi, who by all accounts was a savage, brutal, oppressive dictator. History should tell us that we should take what people say seriously. After all, an obnoxious low-level soldier sitting in a German prison cell wrote about what he planned to do about the German Jew problem once he got out of jail and had a few beers.
jvb
How many would have to die to justify retaliation? Well, if it’s Houthis firing on Americans, the answer is at least four.
I think the wisest course for Israel now is to go in, guns blazing, to Rafah and finish the war before whatever goodwill Israelis get out of the attacks from Iran has a chance to be condemned.
You cannot serve two masters. I guess the democrats never heard that adage. Iran’s leadership, as well as Lebanon, and Syria needs to be replaced. “awe” tactics could do that.
War is fought between two identifiable groups. Int he case of Gaza and the West bank the enemy is those who live there. They must be destroyed. No ifs, and or buts.
War cannot be fought on a fence. Just watched a documentary on the frist black tank battalion. Patton told them ”don’t care what your skin color is, just go kill those kraut bastards.” Patton did not distinguish between the uniformed Nazis and those who voted them in. He was after “all the Krauts”.
My Dad, who served under Patton,detested him but agreed with that aspect of George’s philosophy of warfare 100%.
A maternal uncle of mine, William Diestrich, also served under Patton, He admired his bravado and tactics.
I’ve already seen some in the leftist commentariat attempt to tie Iran’s attack to Donald Trump ordering the elimination of Solemani.
Ridiculous.
No. This story is all about the weakness and waffling of an American president who has signaled wavering support of Israel.
We’re already heading into an uptick in interest rates and inflation. If we get into a hot war, the market will go south, hard, and things will get even worse, economically.
But the proles don’t need to worry, Biden claimed to need thousands of new IRS agents, and billions of dollars to extract more revenue from the ultra-wealthy, and those earning over $400K per year. As of last summer, 63% of new audits targeted mid-level taxpayers with income of less than $200,000.
This isn’t Biden’s doing. Remember when Trump was impeached? He was impeached for trying to set foreign policy instead of respecting the ‘interagency consensus’. The ‘interagency consensus’ impeached Trump because he was a threat to the bureaucracy. Biden is not doing this, this is the best that the ‘interagency consensus’ can come up with. This is the best the ‘smart Democrats’ in the government can do. This is what they think is ‘smart’. Look at all those big agencies in and around Washington. This is the BEST they can do. That is why a real estate developer was able to hammer out a better peace treating in the Middle East in a year than all of our diplomats and ‘educated’ experts could in 50 years.
Some great thoughts, Michael.
The explanation for Joe’s handler’s actions: Trump! If Israel fights to defend itself and the U.S. doesn’t prevent Israel from doing so, a major portion of Democrat party voters may throw a hissy fit and may not vote for Joe. So, ask yourself, if you’re a Democrat politician of a State Department employee or a member of the Biden administration, which is worse: Israel being pushed into the Mediterranean by Iran, or the Democratic party being cast into the wilderness for four years during a second Trump administration? The Democrats and the left will throw Israel and Jews under the bus in a New York minute.