There’s an Italian Christmas season event I’ve been attending for quite a few years now that took place last Saturday. Two great West Siders, Tony Rosiello and Joe Seta organize it for a group called Fratelli Uniti. Last year‘s event had to be canceled due to COVID, so it was great to be able to gather again this year.
Anyway, I happened to be sitting next to a good friend, and someone who served this community with great distinction for decades, Jim Cissell. Jim is a former US Attorney, Clerk of Courts, Probate Judge, and he and I served on Cincinnati City Council together back in the mid to late ‘80s.
Jim Cissell and Steve Chabot.
Interestingly, in the City Council election of 1985, four Republicans were elected (including me), four Democrats were elected (including Jim), and one Charterite (Arn Bortz.) At the time, the mayor was chosen by Council, not directly elected as is the case nowadays. Three of the four Republicans (Ken Blackwell, John Mirlisena, and I) joined with two Democrats (Charlie Luken and Jim Cissell) to form a ruling coalition to run the city. A few years later Jim Cissell switched parties to become a Republican, and John Mirlisena switched to become a Democrat (to run against me for County Commission) but that’s another story.
Okay, so back to last Saturday at the Fratelli Uniti breakfast. Jim said he had a video clip of Joe Biden from some years back that he thought I should see. He sent it to me, and I was floored.
In all the coverage of Joe Biden‘s disastrous pullout from Afghanistan, I never saw this one. Even on FOX, or Townhall TV, or OAN, I haven’t seen it. Now it’s possible someone ran it somewhere, but I sure didn’t see it.
In light of what happened, this video should be just devastating to Joe Biden. Particularly at the end of the clip, where he leans over to emphasize to the woman that if we don’t pull out from Afghanistan right (do it too hastily), billions of dollars worth of our own weapons will be used against our grandkids someday.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what he did. Against the advice of all his military experts (although he later said he didn’t remember their advice) he hastily pulled our troops out. He left $85 billion worth of the most sophisticated US weaponry in the hands of our enemy. As well as leaving many many American citizens in harm’s way – and thousands of Afghans who had fought there alongside us.
Further, there has now been confirmation that the Taliban is systematically targeting and killing scores of those Afghans who worked with us: police chiefs, special forces personnel, and others are getting a knock on the door. They are taken by elements of the Taliban to be tortured before their execution, or are just gunned down in front of their families. This should never happen to allies of the United States – people who trusted us.
Of course the weakness and betrayal shown by the Biden administration has not gone unnoticed by other bad actors across the globe. You can be sure that Vladimir Putin is taking this into consideration as he amasses troops on the Ukrainian border. And President Xi of China is making the same calculation as he accelerates his provocation against Taiwan.
American weakness makes war more likely, not less. And the Biden administration is projecting weakness on a world stage where American strength would be far more stabilizing. Unfortunately for us, the Joe Biden who was vice president on the video back in 2007, was elected president last year. And elections have consequences.