In the past, I’ve pointed to the lack of effective government by the Biden administration. In posts such as The Dog Ate Biden’s Homework” and Can We Afford Another Hundred Days I spelled out the shortcomings. Clueless on Operation Warp Speed, the Administration pumps out checks so people can stay home rather than going to work. In a rapidly growing economy flush with savings, the last thing we need is a massive increase in demand. Without workers, supply catching up pushed further in the future. The result is a 5+% rise in inflation.

An overrun Southern Border directly results from not anticipating the effect of reversing the Trumps Administration’s border arrangements.

A world-class vaccination program is crashing through confused messaging. Warp Speed promised control of the pandemic by the end of spring in the U.S., but the next step is worldwide control. The Biden administration has been late in ordering shots to distribute abroad. Confusion as to actual need has led us to a point where millions of doses are about to expire. Dr. Marty Makary asks why we aren’t shipping them to our Canadian and Mexican neighbors?

The Trump administration got off to a somewhat rocky start, but Trump was an outsider with no government experience. Biden has been in government for decades. He knew all the players. Biden should’ve known who to hire for a smooth-running operation. Yet, the Administration continues to fumble.

Trump had set a date for us to leave Afghanistan, and the Biden signed on to complete the withdrawal. One could argue whether this is a good policy, but both concluded it was time to leave our longest war. However, there is a right and wrong way to do things. Abandoning our most significant base in the middle of the night without a proper turnover to our Afghan Allies did nothing to instill confidence in us or the Afghan military. The Afghan government is now losing vast stretches of territory and may collapse in the not too distant future.

Knowing this was a possibility, we have a moral duty to help the Afghans, risking their lives to support us. Interpreters and others buttressing our efforts over the years left to the tender mercies of the Taliban isn’t an option. This problem is well known. Tens of thousands of our helpers and their families need refugee status and flown to the U.S. We even have a sitcom, “The United States of Al,” based on the plight of an Afghan interpreter. Now the Administration mentions a plan, hopefully at the end of July, to help some of our friends. This plan relies on the availability of commercial airlines seats. 

We should’ve already been flying these people to processing centers in the U.S. or other safe places. The Biden Administration claims bringing them to the States is against the law. That seems to contradict their stand on the Southern Border, but there was plenty of time to make a legal exception for our friends. Both Republicans and Democrats would be happy to join in legislation upholding our honor if the Administration just asked. It didn’t, and now our major Afghan airbase is no longer in our hands; the problem is soon to become a crisis. If we fail, no one will ever trust us again.  

Instead of realizing the problem early on and solving it promptly, Biden seemed only dimly aware of the plight of our friends. Again, he is poorly served by those surrounding him. An Administration staffed with impressive resumes should avoid such apparent errors but the failures keep coming. How are they so unaware?

Maybe it’s a case of being careful of what you want. The left has achieved control of most of the titling and awards. You’ll find far more people with a string of abbreviations and awards after their name on the left than on the right. The mistake is believing these titles denote talent. Paul Krugman is a Noble prize winner, but no one should think he is on the same level as Milton Friedman. Nikole Hannah-Jones has a Pulitzer Prize, but her “1619 Project” is terrible Journalism. One suspects we reward mediocrities for proper politics rather than merit.

A close look at those surrounding the President reveals inadequate people. From the Vice-president on down, none in the Administration have much depth. State and Defense Secretaries both seem clueless. Would you ask Kamala for advice? Biden thought so little of Tony Blinken’s recommendation that he did the exact opposite on the significant Russian policy pipeline decision (the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline). Blinken has so little self-respect he failed to resign. 

Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin III., a retired Army General, apparently failed to back up Blinken on the Russian-German pipeline. The Fouled-up Afghan withdrawal speaks volumes about his capabilities. Why do we need an army General to lead our defense when China’s challenge is at sea and in the air? Go down the administration personnel, and you’ll find only indifferent talent.

The left’s dominance in media may have also lead it astray. After all, it now is an echo chamber for the Administration, so rather than challenging its assumptions, it just shields the Administration from reality.  

How else can you explain Biden’s deafness regarding Law and Order issues? Democrats, by their admission, lost congressional seats over “defund the police.” yet neither Biden or anyone in his Administration has any answers. Blaming Republicans is laughable. 

Only a clueless bunch would send Dr. Fauci to sell Republicans on getting vaccinated. This idea is like sending a Yankee to persuade Red Sox fans.

A President few thought was up to the job even when he was younger, surrounded by lesser talents and protected from reality by an indulgent media is the prescription for the ineffective government we can all see.