President Cranky is Wrong

For John, BLUF:  President Joseph Biden, a forgetful, cranky old man, is failing to lead the nation to fix the border wall and also help friends currently engaged in war.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Biden urges House to take up Ukraine and Israel aid package:  "Pass this bill immediately"

From CBS News, by Reporter Kaia Hubbard, Updated on 13 February 2024, 2:52 PM EST.

Here is the lede plus one:

Washington — President Biden urged House Republicans to "immediately" take up a $95 billion foreign aid bill that includes assistance to Ukraine and Israel after the Senate passed the measure early Tuesday, saying that "there's no question" that it would pass if brought to the House floor.

"I call on the speaker to let the full House speak its mind and not allow a minority of the most extreme voices in the House to block this bill even from being voted on," the president said in remarks at the White House, which came hours after the Senate's 70-29 vote to approve the measure.  "This is a critical act for the House to move."

Later in his talk the President said:

"History is watching.  Failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten."

As is his wont, the President repreated himself with regard to that sentence, for emphasis.

I fully support our efforts to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.  I believe the United States must support the Budapest Memorandum.  I am even willing to talk about restoring nuclear weapons to Ukraine, in light of Russia's violation of the Budapest Memorandum.

President Biden, in his talk, seems to be ignoring two considerations.

1. A large portion of the American Public thinks illegal immigration should be our first priority.  A prioity ahead of Ukraine.  The Republican (thin) majority in the House of Reprsentatives thinks it should use its political power to fix the US Southern Border.  In this belief it believes it is reflecting the will of the American People.
2. Given the way the US Government works, a party that commands only one House of Congress may use that power to force a President of another party to move in their direction, thus forcing a compromise.  The President is deeming this normal, contitutional, interaction as unpatriotic,  It is not and he is wrong.
3. As an aside, today, on his WRKO Afternoon Program, Reporter Howie Carr suggested that a bill such as the Ukraine funding bill should originate in the House of Representatives, per the Constitution.

The President is not only wrong on this issue, he is also being irascible.  And, he is further failing to keep his campaign promise to bring us all together.

Fix the border and then aid, Ukraine, Israil, Taiwan, and other allies and friends in trouble.

Regards  —  Cliff