National Security Issues
by Liebniz (2024-02-26 21:20:08)

In reply to: What exactly has Biden done to disgust you?  posted by vermin05

Cannot Reply Return to Political

After spending my entire career focused on national security I tend to weight a President’s performance in this area more heavily than others. President Biden is very poor in this area, specifically:

1. Deterrence of Iran
2. Afghanistan pull-out
3. Although his performance in supporting Ukraine has been widely praised, I find much to criticize. Namely his adopting an incremental approach that hearkens back to Rolling Thunder and has resulted in Ukraine looking like a modern day Verdun. This is a result that likely could have been avoided with early and aggressive supply of the correct material.

I am not in a great position to assess our whole of government efforts to deter China, but the snippets I see don’t make me feel very confident.

Generally speaking I think President Biden is one of the worst modern day presidents in the National Security arena. The only recent President that was unquestionably worse was President Trump (and it is not close which is why I will be voting for President Biden if his opponent is Trump)

When I look back who is better before you get to HW?
by AquinasDomer  (2024-02-26 21:47:55)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

Obama was famous for the Syrian red line as well as not seeing thei issues w China/Russia until late in his term.

Bush invades Afganistan and then immediately shifts to Iraq. Which in large part strengthens Iran.

Clinton was before my time, but I always heard grousing from the military people in my family (admittedly all very partisan Republican).
Apologies…did not mean to post and run…
by Liebniz  (2024-02-27 16:16:28)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

My vacation got in the way of reading.

You are correct that all administrations have negative outcomes as they execute their National Security Strategies (the world is highly complex and adversaries get a vote).

My issue is that the Biden administration stands alone in the modern era by following a policy of incrementalism and appeasement. History has shown us that this approach invariably leads to negative outcomes usually with dramatically higher loss of life (Chamberlain providing the most well known and horrific example).
Stands alone in incrementalism and appeasement?
by AquinasDomer  (2024-02-27 17:47:27)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

Where we have strategic interests in China/Russia where have we seen that?

I can understand disagreements about individual things we've done in the Middle East, but the overall strategic goal post Bush has been to pivot away from the Middle East and towards Asia.

If the Republicans were putting up anyone else I could see someone with different opinions say they couldn't vote against Biden bc of Foreign Policy disagreements. But you know what you're getting with Trump and it's catastrophic.
I plainly stated…
by Liebniz  (2024-02-27 21:40:00)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

The only worse President of the modern era wrt National Security was Trump and it isn’t close. Did you miss that?

Interestingly that takes us back to the end of the Cold War.
by wpkirish  (2024-02-26 22:50:47)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

While the world became safer in some respects I think it also led to
Some of the regional issues that define much our national security today. I don’t know enough about foreign policy say this with confidence but it stuck out to me as I read your post.