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Biden's Incredibly Shrunken Presidency
Townhall.com ^ | August 17, 2021 | Larry O'Connor

Posted on 08/17/2021 5:03:01 AM PDT by Kaslin

With Monday's disastrous, tone-deaf national address deflecting any responsibility or semblance of reality in relation to his failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, Joe Biden's presidency has already shrunk... beyond recognition.

It seems like the last several presidents all endured the same, clichéd headline at some point in their presidency. "The Incredible Shrinking Presidency."

It began in 1992 when Time Magazine gave the cover story treatment of "The Incredible Shrinking President" to harm George H. W. Bush and prop up the chances of Bill Clinton.

The media kept propping Clinton up through his scandals and failures and only came around to a post-presidency analysis of him as the "Incredible Shrinking Ex-President" in 2002.

George W. Bush was incredibly successful and popular with the American people, so, of course, the media had to run endless articles describing him at various times as the "Incredibly Shrinking President.

Even Obama had the odd "Incredible Shrinking Presidency" treatment despite the mostly fawning coverage.

And with Trump... well... CNN, USA Today, Boston Globe, Salon, Commentary, NY Daily News... There are more.. see for yourself. You'd think these political commentators would be embarrassed by writing literally the exact same headline about every president for the past 30 years. But, sadly, you'd be wrong.

I'd love to use my little corner of this website to be the first to pronounce "The Incredibly Shrinking Presidency of Joe Biden, but, sadly, after today, it's too late. It's shrunken.

His petulant speech arguing in favor of a troop withdrawal that virtually nobody is even debating today is a perfect example of his willful diminishment of the highest office in the land.

What was in question and what deserved to be addressed Monday was not whether America should withdraw her troops after 20 years of nation-building. The topic on the table was the disastrous way he executed the withdrawal.

Biden's policy and his defensive, stubborn demeanor defending the policy showed zero empathy for the American families who sacrificed over the past 20 years to support the policy he advocated for, voted for, propped up, and now has sabotaged in its final days.

In claiming the buck stopped with him, Biden proceeded to pass the buck to multiple entities, including his predecessor.

"When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban," Biden intoned. The implication was that Biden's hands were tied, and he could do nothing about the plan Trump had put into place.

Let's think this through for just a nanosecond. There are a lot of Trump policies Biden "inherited."

Over the past several months, Biden ignored and reversed Trump policies on abortion funding, border crossings, the wall, keystone pipeline, Paris climate accords, Iran nuke deal, taxes, Title IX transgender rules...

But we are to believe that he is locked in and beholden to Trump's policy on troop withdrawal in America's longest war in history?

Further, Biden's duplicitous teleprompter recitation not only diminished his own office but also the authority and influence of the long-respected military leadership across the Potomac at the Pentagon.

What advice did he get from America's top generals and admirals about this withdrawal plan? Logically, there are only two conclusions we can draw at this time.

Either he got terrible military advice, the generals were wrong and they should be fired, or Biden ignored the generals' military advice and those generals should resign out of duty and honor.

It's one or the other.

Without those firings or resignations, the leadership at the Pentagon shrinks right along with their feckless commander-in-chief.

Ultimately, this is all about Biden and his negligent stewardship of the office he has been handed. Despite all the proclamations that Biden's presidency represented a supposed "return to norms" and an ascendency of the "grown-ups" back in charge after the Trump Administration, Biden's team of Ivy League experts has ruined our border policy, our military reputation in Afghanistan, put our nation at higher risk of a terror attack and have sent a message to the rest of our allies that we are unreliable and reckless.

The hope that Biden would somehow lead this nation in his diminished state was always a fantasy. Biden has never really been a leader.

In summarizing Joe Biden's 50-year political career, can anyone identify a single, over-arching value he has consistently believed in other than his own personal political advancement?

He has always been a small, petty man. Just ask the families of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. They saw it firsthand. Far from rising to the occasion of the office he accidentally occupies, he has quickly allowed the grand office to shrink to his lamentably diminished profile.

Biden's presidency is not shrinking. It's already shrunk.

We deserve better. So does the world.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: afghanistan

1 posted on 08/17/2021 5:03:01 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

“It began in 1992 when Time Magazine gave the cover story treatment of “The Incredible Shrinking President” to harm George H. W. Bush and prop up the chances of Bill Clinton.”

That really takes me back. Ah, the old days when Time and Newsweek actually seemed like they mattered.


2 posted on 08/17/2021 5:06:30 AM PDT by cdcdawg (Blame Biden)
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To: Kaslin

Let’s put this into perspective, Biden is a place holder put into the office to front for the Deep State and Obama. All the blame needs to go to the Deep State and Obama. When Biden becomes a liability then Ms Harris becomes the next place holder for Deep State and Obama. It is time to point the criticism at the real power structure and not poor, past his sell date Joe. We just play into their hand when we attack Joe, time to attack the real Puppeteers!


3 posted on 08/17/2021 5:12:46 AM PDT by Lockbox (politicians, they all seemed like game show hosts to me.... Sting)
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To: Kaslin
Either he got terrible military advice, the generals were wrong and they should be fired, or Biden ignored the generals' military advice and those generals should resign out of duty and honor.

Alas, the time honored practice of resigning in the wake of failure or on principle has been honored almost exclusively in England and almost never in modern America, more the pity.


4 posted on 08/17/2021 5:13:00 AM PDT by nathanbedford (attack, repeat, attack! Bull Halsey)
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To: Kaslin

It’s long past time he and his puppet masters step down or the people will remove him/them by force.

Pain is coming. Rudy Giuliani declared after the November 3rd election theft that America was headed for very dark times. How much longer is the military going to allow this communist puppet buffoon to ruin our country. Send in the tanks NOW!


5 posted on 08/17/2021 5:24:08 AM PDT by Flavious_Maximus (Fauci is a murderer)
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To: Kaslin

“American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.”

Joe Biden

We are not about to send American boys 9 or 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.”

Lyndon B. Johnson

This moron hasn’t got an original thought in his empty head


6 posted on 08/17/2021 5:37:03 AM PDT by V_TWIN
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To: Kaslin

He beat Obama to the “worst president ever” title in RECORD TIME

Jimmuh must be relaxing knowing he is no longer 2nd from last place, there are now TWO people actually worse than him.

Jimmuh was smart man with a seemingly good heart but a very very poor leader. As president he micro-managed the tennis court schedule.


7 posted on 08/17/2021 5:58:46 AM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself)
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To: Kaslin

In my humble opinion, Obama must be relieved and smiling as Biden has taken over the spot of the worst president of all time. Bumping Obama to 2nd worse and Carter to 3rd worse. Though perhaps Obama and Carter are tied for 2nd worse.


8 posted on 08/17/2021 6:23:59 AM PDT by This I Wonder32460
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To: Kaslin

Next on the menu, Taiwan. After that Iran, Pakistan, China, Russia, and Turkey carve up Afghanistan. In less than 6 months it will be absorbed,


9 posted on 08/17/2021 6:26:18 AM PDT by DownInFlames (G)
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To: Kaslin

Has anybody noticed that aside from Biden’s 10 minutes of mumblings yesterday it seems like our entire government has disappeared?


10 posted on 08/17/2021 6:56:46 AM PDT by suthener ( )
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To: suthener

It was interesting, he popped out and read the prompter fairly forcefully for about 10 mins, then he noticeably trailed off during the last 10. I guess the amphetamines wear off quickly?


11 posted on 08/17/2021 6:58:02 AM PDT by nascarnation
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To: Kaslin

It easily could consist of six pimple faced libtard college dropouts sitting on the floor in a circle writing messages on white paper. When finished, they hold the message up so that dementia boy can try to read it.

We’re in good hands folks, nothing to see here, just move along...


12 posted on 08/17/2021 7:37:59 AM PDT by trailboss800
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To: Kaslin

The Democrat Party has become obsessed with indulging the insecurities of a neurotic citizenry. Their political attention is exclusively drawn to racial disparities, gender identity conflicts, and sexual preference nuances that have confounded pubescents since the existence of mankind. Is it any wonder that they are screwing up every public policy that arises? The most frightening thing is that they have at their disposal the full reserve of the American treasury and the complicity of the American military.


13 posted on 08/17/2021 7:53:11 AM PDT by Repealthe17thAmendment
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To: Kaslin

14 posted on 08/17/2021 8:00:52 AM PDT by shotgun
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To: nathanbedford

It’s probably time to re-evaluate the practice of forcing general officers to retire or rotate to a new job every 2 or 3 years. If you give an area commander a mission, he should be able to learn & adapt over a longer period — subject to relief of command (and that shouldn’t be an automatic career-ender).

But even that is just treating a symptom. When you get the strategy wrong nothing else matters.


15 posted on 08/17/2021 9:27:56 AM PDT by Tallguy
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To: suthener

“Has anybody noticed that aside from Biden’s 10 minutes of mumblings yesterday it seems like our entire government has disappeared?”

I think that the elites have the month of August off. We have become the French. I notice a lack of a coordinated defense of the Biden ‘policies’ in the media over the last week or so. It’s almost like all the editors, senior writers and commentators on the Left have left town and taken their phones off the hook.

Either that or the Obama & Clinton cliques have decided that time’s up for Slow Joe and Kamala is warming up in the Bull Pen.


16 posted on 08/17/2021 9:31:32 AM PDT by Tallguy
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To: Tallguy
Agreed.

Winning strategy is difficult enough to conceive when one's mind is entirely devoted to the problem but when strategic planners both in uniform and in mufti are focused on domestic politics, personal advancement in a political atmosphere, or distorted by ideology, the outcome is seldom victory.


17 posted on 08/18/2021 2:33:10 AM PDT by nathanbedford (attack, repeat, attack! Bull Halsey)
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