Bad optics

This week, U.S. President Biden and the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohmmed bin Salman Al Saud (aka “MBS”), shared a nice little fist bump on greeting at the royal palace in Jeddah. The CIA have claimed that bin Salman ordered the killing and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.

During the Democratic Party pre-election debates on the 2020 campaign trail, Biden referred to the Saudi nation as a pariah for the nation’s horrible human rights record. My faith in Mr. Biden evaporated in the moment he shared the fist bump with bin Salman.

For all the things accomplished in these high powered meetings, Biden did not have to travel to Saudi Arabia and instead could have empowered his State Department elites to craft the diplomatic accords and agreements. Leaders of democratic nations should not be meeting with foreign despots who engage in homicide not to mention shaking hands or fist bumping.

I have supported Mr. Biden and his domestic political agenda throughout his presidency and applaud his resolute devotion to military and financial aid for the Ukrainian war effort. Without this, Ukraine would not have any prospect whatsoever of repelling the Russian invasion. As an aside, I believe that America and NATO partners will ultimately be drawn into the conflict — it’s inevitable, in my view.

Mr. Biden should not be the nomination for the 2024 Presidential Election. He achieved what was the most necessary goal of 2020 — to defeat Donald Trump. It is time for the man to retire after a life of public service and point the way to a younger candidate such as California Governor Gavin Newsom or Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy. Perhaps this will be case following the mid-term election period.