The List Is Not Life

 

On Thursday America suffered collective pain and indignity with the ISIS bombings at Kabul airport. The slaughter that included 13 US service members was bad enough; the response from the White House was even worse. I ask—no really, I am pleading—is anybody running the show at 1600 Pennsylvania?

Times of crisis usually bring out the best of presidents and their speechwriters. From FDR declaring December 7^th, 1941 a “day that will live in infamy” to Reagan mourning the Challenger’s crew “slipping the surly bonds of earth,” the right people at the right time say the right things. George W. Bush managed to improv through a bullhorn on the smoldering ruins of the Twin Towers and channel a nation’s anguish and anger. Even Obama’s highly scripted, pointy-headed professorial declarations were, at their base, well-crafted and professional. And for Donald Trump, the Teleprompter was merely something of a guide, rather than a script, to follow, but his discussions of fallen service members were always respectful.

Then there was Joe Biden’s performance on Thursday.

Besides being late in the day and late for the appointed time, the prepared remarks were, at best, a rambling descent into the incomprehensible. The only good thing was that his speech was short and as it finished I thought the worst was over. And by worst I mean Joe talking, as his usual tactic when his vacation is interrupted is to shuffle away without taking questions before heading back to Camp David.

But no.

And here is the exact moment when the wheels officially came off the Biden bus. I repeat it verbatim, copied directly from the White House’s official transcript:

“Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O’Donnell of NBC.”

Yes ladies and gentlemen, the President actually announced to the entire world that he had a list of reporters on which to call, and that “they” (whoever “they” are) who gave him this list are somehow running this show. Is there no advisor, aide, or press rep that can tell Joe that this is the one thing you would never, never say? Everyone knows presidents (or anyone facing the press corps) have favorites and they get asked first. It’s not even relevant or important. But why would you even think to mention it? Is there a mind at work? Did you forget that this interaction is about the killing of US military personnel and not how you run a presser? Apparently not, because then Joe thought he could be funny.

Now calling on the press has always been a bit of a game. Sam Donaldson was Reagan’s jester—the wild gesticulations and screaming above Marine One’s rotors contrasting to his never-moving shellacked head of black hair was always funny, especially since Sam didn’t realize the joke was on him. It was all an act of political theatre, and Reagan knew how and when to play the part. Inexplicably Joe thought that humor, a smug joke, was in order to end this affair. Again I quote from the White House transcript:

“I’ll take one more question…

THE PRESIDENT: Whoa. Wait, wait, wait. Let me take the one question from the most interesting guy that I know in the press.”

That’s right. When the world wants to know what the United States will do after a terrorist attack, you should start poking fun at…the Fox News reporter. Instead of treating those who had just sacrificed their lives with the respect they deserve, Joe went for a tone-deaf goof that reduces their deaths to accidental bystanders at an amusement park mishap.

Over this weekend I will give pause and pray for those we lost and their families. I will think of all the good things about this country and how lucky we are to be in it. If I could, I’d even go around the White House and see if there are any adults who can straighten things out and get our citizens home from Afghanistan. One thing is for sure—nobody needed to help me put together this list of things to do.

 

© 2021 Alexander W. Stephens, All Rights Reserved.