OPINION:
He has done it again. Prompted by an inquiring reporter, President Biden has flipped a critical U.S. geopolitical position on its head. During an era in which global disturbances have put on edge nations bristling with nuclear arms, policy misstatements of sweeping magnitude risk triggering catastrophic military misadventures. Americans have a fresh reason for their historic disapproval of the president’s gaffe-prone leadership.
Mr. Biden’s tongue went rogue in Tokyo on Monday during a foreign trip to shore up Indo-Pacific relations. Given his refusal to send U.S. troops to reinforce Ukraine’s battle against invading Russian forces, a reporter asked the president: “Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?”
“Yes,” answered Mr. Biden. “The idea that it can be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not appropriate. It would dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine.” Oops.
The White House quickly amended the president’s flawed response and asserted that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan-China relations remains unchanged. “Strategic ambivalence” — intentionally confusing language that accedes to Beijing’s insistence that Taiwan is part of China while condemning the use of force to devour the island entity — has undergirded Washington’s stance for a half-century.
Uncaring whether Mr. Biden’s stunning statement resulted from common jet lag or the toll of his 79 years, Beijing didn’t wait for a re-do before rattling its saber: “China will take firm actions to safeguard its sovereignty and security interests. We mean what we say.”
It’s not the first time the president has blithely flipped U.S. foreign policy. In January, he vowed that Russia would be held accountable for its then-impending invasion of Ukraine while suggesting NATO would make allowances for “a minor incursion.” If Mr. Biden’s remarks did not exactly flash a green light to Russian President Vladimir Putin, they didn’t constitute a red stoplight, either. Sadly, the Russian military juggernaut slammed into its neighbor a month later.
Mr. Biden also horrified the civilized world in March when he said Russia’s use of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine would prompt NATO to respond “in kind.” Deployment of such munitions for any reason would violate international law.
Loose lips have a way of unleashing unintended chaos. In 1950, Secretary of State Dean Acheson made a careless error in a speech when he failed to include South Korea within the U.S. “defensive perimeter.” The communist North recognized a ripe opportunity and within six months, launched a fratricidal invasion that still lacks a formal peace agreement.
Politicians have little difficulty calling forth crucial positions that are close to their hearts. Those without core positions, though, are prone to blurt out baloney when the burdens of office cloud their thoughts.
Mr. Biden’s approval rating has sunk to a dismal 39%, according to The Associated Press. It reflects the fact that Americans are increasingly exasperated with the sharpened risks they face from glaring episodes of “Bidenonsense.”
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