Soon after President Biden uttered the lukewarm warning “Don’t,” Iran’s recent first-ever strike on the homeland of Israel now has the potential to engulf the entire Middle East in a major regional conflict.  It also demonstrates that former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was and continues to be on target regarding the lackluster abilities of our current Commander-in-Chief Joe Biden in foreign policy and national security.  For starters, Biden’s weak enforcement of sanctions against Iran and the release of billions of frozen assets of “humanitarian” aid surely served as the catalyst for the horror that Hamas inflicted upon the people of Israel on October 7^th.

In addition, our continued tepid response to Iran’s proxy the Houthi rebels only emboldened Iran to be the pariah and bully of the Middle East. As a result of our continued appeasement and pandering, the very existence of the state of Israel may be threatened and the United States will be pulled yet again into another conflict that could have been prevented had the Biden Administration demonstrated more resolve against Iran.

Ronald Reagan know that bullies only respond to force and not idle words. Muammar Khadafi’s “line of death” was crossed with the shootdown of two of his MiG fighter jets. In addition, the Iranian Navy was decimated in less the seventy-two hours after the USS Samuel B. Roberts was damaged by an Iranian-planted mine in the Persian Gulf. Reagan’s “Strength through Power” were not idle words, and unlike the current commander-in-chief, he met challenges head on rather than hoping they would go way or get better with time.

From our disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan (not coordinated with our NATO Allies) to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine prompted by our perceived weakness and resolve once again Robert Gates has proven that he  is consistent in his assessment of Biden’s ability in national security affairs -- “He has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy question” -- but clairvoyant as well.

It is time to move beyond idle words such as “Don’t.” Our actions must speak louder than Biden’s ineffectual words that are not backed by resolve. As Winston Churchill stated, “Appeasement is feeding the alligator in the hope he eats you last.”

Image: Tasnim News Agency