President Biden addressed a summit meeting of NATO leaders on Tuesday, on the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. His entire speech was read from a teleprompter but, even so, I was still surprised that he spoke in such a strong voice and mostly avoided the verbal flubs and stumbles, the brain fog, and the robotic moves and spaced-out look that have characterized so many of his public statements and appearances, particularly at his recent debate with Donald Trump.

Biden’s NATO address contributed to my small, nagging suspicion that we are all being sandbagged regarding Biden’s “cognitive impairment.”

[For anyone unfamiliar with the term “sandbagging,” it means to deceive your adversaries by deliberately portraying yourself as weaker and/or less capable.]

Image: Biden at NATO (cropped). YouTube screen grab.

I’ll admit to being cynical to the point of paranoia when it comes to what I believe the Biden crime family and the Democrats are capable of. I wouldn’t put anything past them, including the “termination with extreme prejudice” of Donald Trump.

And anyone who doesn’t believe them capable of eliminating Trump in such fashion probably also believes that Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself or that it was purely coincidental that Vince Foster, Jim McDougal, Seth Rich (and others who “knew too much” about the Clintons) also met untimely ends.

So, Biden’s NATO speech performance triggered a bunch of “What ifs” along the lines of “What if Joe has been faking dementia, Alzheimer’s etc.?”

But it was the content of his speech that triggered an entirely different set of “What ifs.” As I listened to his forceful remarks about Russia’s war with Ukraine, I wondered “What if certain other words were substituted?” What if Biden spoke of Israel in the same loving, supportive tones he reserves for Ukraine, and spoke of Hamas and the Palestinians with the same disdain he reserves for Putin and Russia?

When Biden said,

In Europe, Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues. And Putin wants nothing less — nothing less than Ukraine’s total subjugation; to end Ukraine’s democracy; to destroy Uraine’s cul- — Uraine — Ukraine’s culture; and to wipe Ukraine off the map.

I thought, What if, instead, he’d said this?

In the Middle East, Israel’s retaliatory war against Hamas continues. And Hamas wants nothing less — nothing less than Israel’s total subjugation; to end Israel’s democracy; to destroy Israel’s culture; and to wipe Israel off the map.

And when Joe Biden said,

And we know Putin won’t stop at Ukraine. But make no mistake, Ukraine can and will stop Putin — [applause] — especially with our full, collective support. And they have our full support.

I wondered, What if he’d said this?

And we know Islamic terrorism won’t stop at Israel. But make no mistake, Israel can and will stop Hamas, Hezbollah, and even Iran — especially with our full, collective support. And Israel has our full support.

When Biden said this:

Together, we’ve built a global coalition to stand with Ukraine. Together, we’ve provided significant economic and humanitarian assistance. And together, we’ve supplied Ukraine with weapons it needs to defend itself: tanks, armored fighting vehicles, air defense systems, long-range missiles, and millions of munitions.

The United States and nearly two dozen Allied partners have signed the bilateral security agreements with Ukraine and more countries will follow.

I wished he’d said this:

Together, we’ve built a global coalition to stand with Israel. Together, we’ve provided significant economic and humanitarian assistance. And together, we’ve supplied Israel with weapons it needs to defend itself: tanks, armored fighting vehicles, air defense systems, long-range missiles, and millions of munitions.

The United States and nearly two dozen Allied partners have signed the bilateral security agreements with Israel and more countries will follow.

Would the current, ostensible Leader of the Free World have said that? And, had he done so, would his remarks have garnered the same applause? Would the world rally behind Israel the way it has behind Ukraine?

I think we all know the shameful answer to that question; my maternal grandfather (ז״ל) had an expression that sums it up: ‘Never happen.

Author’s Note: Stu Tarlowe, a NYC native who now lives where the Kaw meets the Mighty Mo, is a septuagenarian who, since 2010, has contributed over 160 pieces to American Thinker. His personal pantheon of heroes and role models includes Barry Farber, Jean Shepherd, Rush Limbaugh, Long John Nebel, G. Gordon Liddy, Col. Allen West (still his first choice for POTUS), Col. Jeff Cooper and Rabbi Meir Kahane. He writes on matters both political and personal, including occasional dog stories and even jokes, at  Stu’s Stack o’ Stuff.