(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) After already stumbling through one press conference where he confusingly conceded approval for a minor incursion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden on Tuesday mumbled his way through another disturbingly disjointed speech in the wake of Russia launching a Ukrainian incursion.
“To put it simply, Russia just announced it is carving out a big chunk of Ukraine,” Biden deadpanned after arriving nearly two hours late for the start of his speech. “He’s setting up a rationale to take more territory by force, in my opinion.”
Biden labored through a painfully strained 10 minutes of empty rhetoric and more promises of tough talk, along with gaslighting the public on the cause of spiking gas prices, before doddering off without taking any questions from the press.
Biden said that his administration is “using every tool at our disposal to protect American businesses and consumers from rising prices at the pump,” which he blamed on Russia.
“Defending freedom will have costs,” said the president who has used a raft of oppressive and despotic COVID mandates and restrictions to bridle freedom.
“I want to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump,” Biden croaked, after spending his first year in office implementing policies that have driven inflation to record highs and sent gas prices soaring.
Biden rehashed Russian sanctions that had earlier been announced by his administration, while stumbling to recall exactly what parts of Ukraine had already been subjected to incursion, and vowed to keep pressure on Moscow mob boss Vladimir Putin.
“We’re clear-eyed about the challenges we are facing,” he said from behind decidedly rheumy eyes.
“Whatever Russia does next, we’re ready to respond with unity, clarity and conviction,” Biden vowed.
“I’ll probably have more to say about this as it moves on,” he concluded, with a resounding display of clarity and conviction. “I’m hoping diplomacy is still available.”
Biden’s stammering performance, coming on the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris delivering a poorly-tossed word salad of gibberish at the Munich Security Conference, was met with equal parts incredulity and genuine concern.
“There is no greater supporter of the Democrat Party than Vladimir Putin!”
“He got Crimea on Obama’s watch, and now he’s getting exactly what he wants on Biden’s watch!” @OutnumberedFNC @FoxNews ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Gclhlg4cfd
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) February 22, 2022
Once again, Biden turns his back on the press and shuffles away in what has become the defining image of his failed presidency pic.twitter.com/n326oegmDp
— Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) February 22, 2022
This is just a brazen lie.
If they were using “every tool” they’d bring back Keystone and open up more federal land for oil and gas.
The left would lose their minds, so they won’t. https://t.co/vrUvSh1Rjq
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) February 23, 2022
White House mouthpiece Jen Psaki didn’t do her boss any favors when she took her own stab peddling the seriousness and severity of the Biden’s administration’s actions.
“Just the announcement of sanctions isn’t going to have the immediate impact,” Psaki admitted.
“They’re not intended to work that way,” she waffled. “They’re not intended to max out at the beginning.”
Jen Psaki says sanctions are not going to have an “immediate impact” on Russia pic.twitter.com/DENwnFDFsm
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 22, 2022
That’s assuming they work at any level. The sanctions Biden laid out Tuesday were essentially meaningless, said Marshall Billingslea, former Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing at the Treasury Department.
No oligarchs or Russian officials were impacted by the announced sanctions, Billingslea noted, and one of the two banks slapped has had prohibitions in place since 2019.
“Not much bark today, and very little bite,” he said of the administration’s actions. “This will not deter Putin.”
Well, sure, but remember there’s still Biden’s promised “unity, clarity and conviction.”
Today @POTUS announced sanctions on just 2 banks, one of which — VEB — has been under select restrictions since 2014. In terms of sovereign debt, the US already has certain prohibitions in place since 2019, & expanded in 2021. No oligarchs or Russian officials targeted today.
— Marshall S. Billingslea (@M_S_Billingslea) February 22, 2022