Though the American public didn't directly see or hear him say it, we're told that, following Israel's successful defense against Saturday's massive Iranian missile barrage on the Jewish state, President Biden counseled Prime Minister Netanyahu to, "take the win."
If that's actually what he said, it might be cause for a bit of head-scratching.
The phrase has something of a fatherly or avuncular ring to it, don't you think? It's something you might hear a little league coach tell his team after squeaking out a victory in a sloppy game.
"Take the win" carries a sort of familiar and friendly tone, so it's not the kind of thing you'd expect to hear from someone who, not two weeks ago, threatened to cut you off.
Ten days after informing Bibi that "U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on" adhering to his administration's expectations as to how Israel should wage war against an adversary intent on its eradication, and merely hours after the Jewish state withstood the nationwide bombardment, Joe thought it appropriate to wrap a long-distance arm around his counterpart, encouraging him to "take the win."
The statement strikes me as entirely out of place. It's like listening to a hip-hop song where, halfway through, someone starts singing in iambic pentameter. The words and sentiment just don't fit into the storyline.
It's as if Biden and company (those who carefully scripted his counseling session with Netanyahu) have already forgotten October 7. They've managed to ignore the fact that, despite the president's admonition of "Don't," the Islamic Republic of Iran launched a direct assault on Israel for the first time in the regime's 45-year history.
But it’s not just the simple incongruousness of the statement.
Biden's words to Netanyahu also beg the question, "Exactly which win did you have in mind, Mr. President?" They also seem disconnected from any coherent definition of the operative word, "win."
Does Joe believe that Israel simply managing to make it through another day without thousands of civilian casualties constitutes a "win"?
Maybe the president was briefed on some inside scoop revealing that, in engaging Israel with hundreds of warheads on Saturday, Iran entirely depleted its supply of long-range munitions. Now, if that were the case, then okay, take the win.
But the reality is that Iran is likely just a small tweak away from effectively coordinating the launch sequence of the various classes of munitions it used. As it happened, it didn't allow the slow-moving drones enough flight time before firing the missiles. That oversight allowed Israel and its allies to defeat each component of the attack individually, rather than be overwhelmed by the munitions' simultaneous arrival.
If Iran gets the timing right, then the win Joe's referring to might prove less than durable.
And that's only accounting for Iran's conventional weapons arsenal. Last year, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that Tehran continues to enrich uranium well beyond the level required for commercial use and that the regime has enough on hand for "several" nuclear weapons.
If the mullahs get their hands on a nuke, do you think they're going to waste their time with another volley of less-than-effective conventional weapons?
It’s also worth noting that, earlier today, Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, threatened Jerusalem with a “massive and harsh” response to even the “tiniest invasion” by Israel.
Iranian oil production is currently at a five-year high of 3.4 million barrels a day, with nearly all of its exported crude being shipped to China at a discount. And just two days ago, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi referred to Iran as a "comprehensive strategic partner"?
Kinda hard to discern a win out of that whole arrangement, huh?
And, curiously, why not encourage Hamas to take the win?
After all, according to Israeli intelligence officer, BGen Yossi Kuperwasser, "they paid a heavy price, but they also achieved a very big accomplishment in their eyes on October 7."
He continued, "They can also credit themselves with the fact that the Palestinian public strongly supports what they did."
So, take the win, right?
No, instead Hamas just rejected yet another ceasefire proposal over the weekend.
Thanks in large part to Biden's diffidence, the terrorist group hasn't so much as budged from its ludicrous ceasefire demands, including the release of roughly 1,000 Palestinian convicts, of whom about 100 are serving life sentences for fatal attacks on Israelis.
Even his own State Department acknowledges Hamas' intransigence. Yesterday, spokesman Matthew Miller pointed to the fact that "It is Hamas right now that is the barrier and the obstacle to the ceasefire in Gaza."
The terror group's latest list of demands includes a six-week ceasefire followed by the release of 20 hostages, despite its recent admission that it was having trouble even locating the 40 hostages it had previously promised to free.
Additionally, Israel must immediately withdraw from Gaza and agree to a permanent ceasefire, all of which amounts to an Israeli surrender and a return to the status quo ante of October 6.
And, does Biden think that anything about the fact that five Americans are still being held in Hamas captivity should be considered a win?
Of course, with November 5 just over the horizon, it's not too surprising to hear "take the win" from a man —and an administration— who've chosen to pander to the radical voices from a few key electoral districts. I heard one pundit say recently that Biden had embraced the notion of a two-state solution — the two states being Wisconsin and Michigan.
Earlier this month, a Michigan organization calling itself the Al-Quds Committee held a rally in Dearborn that featured chants of "death to Israel" and "death to America"?
Is it a win that these sorts of episodes have become normalized to the point of being on a journalistic par with "dog bites man"?
Is it a win when the United States Congresswoman representing the district in which that rally took place won't enthusiastically declare that she disagrees with the sentiment expressed by those protesters?
Yeah, when asked by Fox News' Hillary Vaughn if she condemns "chants of death to America," Rep Rashida Tlaib repeatedly refused to answer the simple question, instead replying, "I do not talk to Fox News," and adding, "I know you all are Islamophobic."
Was Monday's "economic blockade for Gaza" a win for anybody? Thousands of Israel-hating "pro-Palestinian" protestors clogged vital transportation arteries, intent on shutting down critical infrastructure while inconveniencing and potentially endangering American motorists. Bridges were blocked and travelers were prevented from getting to airports.
Meanwhile, on Wall St, the American flag was burned while the crowd turned up the volume of its "Death to America" chants upon the arrival of a female protester parading through the mass of morons, waving the flag of Hezbollah.
Forgive me for having to remind the uniformed dipshits that, in 1997, the US designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization, following a decade and a half of bombings and hijackings, during which the group was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, including a CIA station chief.
Hezbollah's 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon was the deadliest day for the Corps since the 1968 Tet Offensive and, before that, the battle of Iwo Jima.
Is it a win that, in 2023, antisemitic incidents rose by 143% in the US and by 321% on American college campuses? According to the Anti-Defamation League, there were nearly 9,000 reports of assault, harassment and vandalism against American Jews last year, with more than 5,000 of those occurring post-October 7.
"Take the win" would’ve made about as much sense coming from Emperor Nero in 64 AD. Maybe Joe and the emperor could find a more fitting platitude, like "Count your blessings," or "It could've been worse."
Brian O'Leary is a retired Marine Corps colonel, who served for 30 years, including combat deployments to Somalia and Iraq, and command of an infantry battalion in Afghanistan. Additionally, he has spent 25 years in the financial services industry. Brian earned his BA in English from Penn State University and his MA in National Security Studies from the US Army War College.
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