Wartime Confidantes by Lawrence Kadish
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18327/wartime-confidantes
By anyone’s definition, US President Joseph Biden has become an American war president.
Which begs the question – who are his closest confidantes at a time of extreme peril?
Lincoln had Edwin Stanton who was an unflappable War Secretary Lincoln could depend upon during the darkest days of the Civil War.
Woodrow Wilson sought the advice of “Colonel” Edward House, who served as his diplomatic representative in dealing with our European Allies during World War I and in the months that followed the armistice.
FDR depended on the likes of Harry Hopkins, General George Marshall, and Admiral William Leahy – smart strategists who understood the existential threat that faced America and the free world during World War II.
And Joe Biden? Who is advising this president to confront and outplay Russian President Vladimir Putin at a time when Russian rocket strikes are creeping ever closer to our NATO ally, Poland? Who is giving Biden the type of insight and analysis he needs, given that any misstep could see an exchange of weapons of mass destruction?
Vice President Kamala Harris, whose unimpressive performance during her recent diplomatic mission to Eastern Europe must have given our allies much pause for thought?
This author raised the question of Biden’s unofficial circle of advisors in the Fall of last year when the issues were domestic and Washington’s policies had created such massive national debt that it was capable of triggering historic inflation. (And here we are.) While history teaches us that failed economic models can destroy a nation (such as Germany in the 1920s and the Soviet Union in the 1980s), war can leave a field of ruin where great cities once stood.
We reported then that published reports revealed that John Podesta, Clinton’s former chief of staff and senior counselor to Obama, was actively lobbying Democratic Congressmen on behalf of Biden’s “Build Back Better ” agenda. We also noted that Podesta’s older brother, Anthony, a longtime Democratic lobbyist and fundraiser, was the subject of a New York Times story that reported Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei had hired Podesta despite the fact that Huawei was identified as a national security threat by the Trump administration, and even the Biden administration.
Today, as we seek an answer to the question of “Who is advising the president at a time of war?”, we must frankly admit we don’t know what we don’t know. It is difficult to connect the dots at a White House where there is official staff who may, or may not, be working with advisors, consultants, lobbyists, and relatives of lobbyists who have no allegiance but possibly to the highest bidder.
What this president needs is a Stanton, House, Hopkins or Leahy. Correction. What this nation needs is a patriot who has put country above all else as we face a dangerous foe who, having misjudged the fighting spirit of Ukraine, may make an even more fatal mistake, changing the course of history for our nation and the world.
Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
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