Quit with the excuses

Far too many people are casting President Joe Biden’s gaffe this past week in which he apparently called for President Vladimir Putin’s removal from power as a forgivable mistake.

It’s not. It’s part of a disturbing pattern of miscues that unnecessarily raise the risk of a direct confrontation with Russia.

This is by no means Biden’s first verbal blunder with respect to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In January, he implied a “minor incursion” by Russia into Ukraine might not trigger Western sanctions.

More recently, he appeared to surprise his own administration by labeling Putin a “war criminal.” He also told members of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division in Poland that they would witness the bravery of Ukrainians “when you’re there,” seeming to imply that U.S. troops would enter the fighting.

He also said NATO would respond “in kind” if Russia used weapons of mass destruction in its war with Ukraine, appearing to suggest that the alliance would use tactical nuclear or chemical weapons in response if Putin did so first.

The White House had to clarify that Biden had no intention of sending troops to Ukraine, and national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the president meant that “we’ll respond accordingly.”

This is a frightening pattern. The world looks to the U.S. president to provide global leadership. That person must demonstrate calm and prudence while making decisions, knowing that every word will be scrutinized to ascertain U.S. policies.

Biden’s consistent inability to perform this task means that aides must constantly clean up his remarks and clarify U.S. policy after the fact. One wonders what allied leaders must be saying to one another in private about Biden.

Thus Putin could easily believe that Biden’s gaffes are real U.S. policy, and that the White House’s walk-backs are meant to deceive him. Such a conclusion would be disastrous.

There are two possible ways to explain Biden’s gaffes. The first is that he is not really running the show and that statements from his aides are a more accurate reflection of U.S. policy. The second is that he is running the show but that he lacks the filter needed to keep private thoughts private.

The second is the likelier explanation, as it would be consistent with Biden’s tendency to make insulting off-the-cuff remarks before he was president. When he falls under pressure or is tired, he is prone to lashing out and making mistakes. That’s simply part of who he is.

But what’s cute or excusable on the campaign trail could lead to disaster when two nuclear powers are engaged in tense confrontation.