Biden speaks

President Biden turned up at the Pentagon yesterday for some purpose or other, perhaps to make the remarks to Defense Department personnel in the video below (about 10 minutes). The White House has posted the text of Biden’s remarks here.

With a vacant look in his eyes, Biden observes: “Before I begin, I have some welcome news that the Saudi government has released a prominent human rights activist, Loujain al-Hathlou — -loul — excuse me, l-o-u-l — from prison.” That’s loul — not lol. Silence!

A bit further into his remarks Biden refers to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin as “Senator Austin.” Biden stares vacantly into the prompter persists throughout. He occasionally slurs his speech. He occasionally misreads his text. “I will never, ever dishonest you — dishonor you,” he vows at one point. He pronounces Tuskegee with a hard “g” and then a soft “g.” “Sorties” becomes “sortays.” I wonder what the little boy who said the emperor hasn’t got anything on might have to say.

Oh, and what about the content? The Democrat dogma is pathetic: “There is no aspect of our agenda of the 21st century leadership where the women and men of the Defense Department do not have a role — whether it’s helping curb the pandemic here at home and around the world; or addressing the real threats of climate change that already is costing us billions in impacts on our bases, on our national security; or being part of an ongoing fight for racial justice.”

The obligatory racial theme is not shortchanged. Beau Biden appears as a sort of motif in the remarks. As the president drones on, he makes these 10 minutes feel more like 10 hours.

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