Disarray on Taiwan: Is Biden Still Commander-in-Chief? – President Joe Biden may no longer be making foreign policy, and it is unclear whether he is still discharging the duties as commander-in-chief.
On “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Biden, in response to a question from Scott Pelley, declared the United States would send troops to defend Taiwan “if in fact there was an unprecedented attack.”
“After the interview, a White House official said U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed,” CBS News reported. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday made the same point to CNN’s Phil Mattingly during the regular press briefing.
Biden’s clear words were, in fact, a stark change from America’s decades-old policy of “strategic ambiguity.” Pursuant to that policy, Washington does not tell either Beijing or Taipei whether it will defend the island republic from Chinese invasion.
This is the fourth time that Joe Biden as president, has publicly stated the U.S. will defend Taiwan. He made that pledge last August to ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos. The President repeated his words to CNN’s Anderson Cooper last October. Biden also said the same thing to a reporter in Tokyo in May.
White House and administration officials, both anonymously and on the record, have contradicted the President all four times.
It is not possible to reconcile Biden’s statements with the walkbacks by subordinates. Sullivan on Tuesday characterized Biden’s response to Pelley as merely an answer to a “hypothetical question.” “When the President of the United States wants to announce a policy change, he will do so,” Sullivan said to Mattingly. “He has not done so.”
By giving clear answers to Pelley and others, however, Biden effectively ended the policy of strategic ambiguity by clearing up the ambiguity. How can that not be a change of policy?
Biden, the commander-in-chief, is the one constitutionally charged with making American foreign policy. Yet his subordinates directly contradicted him, effectively exercising his powers. That suggests a constitutional coup.
So why should the American people care if someone other than Joe Biden is making policy and exercising his powers?
Because China and other hostile powers can perceive disarray in the Biden administration, and if, in fact, they do so, they are unlikely to be deterred by America.
Disarray can have real-world consequences, especially in a world that already appears to be transitioning from a period of general calm to one of constant turbulence.
A 19FortyFive Contributing Editor, Gordon G. Chang is the author of The Coming Collapse of China and The Great U.S.-China Tech War. Follow him on Twitter @GordonGChang.
Steven
September 21, 2022 at 8:23 am
The left stole the election. Biden, is, literally, a moron.
TG
September 21, 2022 at 8:57 am
Biden is doing what he has done for 50 years: be a total sell-out lickspittle corporate whore, stabbing the working class in the back for favors from his wealthy patrons. That’s why he was installed (did anyone else notice that in the last campaign there was effectively zero public coverage of Biden’s actual 50 year record???), he will do as he is told. Foreign leadership of countries like China are not stupid and they know that Biden is just a figurehead, though they have to pretend to react for form’s sake.
Who is really in charge? Good question! Most likely some more-or-less cohesive group of mostly American billionaires. I wish the mainstream media would ask this question, but of course, that’s not what they are paid to do. But how brilliant, they can drive the country into the ground for profit, and all the blame goes to ‘Biden’. There is no disarray, there is a vaudeville act cloaking some very smart, totally amoral players.
phil stacy
September 21, 2022 at 10:10 am
Biden has lost his brain executive function and has never been president. It is hard to believe Biden was elected president. To call Biden president
is another big lie like saying the border is secure when millions are invading. The real decision makers
avoid accountability.
RUSS ALLISON
September 21, 2022 at 12:41 pm
Biden is a prop, a puppet on a string. We all knew that and we voted for him anyway.
As for “strategic ambiguity” we still got that. It just that the ambiguity has been projected not only on Communist China but on Taiwan as well…and on the USA too, when you think about it.
MaxAmoeba
September 21, 2022 at 1:30 pm
The real question is “was Joe Biden EVER President”?
Dr. Scooter Van Neuter
September 21, 2022 at 1:53 pm
Biden, now possessing the intellect, reasoning, and temperament of a child has clearly never been in charge of making important decisions during his (likely illegitimate) presidency.
The reality that the most powerful nation on earth is being controlled by unelected, anonymous individuals is nothing less than terrifying and apocalyptical – God help us.
xheavy
September 21, 2022 at 2:15 pm
An empty Chair.
When he was sworn in, I figure the White House will be a mob for four years or less if they disposed of him via 25th Amendment or some other action earlier.
The Queen’s Funeral confirmed that we do not see Biden as having any Value as President. They made sure that he is in the far back away from Cameras for the most part.
350 million Americans and you think you will find someone to be a President thats good for all of us. But think those days are long gone. We can keep putting people in there but the Office of the Executive has lost it’s Power when no one pays attention to it.
Biden at one time was sharp and has been in DC forevah. But after a certain age not long ago and symptoms of medical decline or recent doped up on Amps and other meds (I am a former Pain Patient, I can read someone on video and know if they are possibly drugged up or down)
I also made two decisions in my lifetime. There will be no elections ever again. And there will be no medical anything. Particularly vaccines. I also stripped out Doctors from my personal life because the State and Federal Enforcement actions make treatment a mockery of what it once was. Now if there was something very simple like a broken bone to fix or replace great. Simple. Chop chop fix owie. No way the state or fed can fuck that up. Otherwise no more of that shit in doctoring. Thus DNR.
I do keep America as our Founders intended within the four walls and roof of my home and leave the light on. America lives as long as I do. As I once remembered and lived it.
It is fortunate that God has seen fit to allow Death to take each and every one of us in due time so that we do not keep say being speaker of the house for 150 years or more. Thats no good. Half the stuff in the body and mind quit working by then.
But the White House has been empty for some time. Run by a Staff of Pretenders who think they are working for the President and Vice. Which is ok. However the situation that comes out of the White House is not credible. Press Conferences and so on are of no value. Surely the People cannot be that stupid. But here we are.
403Forbidden
September 21, 2022 at 4:30 pm
Old joe is the worst occupant of white house ever in US history.
He makes jimmy carter completely tame and wholly acceptable and legit by comparison.
Old joe thinks he’s mike tyson but he’s just an escapee or letgo from san quentin mental healthcare asylum.
OIF Combat Vet
September 21, 2022 at 7:02 pm
Well, whoever is president sucks and is deliberately running America into the ground paving the way for Chinese hegemony.
GhostTomahawk
September 22, 2022 at 1:25 am
Wait Joe Biden is president? I thought it was the Easter Bunny.
I mean allegedly he won an election…I guess. As long as you dont verify the votes after massive “irregularities” were found everywhere he needed to win….. the Govt used the word “irregularities” like the FBI used the word “matter” in lieu of investigation. So whatever.
Biden isn’t president. Obozo the clown and his douche patrol have their 3rd term and are cashing in while they push the car off the ledge.
Hope yall got your kit ready because the next 2 years might be all that is left of this nation as we know it.
Mark Duncan
September 23, 2022 at 5:34 pm
China may not fear america. However, I guarantee you China fears Taiwan bombing the Three Gorges damn, if China makes the slightest move on taiwan. If Taiwan is already said that their first Target will be three gorgeous down. 90% of China’s military is stationed in the immediate floodplain of that dam. All Taiwan would have to do to destroy China’s military would be to bomb that damn. They would destroy 90% of China’s military, and six hundred million people.
Ghost Tomahawk
September 27, 2022 at 3:28 pm
Wait…Joe Biden is the president? Because everytime this man talks off queue card “The White House” does a retraction.
This man may have been certified as the President but its in name only and the entire world knows it…..but thats ok because their leaders are the same puppets as ours is…just without the cognitive decline. Sans Italy. That lady has tenacity