Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio asked a question on Sunday that should have been on the minds of all Americans. That question was why Joe Biden was on vacation at Camp David during the tensest operation of his presidency to date. Shouldn’t he have stuck around to see how his plan played out? Certainly he would have seemed less out-of-touch when his withdrawal plan went badly sideways, forcing him back to D.C. to address the American people.
But no sense crying over spilled milk. Today is a new day, and where is the president now? Is he in conference with his senior commanders on what to do next to ensure safe passage out of Afghanistan for Americans still trapped there?
Nope, he’s back at Camp David! His itinerary from yesterday reveals that no sooner had his speech ended — and with no questions taken from the media — than he was back aboard Marine One to continue his vacation.
The message wasn’t well received by some in the media. Tim Graham of NewsBusters tweeted, “If Biden wasn’t going to take questions, why leave Camp David?” (One might venture a guess that he didn’t want to be seen delivering the most important address of his presidency with a golf club in his hand, but who knows what was going through his or his handlers’ minds.)
Sen. Tom Cotton asked why the president is hiding, adding that “conference calls between cabinet secretaries and senators don’t cut it in a crisis.”
Why is Joe Biden in hiding? He should immediately address the nation and answer for the catastrophic situation in Afghanistan. Conference calls between cabinet secretaries and senators don’t cut it in a crisis.
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) August 15, 2021
A reality these critics are not facing is that Biden is getting on in years and needs his rest. Maybe he should be encouraged to take more breaks — perhaps one that lasts the rest of his life.
