Here’s Why Biden’s Putin-Regime Change ‘Gaffe’ Was So Egregious – Opinion

In the days following Joe Biden’s call for regime change in Russia, a comment that was walked back by the White House before Biden managed to reassert it, there have been lots of different takes regarding whether he was “correct” to say what he said or not.

Because they cannot think beyond one step ahead, the foreign policy establishment absolutely loved it. It was Biden’s “tear down this wall” moment they asserted without a second thought for what it actually meant to call for Vladimir Putin’s ouster without any viable plan to bring that about. From there, accusations of being pro-Putin if one didn’t agree with Biden predictably emerged.

Bill Kristol was a great example.

The Republican view is that Putin should be allowed to continue in power. https://t.co/Ijk3iiRcU0

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) March 29, 2022

If you needed more evidence of the abject stupidity that permeates the establishment class in Washington, Kristol’s statement amounts to a written confession. It is shocking to see how Obama handled such complicated issues with the superficiality he displays.

Regime change goes beyond morality. It is a pragmatic issue at the government level. One thing is to demand the destruction of a government as part of an open-ended war with a country that intends to win total victory. However, it is quite another to make a vague threat and have no plan for achieving that goal. That’s what happened in Syria, where Democrats and Republicans alike came together to insist Basheer al Assad must be deposed while stoking a civil war that was never going to lead to that end (but did lead to over half a million people dying).

Returning to Putin, his entire argument for invading Ukraine has centered on the idea that NATO is imperialistic and wants to threaten Russia’s internal affairs. Far short of being “tough” on Putin, Biden’s comments were a gift to the dictator because they conceded his premise, and that is a premise other Western nations have been working so hard to disprove. That’s why France’s Emmanuel Marcon was so annoyed by what Biden said.

It appears that Russia and Ukraine are close to an agreement on ending hostilities. Russia even seems willing to accept the status quo, which is control over Crimea, the Donbas, but not the rest. Biden’s gaffe came at a time when de-escalation is paramount. As the old adage says, “Loose lips sink ships.” There are real consequences to having an addled old man who can’t keep his thoughts straight attempting to lead the free world.

This isn’t a moral issue. In a just world, Putin would indeed be removed from power, but foreign policy isn’t a game of emotion. Biden’s words carry weight, and to be sure, Russia immediately started using them to bolster Putin domestically. And while calling for the Russian leader’s head may make neoconservatives cheer, it was an incredibly egregious error. We can only hope it doesn’t cause more damage.