Two Foreign Policy Failures; Chris Christie Fades
Author: Greg Valliere
December 13, 2023
TWO FOREIGN POLICY FAILURES: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will leave Washington today with nothing but good wishes and promises of more aid later this winter, which he may not get. Tragically, a deal was possible, but the White House refused to negotiate a border/immigration compromise, which the House demanded and the public seemed to support.
NEW HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON is flexing his muscles, moving today to authorize an impeachment inquiry aimed at Joe Biden. And Johnson sent a message to Democrats that an immigration deal is mandatory as the Southwest border is inundated with up to 10,000 illegal immigrants per day. No other legislation will pass until this issue is resolved.
A LOGICAL SOLUTION WOULD BE negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but there’s little logic in this horrible war, not without a deal on Crimea, which is the major obstacle to any kind of truce. Zelinsky probably has enough arms to get through the winter, but the inability of Washington to provide more aid surely has changed the narrative, as Kyiv fights on with dwindling resources.
BIDEN VS. ISRAEL: While a failure on Ukraine seemed likely this week, a public spat between Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu has stunned Washington. Biden spoke in unusually personal terms at private fundraisers about Netanyahu’s “indiscriminate” bombing of Gaza and his refusal to accept a cease fire.
OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON say privately that the window is closing on Israel, as most of the world — and now, Biden — demands a truce. U.S. aid to Israel, now stalled until January, is at stake. Netanyahu has to wrap up the war by early January, one expert told us yesterday, or Israel will face a widening rift with the U.S. that was unthinkable just weeks ago.
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CHRIS CHRISTIE — NEXT TO GO? The former New Jersey governor was gaining a little momentum in New Hampshire, but his chances for an upset took a major hit yesterday. Popular Gov. Chris Sununu endorsed Nikki Haley, which gives her a chance for a second place finish in the Jan. 23 primary.
CHRISTIE, A FIERCE AND COLORFUL CRITIC of Donald Trump, has devoted virtually all of his time and money on the New Hampshire primary; now it’s likely that he will drop out within days. Does this give Haley or Ron DeSantis any chance of winning the Republican nomination? They each have some traction, but it’s too late for both of them as Donald Trump’s polls continue to soar.
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