Joe Biden has been desperately looking for ways to revive his floundering presidency. In December, we learned that the White House was working directly with the media on messaging about the economy. However, no matter how much you tell people the economy is doing great when they’re struggling due to high gas prices and inflation, all the messaging in the world won’t convince them they’re better off.
Biden got a bit of a lifeline with the announcement of Justice Breyer’s retirement, which could reenergize his base before the midterms. However, his commitment to nominating a black woman has raised questions about the appropriateness of limiting his potential nominee by race and gender. Most Americans would rather see him consider all potential nominees, not just black women.
Despite the announcement, his poll numbers haven’t shown signs of recovery. This week, he seemed to throw another Hail Mary when he promised to cut cancer deaths by 50%… in twenty-five years. Well, golly, why not add curing world hunger and world peace to the list, too?
And then there’s the raid in north Syria that resulted in the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the ISIS terrorist leader who succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Something about it seemed off to me. But it became apparent quickly enough. As soon as the reports came in, it was clear that the White House desperately tried to craft a politically convenient narrative to boost Biden on foreign policy—which he so desperately needs after his botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Related: ISIS Leader Killed During Raid in Syria by U.S. Special Forces
“The daring U.S. helicopter raid deep in Syria that ended in the death of one of the world’s most wanted men gives Joe Biden the kind of dramatic military win presidents crave — and one the Democrat particularly needed,” reported the AFP. “Facing simultaneously a showdown with Russia over Ukraine, a flurry of North Korean missile tests, an ever-diminishing window of opportunity to control Iran’s nuclear program and Chinese saber-rattling over Taiwan, Biden’s foreign policy to-do list is daunting.”
“And Republican critics have worked hard to generate a narrative that Biden is weak, making the world a more dangerous place,” the AFP report continued. “Biden’s answer? Pictures of the devastated house in Syria’s Idlib region, where Qurashi blew himself up, and a White House-issued photo of Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Situation Room during the operation.”
U.S. News and World Report also noticed that Biden and his supporters “appeared eager to capitalize on a much-needed national security ‘win,’ touting his decision to risk the lives of American service members in a raid to kill the Islamic State group’s latest leader rather than risking Syrian civilian casualties with an airstrike.”
But the victory dance may be short-lived. Despite the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, details have emerged that have some describing the raid as “botched,” due to the number of civilians, including children, who were killed in the raid.
Senior administration officials have refused to reveal the number of civilians killed in the operation, and they may have given inaccurate information. The Guardian reports that “there was a significant discrepancy between the initial Pentagon report that eight children had been safely evacuated and two children were killed by the blast triggered by Qurayshi, and the accounts of first responders on the scene who say they found six children and four women dead.”
“Some of the corpses in the area do not look like they died in an explosion. They look like they were hit by extremely heavy calibre gunfire,” Charles Lister, director of the Syria program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said. “And we do know, because I saw it in a video last night as it was happening, that at least one of the helicopters in the area fired its heavy machine guns at the building for over a minute straight.”
The Pentagon will now review the raid to determine if American action caused any civilian deaths. It’s hard to say that we will be able to trust a Biden administration review of the raid. Still, one thing is certain: the Biden administration is using the raid to boost Biden… even though it’s doubtful he deserves any praise whatsoever.
