The response by President Joe Biden to drone and rocket attacks in Syria that resulted in the death of a U.S. contractor and injuries to six other Americans was criticized by Republicans as being too little too late.
On Thursday, Biden ordered retaliatory airstrikes in response to the fatal drone attack in Syria on a coalition base. Republicans criticized his response, citing his weaknesses as a president towards other world leaders. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) accused Biden of letting Americans down again and placed the blame squarely on him. Furthermore, a day after the retaliatory airstrikes, Iran-backed proxy forces launched rockets at a U.S. base in northeast Syria, highlighting the escalating tensions in the region.
“I fear General Milley and Secretary of Defense Austin are not proving to be up to the task of providing the deterrence America needs to remain safe. However, the ultimate blame for the failing foreign policy and military situation we find ourselves in lies with President Biden,” Graham tweeted on Friday. “President Biden owes it to those Americans fighting radical Islam to respond vigorously to any attack on them and their position by Iranian proxies. The weak, uncertain response to the initial attack obviously did not work.”
“America has only one path available when attacked – respond swiftly and vigorously with overwhelming, punishing force designed to make enemies wary of engaging with the United States,” he added. “Being strong is the best deterrence against future attacks.”
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Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also criticized President Biden’s retaliatory strikes as coming too late, claiming that American lives could have been saved if Biden had responded forcefully to the dozens of earlier Iranian attacks. Cotton tweeted that Secretary of Defense Austin should explain why more isn’t being done to deter Iran.
Similarly, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) faulted Biden for not imposing sanctions on Iran and for his “flawed” nuclear agreement. She pointed out that Iranian proxies have attacked U.S. servicemembers nearly 80 times, and criticized the Biden administration’s “doctrine of appeasement,” which, Ernst pointed out, has “emboldened our adversaries” and cost American lives.
Of course, Biden, whose leniency and advocacy of Iran mirrors that of his former boss, Barack Obama, justified his response by insisting he doesn’t want to provoke the terrorist-sponsoring country. “Make no mistake, the United States does not, does not, I emphasize, seek conflict with Iran,” Biden said Friday. “But be prepared for us to act forcefully to protect our people.”
I’ll believe it when I see it.
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