Leading from below.
From Town Hall.
Whether you agree with the [Russian oil import] ban or not, one thing is clear: Biden didn’t lead on this decision. His team has been cagey at best when questions have come up about why Russian oil hadn’t yet been banned amid multiple rounds of sanctions levied against Russian government officials and oligarchs. But the wheels really came off when the White House learned that the House Ways and Means Committee had been working on a bill over the weekend to ban Russian oil imports — from a press release issued Sunday night that was quietly removed some five minutes later.
There was much back and forth between the White House and Speaker Pelosi about the Russian oil import ban, but what looked to be developing into a stalemate was not to be, as Pelosi wanted it and no babbling, non-entity in the White House was going to stop her. The President, having all the backbone of, say, an old man in second childhood, assisted by his attendants finally gave in. The child that he is however didn’t want it to appear he wasn’t getting his way, so he announced this morning the oil ban would go into effect, as if it were his own decision.
Update: It was later revealed the president actually was persuaded to support the ban by the promise of an ice cream cone with two scoops, after his nap.
People are justly worried over the fate of Taiwan and South Korea since the Ukraine debacle debacle began, with the United States showing no leadership whatsoever. Your Tatler is beginning to wonder though if those fears are misplaced, that we ought be worrying about places closer to home, ours. President Xi of China and President Kim Jong-un of North Korea must surely be taking note of the power vacuum in the White House. No doubt a fanciful notion, but what if Xi or Kim decide to have some fun seeing what they can get away with in one of our possessions, say in the South Pacific, maybe Guam or Palau?
The Taos Tatler 