For those of you who missed Joe Biden and his remarks at the press conference on Monday in Tokyo, here’s what he said when asked about Taiwan.

CBS correspondent Nancy Cordes asked Biden if he would get involved “militarily” if China decided to invade Taiwan, and his answer was “yes.”

“That’s the commitment we made.”

Pres. Biden says that the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan. https://t.co/VzSy4lai9o pic.twitter.com/tWvyxPAKep

— ABC News (@ABC) May 23, 2022

Naturally, the White House swooped in to immediately backtrack within minutes, issuing a statement that “our policy has not changed.” However, this is the THIRD time since last August that Biden has made this statement, and each time, after either chugging moonshine or Pepto-Bismol, the White House rushes out with a mop and a bucket to clean up after the old man.

But… and brace yourselves… when it comes to strategic importance and the importance of sending a message, Biden is actually right when it comes to Taiwan. Who else thinks so? Newt Gingrich.

Fox host Will Cain asked his guest “So what did you make of both President Biden’s statement, which is the second time he has been fairly definitive on whether or not the United States would defend Taiwan and then the sort of pivoting backtracking to, I guess, a more strategic ambiguity on our position between China and Taiwan?”

“I thought what President Biden did was exactly right,” Gingrich replied. “Given the mess in Ukraine, and the degree to which I think the Russians did not believe that the western world would come to the defense of Ukrainians — and now the much bigger war with worldwide implications of global famine and just enormous problems — I think here he is trying to be very clear.”

Gingrich then pivoted to whomever in the White House released a statement ostensibly walking back Biden’s comments. “I can’t understand how you walk it back,” he said. “I mean, the word yes is definitive and probably the right word to make sure that Xi Jinping who is the dictator and head of the secretary-general of the Chinese communist party.”

“Xi Jinping needs to understand an attack on Taiwan would lead to a general war,” Gingrich added. “Because that’s what would happen. If the United States goes in to defend Taiwan we will be in a general war with China.”

Gingrich finished by saying that Biden here was “pretty good” in terms of discouraging a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. He then dinged White House aides who put out the conflicting statement: “He’s the president, they’re not.”

And here Gingrich hits the nail on the head. Biden is president, but we all know that he is merely the figurehead of the White House. The real power lies within those who have been running the rest of the West Wing – the former Obama flunkies who are taking their opportunity to have the third term they always wanted (but for the thwarting by Joe Manchin). The real power apparently lies with Jill Biden and Ron Klain. Jill manages Joe so that Klain can manage the agenda (and spend copious amounts of time on Twitter).

If Biden were a serious president in command of his own foreign policy, then China would have to take him seriously when he says that “we will defend Taiwan” if they invade. That belief that a president means what he says is what brought the Cold War to an end. If Reagan had projected the same weakness, do you think Soviet Russia would have managed to keep hold of Eastern Europe? Presidents own their foreign policy, and after the absolute debacle of Afghanistan, no one believes that Biden is either serious (he took no responsibility) or competent (the withdrawl was so badly botched and then civilians got killed by a drone as a parting gift). As a result, Biden might be saying all the right things about Taiwan – and their strategic importance in Asia, along with their technology, should mean that we would come to their aid – but with his own staff undermining him and “clarifying” his words, it means that no one can actually believe him. Not China, not Taiwan, and not the American people.

This is the sort of thing that leads to actual conflict; if China believes that the US is shifting policy but that we don't actually have the capacity or will to stop them but might in the future, it accelerates conflict.

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 23, 2022

And Biden either cannot or will not override his own staff when they do undermine him, because for all their talk about his “competence,” they sure do treat him in these situations as completely untrustworthy and incompentent. You know you can’t believe anything that old man says! Just listen to us instead! Here’s what he REALLY meant! So, old Joe is right that Taiwan needs to be defended. Unfortunately, his own administration is bulldozing right over him – and that leaves all of us in a more dangerous position.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click