NEWS AND OPINION:
The Republican National Committee is citing some newly revealed, war-minded strategy at the White House — and not in a good way.
“Apparently, the Biden White House believes new wars starting on their watch is something to brag about,” notes Tommy Piggott, RNC director of strategic communications.
He pointed to White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates, who took to Twitter and directly quoted a HuffPost analysis which said that President Biden “has now visited two active war zones in eight months ― two more than all the previous presidents combined.’”
Mr. Pigott begs to differ.
“That is woefully inaccurate. Afghanistan and Iraq were both frequently visited by Biden’s predecessors. Second, under Biden, Ukraine is now a war zone, Israel is now a war zone, and Afghanistan can no longer be visited by a U.S. president. That’s nothing to brag about,” he wrote.
“As put by Obama Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Biden ‘has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.’ Unfortunately for the American people, it’s an infamous tradition Biden has carried into his presidency,” he said — noting specific examples of these policies in Europe, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Asia and on the southern U.S. border.
“This is what the Biden administration is bragging about: a world in chaos. Here’s the point: America, and the free world, can’t risk four more years of Joe Biden,” Mr. Pigott concluded.
A UNIQUE VETERAN
In his quest to become U.S. president, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is emphasizing one particular item on his resume which could be considered unique.
“The only veteran in the race, DeSantis would be the first president to serve in a war to be elected since 1988,” his campaign said in a news release shared with the Beltway.
The candidate himself cited those in the nation’s capital who don’t share his enthusiasm.
“D.C. elites have weakened our nation’s military – wokeism runs rampant, morale has taken a nosedive, and recruitment has sunk to an all-time low,” Mr. DeSantis said in a written statement.
“The ruling class has also left behind the patriots who put their life on the line for America, and that ends under my administration. We will restore our military and take care of our heroes. I know what it means to wear the cloth of our country, and I will not let America’s veterans down,” the governor said.
Here is a description of his military service, according to his official biography as governor:
“He graduated with honors from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he earned a commission in the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer. During his active-duty service, he supported operations at the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and deployed to Iraq as an adviser to a U.S. Navy SEAL commander in support of the SEAL mission in Fallujah, Ramadi and the rest of Al Anbar province. His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service and the Iraq Campaign Medal,” the description said.
Meanwhile, Mr. DeSantis promises to modernize vexing bureaucracy in the Department of Veterans Affairs, take on the challenge of veterans suicide and homelessness, expand their benefits and prioritize “lethality, readiness and cohesion” in the military.
Mr. DeSantis, by the way, has just launched a new “Veterans Coalition” for those who served in the military; find his campaign at RonDesantis.com
NEWS MEDIA DOLDRUMS
The Gallup poll has long tracked public opinions about the news media — and the current findings about this sentiment are not very promising.
“The 32% of Americans who say they trust the mass media ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’ to report the news in a full, fair and accurate way ties Gallup’s lowest historical reading, previously recorded in 2016. Although trust in media currently matches the historical low, it was statistically similar in 2021 (36%) and 2022 (34%),” the pollster said in an analysis released Thursday.
“Another 29% of U.S. adults have ‘not very much’ trust, while a record-high 39% register ‘none at all.” This nearly four in 10 Americans who completely lack confidence in the media is the highest on record by one percentage point. It is 12 percentage points higher than the 2016 reading, which came amid sharp criticism of the media from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump - making the current assessment of the media the grimmest in Gallup’s history,” the analysis noted.
Curious about the particulars? Check the Poll du Jour at column’s end.
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POLL DU JOUR
• 39% of U.S. adults say they have “no trust at all” in the news media; 58% of Republicans, 43% of independents and 11% of Democrats agree.
• 43% of men and 35% of women also agree.
• 29% have “not very much” trust in the news media; 32% of Republicans, 28% of independents and 31% of Democrats agree.
• 31% of men and 27% of women also agree.
• 25% have a “fair amount” of trust in the news media; 10% of Republicans, 24% of independents and 43% of Democrats agree.
• 20% of men and 30% of women also agree.
• 7% have a “great deal” of trust in the news media; 1% of Republicans, 5% of independents and 15% of Democrats agree.
• 5% of men and 8% of women also agree.
SOURCE: A Gallup poll of 1,016 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 1-23 and released Thursday.
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• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.