Let’s stipulate that Joe Biden has experienced more than his share of tragedy in his life. I have two sons myself and I can’t imagine losing one to brain cancer the way Joe did, to say nothing of the car crash that took his wife and daughter. No one should have to endure that kind of tragedy.
But Biden’s relentless trips to the well of Beau Biden’s death every time he needs to express public empathy have felt strained for a long time, and not just because he routinely gets critical details of Beau’s life wrong. When he did it yesterday, in the midst of trying to explain why 13 US Marines and a Sailor had to die to clean up his Afghanistan mistake, those trips to the well finally began to feel grotesque.
Here’s the thing… Beau Biden would have died of brain cancer even if he’d been a dogcatcher, rather than a Soldier. His service, while admirable, had nothing to do with the way he died. In stark contrast to this inescapable fact, the 13 servicemen who died at Kabul Airport yesterday signed up to serve their country, and were then sent to Afghanistan in a panicked attempt by Biden to clean up an enormous mess of his own making. It is a simple, tragic and unavoidable fact that if not for Biden’s colossal screwup, all 13 of them would still be alive today.
Biden’s refusal to acknowledge the difference is disgusting, and is in no way worthy of the sacrifice those 13 made for their country. May they rest in peace.