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During a meeting in the Oval Office with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’a Al-Sudani, President Joe Biden was observed with a set of instructions in hand.
This incident is just one in a series where Biden has been seen being guided on where to position himself and what to say, earning him the nickname “commander-in-cheat” by the New York Post.
According to the Post’s report, Biden frequently referred to his script to ensure he addressed the attack on Israel by Iran appropriately and to allow time for an interpreter to translate his remarks.
“As you know, Iran launched an unprecedented aerial attack against Israel, and we mounted an unprecedented military effort to defend Israel.Together with our partners, we defeated that attack,” Biden said, according to the White House.
“We’re also committed to the security of our personnel and partners in the region, including Iraq. The partnership between Iraq and the United States is critical.
Closeup of Joe Biden cheat sheet for meeting with Iraqi PM had the instructions PAUSE in all caps. pic.twitter.com/eIEwGEBOpM
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 15, 2024
We’ve seen over the last decade as our troops have served side by side to help defeat ISIS, and we’ve seen this in our Strategic Framework Agreement as well,” Biden said.
Fox News reported that the Republican Study Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the meeting took place.
Deep concern
“As members of the Republican Study Committee, we write to express our deep concern with your decision to host Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to the White House and your overall Iraqi policy,” the letter from Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina and Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern of Oklahoma said.
“Despite hundreds of billions of dollars spent in Iraq over two decades and countless lost American treasure, Iraq is now solidly in Iran’s hands,” the letter said.
“This is evident across Iraq’s institutions and within Prime Minster Sudani’s own government, which includes two U.S.-designated terrorist groups,” the letter continued, adding, “On Saturday Iranian-backed militias in Iraq joined Iran in directly attacking Israel.”
“In essence, the U.S. has effectively overseen China, Russia and Iran dominate Iraq, despite our overwhelming financial and human commitment to Iraq’s latest chapter,” the letter said.
Widespread ridicule
Biden has faced widespread ridicule for his reliance on cheat sheets, such as one in November that featured images of reporters he was prompted to address.
In a public incident in November, he apologized for forgetting the name of a CBS reporter he was directed to call on for a question.
In a separate occurrence last April, Biden was seen with a notecard listing the name of Los Angeles Times journalist Courtney Subramanian under “Question #1,” alongside a pre-prepared question, as reported by the Post.
