To the editor:

Armstrong Williams, in his op-ed titled “Biden’s nine-word gaffe may cause countless tragedies” (Messenger Opinion page, April 1) addressed two gaffes President Biden made while in Europe in March.

Williams touched on Biden’s remarks made in Poland to troops of the 82nd Airborne Division “when you get to Ukraine” and touched on what Biden said about Russian President Putin “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”

A Biden gaffe Williams did not write of was when Biden, in Belgium, just prior to his visit to Poland, was asked how we would respond if Putin used chemical weapons. Biden stated that NATO would respond “in kind.” French President Macron immediately warned against the American president escalating things. Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, went into damage control mode stating the U.S. has no intention of using chemical weapons.

After returning to the U.S. Biden, on Monday March 28, refused to walk back the comments he had made about ousting Putin, saying “I’m not walking anything back.” Biden’s aides had indeed tried to walk it back earlier, insisting Biden was not promoting a regime change. Biden was then questioned about his comments made to American troops in Poland when he seemed to have told them they would be going into Ukraine. What Biden said in part was “And you’re gonna see when you’re there, and some of you have been there. You’re gonna see, you’re gonna see women, young people standing, … in front of a damn tank.” Biden did not explain what he meant.

Another noted gaffe of Biden’s was earlier, on Jan. 20, after he had predicted Russia would invade Ukraine. “It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not to do,” Biden said. He stated a “minor incursion” into Ukraine would not require the sort of response demanded by one of a larger scale. His remarks Immediately raised alarms about giving Putin a green light and White House aides again went into damage control mode. Russia invaded Ukraine a month later.

You and I may disagree on what Biden may have meant with any of the above comments, but you can bet Putin will use everything Biden said as propaganda to “sell” his invasion of Ukraine to the Russian people and his military by arguing Biden’s intent all along was to remove him from office.

Remember when Democrats would say Trump was weak on the world stage and that world leaders would not respect him? Those same world leaders today are rolling their eyes wondering just what that “scattered old man” (as Williams called Biden in his op-ed) will say next to undermine their efforts to manage any world crises.

This is not about Biden’s age or his cognitive ability, this is about his competence, or the lack thereof. It is not what Biden meant to say, it is what the supposed leader of the free world actually said. He should not stray from prepared remarks.

Meanwhile, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, nearly 500,000 immigrants crossed the southern border illegally in the last three months, not counting thousands of got-aways who eluded Border Patrol agents.

Chuck Peterson Fort Dodge