While President Obama chills in Martha’s Vineyard, his No. 2 — Joe Biden — was left with a heavy lift: traveling to Asia to argue that America can be trusted as a debtor and ally.
Yet, blabby as the veep is, it’s tough for his words to speak more loudly than the administration’s actions.
Biden was meant to persuade China that the United States is good for the $1 trillion-plus in US IOUs that that country holds.
But from Beijing’s point of view, the more important figure is $4 trillion: That’s how much the Obama team has added to America’s debt in less than three years. Even with the recent debt-ceiling deal, the tab will reach a crushing $24 trillion in just a decade.
Nor does America have much else to offer the Chinese, as even the administration admits. During a briefing about Biden’s trip, a Treasury official said: “Chinese policy-makers know that they can no longer count on the US consumer to provide that demand to the global economy.”
In other words: The country’s broke — don’t count on any big shopping sprees from Americans any time soon.
Biden’s next stop is Mongolia. It’s intended to showcase the administration’s support for developing democracies.
One assumes Biden won’t be talking up the administration’s abandonment of Iranians during the 2009 “Green Revolution,” the backseat role it’s taken in Libya and its slow and meek response as Syria’s Bashar al-Assad murders hundreds of demonstrators.
Fact is, Obama has turned away from his predecessor’s freedom agenda so fast, you have to figure his health-care plan has special coverage for whiplash.
Last on Biden’s tour is Japan, which he will visit, according to the White House, to “underscore that the US-Japan alliance is strong.”
But what exactly does the White House mean by a “strong alliance”?
Ask Israel: It’s supposed to be one of the stongest of US allies. But it sure didn’t seem that way when Obama pushed it to return to 1967 borders.
Or ask the Japanese themselves: Last year, China ratcheted up its aggression against America’s best friend in Asia, picking fights over the disputed Senkaku Islands. The response from Washington?
Crickets.
Obama has also “underscored” the nation’s strong ties to Japan by scapegoating that country — repeatedly citing “supply shocks” caused by the March 11 tsunami disasters as a reason why US economic growth has been pathetic.
But Japan’s own economic performance in the last quarter came in better than expected.
And as the dollar and euro have weakened, investors have looked to Japan — driving up the value of the yen and causing major headaches for the exporter nation as it tries to keep its products competitively priced on the global market.
What’s the Japanese phrase for “Thanks a lot, pal”?
Yes, Biden has a tough sell. But his Asia trip is a useful reminder: It’s hard to project strength and credibility when you’re in shambles.