Joe Biden is a doddering 81 and would be 86 by the time his second term ended (should he last that long). Trump is 77 and would be Biden’s current age (and probably bald) if he stayed for just the one more term. That’s the American leadership story,” writes columnist ROBERT MACKLIN.

I recently concluded a negotiation with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and the Defence Department for their right to publish a case study, which they had commissioned some time ago. 

It examined the government’s acquisition of the Hornet, the Super Hornet and the Growler. Together with our 72 F-35s, they represent a very formidable RAAF defence of the approaches to the Australian mainland.

What struck me most powerfully was the determination of the purchasers to put “inter-operability” with the American defence machine as perhaps the most vital element in their decision-making process.  

Just because we speak a similar language, we find it easy to see Americans as our natural allies. Their general outlook on politics and pastimes – be it on the silver screen or the basketball court – only adds to the notion that deep down, they’re “just like us”.

The last several weeks have blown that perception to smithereens.

America’s attention has been focused on the two men left in the race to become president of the United States – Donald Trump for the Republicans and Joe Biden for the Democratic Party. Both have already occupied the Oval Office for a four-year term, so they’re not unknown quantities.

Biden has invested in a transformation of US industry and brought inflation under control. He has expanded the health scheme initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama. He has supplied weaponry to the Ukrainians to fight Russia’s invasion of their country. 

But at the same time, he has poured billions of dollars’ worth of bombs, warplanes, drones, artillery, tanks and small arms into the Israeli military for the slaughter of well over 34,000 Palestinian children, women and men in Gaza. And he did so knowing that it is being used to continue a war designed to keep a deeply corrupt politician, Benjamin Netanyahu, in power. 

Trump’s occupation of the Oval Office was chaotic. He threatened the break-up of NATO, cosied up to Vladimir Putin, appointed judges to the Supreme Court who would make abortions illegal, gave tax breaks to the very wealthy that would expand the US budget deficit astronomically, and started a tariff war with China.

He paid $130,000 to silence a porno actress with whom he’d had an overnight stand; and when he lost the election, he attempted to strongarm officials to change the vote; and when that failed, he backed a raid on Congress that attempted to force his vice-president to nullify the election result.

At time of writing, he is fighting the porno actress case and has already been fined $9000 for contempt of court. Once more he faces jail… as indeed he does for charges already laid for the Congressional riot.

The latest polling puts him in the lead against Joe Biden. 

Biden is a doddering 81 and would be 86 by the time his second term ended (should he last that long). Trump is 77 and would be Biden’s current age (and probably bald) if he stayed for just the one more term.

That’s the American leadership story. Just what is it that reminds you of Australia? 

Nada!

There is, however, a Chinese proverb for it fashioned by Mao himself: “Political power flows out of the barrel of a gun”. 

Actually, America disproved that spectacularly in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. And now they seem to be rattling the chamber of their arsenal at China’s quest to reunite with provincial Taiwan. 

Should we join that inter-operation, our biggest trading partner, I suspect, would be mad as a hornet.

robert macklin.com