The New York Times published a column by Bret Stephens on Tuesday that made the case that President Joe Biden has the potential "to be seen as the savior of the free world" in fifty years if he is able to thwart Russia's invasion of Ukraine and confront other global challenges successfully.
In the article, titled "How Will Joe Biden be remembered in 50 years?," Stephens praised the Biden administration's decision to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine and ignored concerns that such military support could lead to escalation in the conflict with Russia.
"A half-century from now, Joe Biden’s presidency will be remembered, as most presidencies are, with a short summary sentence," Stephens wrote.
"It will read: ‘He defeated Donald Trump, and ____________,’ he continued, leaving a blank to indicate that the forty-sixth President's legacy has yet to be written.
Stephens conceded that the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act and infrastructure legislation will not actually reduce greenhouse gases.
"It won’t be the infrastructure bill, the rate of inflation or the Inflation Reduction Act — which, so long as China, India, South Africa and other countries continue building huge coal-fired plants, probably won’t lead to a major reduction in global greenhouse-gas emissions," he wrote.
"It won’t be Hunter’s emails. Nor will it be whether he served one term or two," Stephens continued.
"What will matter in 2073 is whether he reversed the global tide of democratic retreat that began long before his presidency but reached new lows with the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine," he predicted.
Stephens warned that if Biden fails, "much darker days will lie ahead".
The New York Times columnist praised Biden's military aid to Ukraine and advocated for the war-torn nation to join NATO.
"On the positive side, there is last week’s announcement of 31 M-1 Abrams tanks for Ukraine, unlocking German Leopard 2 tanks to be sent as well. The decision brings Ukraine a significant step closer to eventual NATO membership, to which it has more than earned the right," Stephens wrote.
Stephens also praised the Biden administration's support of Israel and what he described as its "visibly tougher posture" toward Tehran. Stephens also praised Biden's "repeated public statements that the U.S. will defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack" but ignored that the White House walked back such promises after Biden made them.
Stephens questioned why the White House did not send 124 tanks to Ukraine instead of 31.
"Thirty-one tanks for Ukraine are better than none, even if they won’t arrive on the battlefield for months. So why not announce 62 tanks, or 124, which would bring Kyiv much closer to the 300 it says it needs to win?" he asked.
"In 50 years, they’ll know. Biden’s sentence could be, ‘He defeated Trump, and then he defeated Putin, Khamenei and Xi.’ Or it will be, ‘He defeated Trump, but then he came up slightly but fatally short.’ Time will tell," Stephens concluded.
