Biden’s Reconciliation Mess

Democrats’ disarray in Congress is a sign nobody is in charge at the White House.

Wonder Land: Biden has said, ‘I am a capitalist’ and ‘I am not a socialist.’ Here's why both statements are false. Images: Image Of Sport/Zuma Press Composite: Mark Kelly
By

Kimberley A. Strassel

Papa Joe Biden was belatedly dragged from his recliner this week to settle escalating hostilities between warring Democratic siblings over a multitrillion-dollar agenda. No surprise that his two days of meetings accomplished nothing.

Mr. Biden campaigned as the ultimate grown-up and leader, and his administration kept up that facade for months. But the Afghanistan debacle was a reminder that Obama Defense Secretary Robert Gates described Mr. Biden as having botched nearly every foreign-policy issue for 40 years. Today’s party fight over its $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill is likewise a reminder that a man who spent a Senate career drifting with the Democratic tides is ill-equipped to step up with a vision that will unite battling factions.

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