Biden's Big Day

Today is the culmination of President Biden's European trip – his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Of course, the fawning media are hailing Biden as a master of diplomacy, especially compared to that "ogre" Donald Trump. 

Let me be absolutely clear about this: The outcomes of such summits are generally settled well before they take place. Little is left to chance. The foreign policy establishment does not like surprises or leaders who think outside the box. That's why Donald Trump so unnerved the foreign policy establishment. 

No matter what the photo-ops look like and no matter what the White House spin is after the fact, Putin has already won this round. 

Putin won when Biden greenlighted the Russian gas pipeline to Europe, a strategic Russian asset that will give Putin billions of dollars in revenue and make our NATO allies more dependent on Russian energy. Putin won't have to hack European energy companies; he'll just shut off the valve on his new pipeline. 

Putin won when Biden declared war on our energy industry, killing thousands of American jobs and undermining one tremendous advantage we have over our enemies, including communist China. 

Putin won when Biden submitted a massively bloated budget with unimaginable spending, shattering previous debt records, without providing one additional dollar for defense. 

Putin won when he dared Biden to back up his "killer" comments in a live televised debate, knowing full well Biden wasn't up to the challenge and would never accept. 

Putin won when Biden, unlike any previous recent president, refused to hold a joint press conference after their summit. Biden told reporters, "This is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference or try to embarrass each other." He's right about that -- it wouldn't be a contest at all.

Both men would be expected to aggressively articulate a strong defense of their nation. Putin can do that in his sleep. But Biden can't do that without putting us to sleep. 

A CBS News poll found that the American people overwhelmingly want Biden to be tougher with Russia. Don't hold your breath. This president isn't up to the job.