20/08/2021
What is the secret of the "mysterious paper" that Biden carried during the Al-Kazemi meeting?
US President Joe Biden appeared during his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi at the White House, on Monday, carrying a paper, which he apparently used to take notes on the subject of talks with his Iraqi guest.
On the paper, which the photographers’ lenses were able to capture, two sentences were written: “US prepares to respond to attacks,” and “Iran considering of holding back attacks,” meaning: “The United States is preparing to respond to the attacks,” and “Iran takes into consideration Stop the attacks," respectively.
It seems that Iran was the focus of conversation between Biden and Al-Kazemi during this meeting, after the repeated attacks on US bases in Iraq, which Washington accuses of pro-Iranian militias of being behind.
This issue is important at this time, especially with Biden's announcement, on Monday, that the "combat mission" of the US forces in Iraq has ended, and the start of a "new phase" of military cooperation, in a step that comes 18 years after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Previous positions
appeared President Biden also earlier this month reviewed a paper he took out of his pocket, before answering a journalist's question about whether Russia was behind the Ramsomware attacks targeting US companies and government agencies, justifying his action that he had just been briefed. about this topic.
President Biden also appeared at the first press conference last March, carrying clippings with notes recorded, in what Republicans and conservative commentators considered a "kind of fraud", and evidence of "the president's weakness and inability to deal with the press", as his Republican predecessor Donald Trump was doing. , as reported by Newsweek.
During the race in July last year, Biden, then the Democratic presidential nominee, appeared bearing handwritten notes topping the name of (then) Senator and current Vice President Kamala Harris, along with a slew of brief comments about her.
At the time, the lenses of the press were able to pick up phrases such as: "Do not hold a grudge", "a great addition to the election campaign", and "I respect her very much", in what seemed at the time to indicate the important position of Harris in the Democratic candidate's efforts to reach the White House.
Republicans and conservative media such as Fox News have used these sporadic positions to prove their claims of "the president's memory and mental decline."
Ronnie Jackson, Republican Representative and former Trump White House physician, has called on President Biden to follow in his predecessor's footsteps and complete the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a 30-point test that measures memory impairment for age and related issues, including dementia and cognitive decline. .
"I think he (Biden) shows every day that something is going on," Jackson said, according to "Fox News."
But the British newspaper "The Guardian" indicates that it is not unusual for American presidents to take notes and read them during their conferences, including, according to the newspaper, Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy, who are known for their rhetorical abilities.
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