2012: President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton do nothing as Americans including Ambassador Chris Stevens are besieged in our Benghazi, Libya consulate. They don’t even pretend to do anything. Stevens and three other Americans are killed, and Stevens may have been tortured. The State Dept. refused Stevens’ request for additional security. And when the ambassador was in danger, and then out of contact, Washington dithered but did nothing, and then attempted to minimize the debacle. Ambassador Stevens, State Dept. official Sean Smith, and former SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty would disagree.

2021: Our embassy in Sanaa, Yemen is breached by terrorists. Yemeni staff are detained by the attackers. It is unclear whether any U.S. personnel are being held hostage. The ambassador and key staff were removed to Saudi Arabia in 2015. What, if anything, America will do remains to be seen. But the precedent of Benghazi does not inspire confidence.

Note the gap in dates. No U.S. embassies or consulates were attacked, or U.S. personnel killed, wounded, or taken hostage, during the Trump administration. A coincidence? An insignificant detail? Or a revealing fact? Teddy Roosevelt told us, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Our current administration appears to believe, “Speak haltingly and carry a twig.” The results we will be forced to endure for years to come.