By Nate Jackson

Now that Afghanistan has fallen to the Taliban thanks to President Joe Biden’s feckless “leadership,” the rest of the world is taking note. China used the “U.S. humiliation” to threaten Taiwan, reminding the island of what U.S. “friendship” means. It’s ironic given the Soviets’ history in Afghanistan, but Russia is likewise reveling in the American defeat, cozying up to the Taliban and likely soon warning Ukraine. And OPEC just told Biden to go pound sand.

(Fracking companies, call your office.)

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was on the receiving end last week of Biden’s pathetic plea for increased production. You see, Biden has hamstrung the American energy colossus. President Donald Trump had unleashed it, leading to the U.S. becoming the world’s leading oil producer and putting us well on the way to energy independence. Every president since Richard Nixon had promised energy independence; Trump delivered it. Yet with a few strokes of his pen, Biden took it away, only to then go hat in hand to OPEC to beg for increased production to cover our deficit.

Predictably, the oil conglomerate refused. OPEC nations clearly came to the conclusion that the U.S. under Biden is weak and that there’s no incentive for them to take a hit to their profit margins by increasing production.

In asking for even more OPEC production after its boost earlier this year, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan complained, “At a critical moment in the global recovery, this is simply not enough.” And here we thought fighting climate change by not drilling was the paramount challenge of our day.

Biden and his team want to have it both ways. They want credit with the ecofascists for subsidizing “green” energy and killing Big Oil (heck, they’re in court this week fighting to preserve a drilling moratorium in federal lands and waters), and yet they don’t want blame for the fact that Americans are paying an average of $3.18 per gallon at the gas pump, which is more than a dollar more expensive than this time last year.

“Dear White House: Texas can do this,” announced Texas Governor Greg Abbott. “Our producers can easily produce that oil if your administration will just stay out of the way.” Unfortunately, staying out of the way is one thing Biden won’t do. Well, unless it’s staying out of the way of a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.