In “Lectures on Ethics” — a collection of essays based on lecture notes taken by his students — the 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant declared that we must “judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”
What might Kant say about a president who allows his dog to attack Secret Service agents and then uses a compliant media to try to shift responsibility?
On Tuesday, Byron York of the Washington Examiner noted that Biden’s disavowal of his own German shepherd, a 2-year-old named “Commander,” has all the markings of a career politician’s move.
“Only in Washington does a politician do damage control by distancing himself from his dog,” York wrote.
Also on Tuesday, York shared his story on X, formerly Twitter, and amplified his comments on what he called the “White House dog scandal.”
“The White House dog scandal. President Biden’s dog Commander has bitten people at least 11 times. But Commander is still at the White House. Who would allow that? Now, in true Washington style, Biden appears to be distancing himself from his own dog,” York wrote.
The White House dog scandal. President Biden’s dog Commander has bitten people at least 11 times. But Commander is still at the White House. Who would allow that? Now, in true Washington style, Biden appears to be distancing himself from his own dog. https://t.co/lBGyc7zzRF
— Byron York (@ByronYork) October 3, 2023
Last week, CNN reported that Commander had bitten another Secret Service agent. The agent suffered injuries and received medical treatment on-site.
Based on information acquired by the conservative government watchdog group Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act, this is the 11th known incident in which Commander has attacked a Secret Service agent.
On one occasion, according to emails, first lady Jill Biden “couldn’t regain control” of Commander as he attacked an agent.
CNN contributor and former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow described Commander’s aggressive behavior as a “workplace safety issue.”
On Monday, Politico reported that Commander’s attacks on Secret Service agents have left most White House staffers shocked.
“Everyone loves him,” one staffer said. “He’s always so friendly.”
“It’s shocking that he can be so aggressive,” another staffer said. “I’ve never seen him like that.”
Predictably, liberal Politico treated the story as a puff piece, giving it the title, “Commander’s taste buds.”
Meanwhile, the White House has treated the attacks as a public relations issue.
“As we’ve noted before, the White House can be a stressful environment for family pets, and the First Family continues to work on ways to help Commander handle the often unpredictable nature of the White House grounds,” Elizabeth Alexander — the first lady’s communications director — said in a statement regarding an earlier attack.
Neither Alexander nor the Bidens have elaborated on those hitherto ineffective “ways” Commander has received help, presumably training.
Politico also cited a “person close to the Bidens” as saying that the president’s brother James had presented Commander to the president as a birthday gift in 2021 and that the Bidens initially hesitated to bring a new puppy to the White House.
“A person close to the Bidens said that the president and first lady initially weren’t thrilled to be introducing a new puppy into their chaotic White House life, but they felt like they couldn’t turn down a gift from a well-meaning family member,” the article stated.
So, the spin is that it’s not the Bidens’ fault that there’s an ill-behaved, sometimes dangerous dog on the White House grounds. They were just being solicitous of a “well-meaning family member.”
That line prompted York’s “Only in Washington” comment.
This “dog scandal” involves only two villains, neither of whom — as far as we know — walks on all fours.
No sane person blames Commander. The dog has done what some dogs do in very stressful environments.
The Bidens, on the other hand, have permitted at least 11 attacks on Secret Service agents. Why?
As York asked, “Who would allow that?”
A story like this removes all hope of finding in the first family at least one redeeming quality.
The president, of course, is corrupt and never tells the truth. The first lady holds a doctoral degree in a field that no serious-minded person respects. Not even academic liberals outside the field regard “Education” as a real discipline.
And the son’s laptop speaks for itself.
If the Bidens are dog lovers, however, can really they be all that bad?
Yes they can.
After all, when it comes to the “treatment of animals” Kant though was so important, nothing but overt animal cruelty upsets us more than irresponsible behavior from dog owners like the Bidens.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.