When President Joe Biden was elected, supporters argued few candidates were better prepared for the White House: eight years as vice president, 36 years in the Senate, and stints as chairman of the Foreign Relations and Judiciary committees.

Since taking office, Biden has been caught flat-footed by several developments: the surge of migrants at the border, the uptick in inflation, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and splits among congressional Democrats on how to deal with the Middle East, with a growing faction in the House increasingly outspoken in its criticism of the Jewish state.