Hyperreality

It isn't. You get what you pay for.

I've been reliably informed that any other explanation is fake news from the lying media.

His defense lawyers are part of the deep state, which is why he won't be paying them.

Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital, effectively kicking the two state solution in the nuts, was widely condemned by world leaders, and was officialy cited by Hamas as the reason to start a new intifada. Biden didn't change course on this.

He also officially recognized the Golan Heights as being part of Israel. Biden didn't change course on this either.

Then there was that Iranian general he had assassinated. He recently mentioned the Israelis being on board to help assassinate him till they backed out last minute, despite Israeli protestations to the contrary. I assume, because assassinating another country's generals is a potential casus belli, and even Netenyahu didn't want to antagonize Iran that openly.

He also announced a peace plan which suggested Israel annex (a further) 30% of the west bank, then helped push through the Abraham accords. In retrospect, it's likely that the normalisation of relations between Israel and some of its Arab neighbours, was seen as a betrayal by Hamas, and a threat to Iran. Biden didn't change course on this, and it is rumoured that Israel and Saudi Arabia were about to sign a deal, until Hamas attacked.

Then we'd be back to a world beyond satire, if we ever fully left it.

I find it's important to have a sense of humor about these kinds of things. Stuff like resurgent fascism, a looming climate crisis, worsening inequality, or the increasing likelihood of nuclear war are a bit too much otherwise.

Correct. It's a farce.

He's lying about having to be there. He's also lying about it distracting from the campaign. Him being at the trial is part of the campaign. Him saying it's distracting from the campaign, is also part of the campaign.

Both sides of the argument are so entrenched they engage in cognitive dissonance and cherry picking almost constantly.

Do you think linking to an electronic intifada article makes you seem more or less biased?

While many argue that all states, including democracies, require strong militaries ... War and militarism are antipodal to democracy and undermine it. Their normative bases are conflicting—democracy takes force off the table, whereas force is legitimate in war. Thus, while militarism and militarization can sometimes yield liberalization and the expansion of civil rights, they are arguably more likely to undermine democratic norms and practices.

See also: Japanese internment camps and the UK's D-notices during WW2, the Patriot Act and DHS after 9/11.

You're commenting on a newsweek article, a western news media with a readership of 100 million.