Even Biden Allies Having Trouble Defending His Afghan Withdrawal Fiasco
Obama ambassador to Afghanistan: “I think it is damning for [Biden] to have created this situation in his first significant action as commander in chief”
The shameful Biden-created cluster in Afghanistan is such a tremendous blunder that it caught some in the media off-guard. For example, CNN’s Jake Tapper was caught doing actual journalisming on the air . . . for all five of CNN’s remaining viewers.
In fact, despite the Biden administration’s and war-mongering neo-cons like Liz Let’s find a country to bomb Cheney’s attempts to blame President Trump, there is a surprising (to me) consensus that Biden really stepped in it here.
As noted in the Wall Street Journal, Biden’s first major decision as commander in chief is “damning” and “an unforced error.”
Some former officials, however, say Mr. Biden’s troop withdrawal was a blunder and that the fallout could have lasting repercussions. The cratering security, which has put the Biden administration in a race to evacuate thousands of Afghan allies, may threaten the rights of women and could provide terrorist groups with an opportunity to move into Afghanistan’s ungoverned spaces.
“I think it is damning for him to have created this situation in his first significant action as commander in chief,” said Ryan Crocker, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan during the Obama administration and has worked under Democratic as well as Republican presidents. “It’s an unforced error, and as an American I am deeply concerned.”
The buck stops on Biden’s desk, he’s commander in chief, he approved the disastrous withdrawal “plan.” This unqualified shambles is all Biden’s.
Both Trump and Biden were adamant about withdrawing all US troops from Afghanistan, and both were right. That country doesn't belong to the US and the US can't run it forever.
But the idea that problems with withdrawal plans belongs to anyone but Biden is preposterous.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 15, 2021
And everyone knows it, including Democrats, their propagandist media arm, and their #NeverTrumper lapdogs.
Spin it if you like, but President Biden said all these things out loud on July 8 of this year. https://t.co/bG71L3otGz pic.twitter.com/MKBNRk1Pln
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) August 15, 2021
On the call with @SecBlinken and @SecDef this morning I confirmed that had Biden decided to abandon the agreement negotiated by President Trump, the U.S. would have had to surge thousands of additional troops into Afghanistan. The 2,500 that Trump had left were not nearly enough.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) August 15, 2021
So the outliers here appear to be the ones trying to blame Trump.
The Trump/Biden calamity unfolding in Afghanistan began with the Trump administration negotiating with terrorists and pretending they were partners for peace, and is ending with American surrender as Biden abandons the country to our terrorist enemies. https://t.co/PQ1i5W6zZt
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) August 14, 2021
Bush and Cheney ensured we’d never win in Afghanistan
Trump ensured Afghanistan would be a total loss
Biden is just trying to clean up their mess
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) August 15, 2021
MSNBC opines: “A Taliban takeover in Afghanistan will not be Joe Biden’s fault”
Stunningly, apparently Biden’s clueless sidekick wants ‘credit’ for Biden’s Afghanistan fiasco.
Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed Sunday that she was the last person in the room before President Joe Biden made the decision to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.
Harris says she had key role in Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal decision https://t.co/KS3yhfMQm8
— Larry O'Connor (@LarryOConnor) August 15, 2021
Does politically inept Harris ever understand what is going on? Even a little?
The rest of the Biden administration is well aware of their Afghanistan ineptitude and are, of course, deflecting blame.
Biden administration officials blamed the Trump administration and Afghan security forces for what they called a “very risky situation” in Afghanistan, defending their decision-making as the Taliban took over the capital of Kabul.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken briefed lawmakers Sunday amid a massive effort to airlift Western diplomats, civilians and Afghans likely to be targeted by the country’s new rulers.
“This is the remnants of Vietnam, with helicopters coming to remove people off buildings,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) told the officials, according to one person on the call. He questioned the U.S. decision to withdraw now instead of during the winter, the person said, presumably when the Taliban was inactive.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been laser-focused on weeding white supremacist extremists from the U.S. military and on ensuring that all military and civilian personnel receive a steady dose of morale-crushing, anti-American Critical Race Training. Priorities!
Meanwhile, even Politico is having trouble swallowing the Trump’s to blame line.
— TALKING POINT 4: This is all Trump’s fault.
“We inherited a deal that was cut by our predecessor,” a White House official told Playbook this morning. “It’s not finger-pointing; that’s just facts. … It’s not about blaming the Trump administration; it’s about what we inherited.”
“We had to put in place an entire system to deal with this,” Blinken said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Unfortunately none of that work was done when we came in.”
There are a few problems with this. First, Biden is the one who decided to pull out U.S. forces by the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. That was his call, not Trump’s. Second, part of Biden’s appeal as a presidential candidate was his vast experience and foreign policy credentials. Third, this argument undercuts the other ones. You can’t say both that this is what you’d planned for, and that it’s also a catastrophe that isn’t what you’d planned on.
If this is Trump’s fault, that suggests that the situation is bad enough you’re trying to blame someone else for it; but if the situation is bad and this is also what you’d planned for, then that begs the question of whether the plan was good.
When you’ve lost the Trump-hating UK (and the ultra-leftist Daily Beast is reporting it). . . : “Even the U.K. Is Turning on Biden’s Hasty Afghan Pullout.”
Meanwhile, GOP leadership is pointing out the truth of where the buck actually stops.
The Biden Administration’s botched exit from Afghanistan including the frantic evacuation of Americans and vulnerable Afghans from Kabul is a shameful failure of American leadership. The United States had the capacity to avoid this disaster. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/p4wyuWxoHq
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) August 15, 2021
Joe Biden has been commander-in-chief for seven months – the current failure in Afghanistan falls squarely on his shoulders.
His lack of leadership during this pivotal moment has been shameful – it has only served to embolden our adversaries and let down our allies.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) August 15, 2021
President Biden must stop finding excuses for his own mistakes and address the country in person with how he plans to secure U.S. national interests, protect our personnel on the ground, assist the Afghan allies who have helped us, and prevent the resurgence of Al Qaeda.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) August 15, 2021
Trump also issued a statement:
President Trump BLASTS Biden in new statement over Afghanistan.
I miss having a strong leader in the White House! pic.twitter.com/unzYvVEuDz
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) August 15, 2021
And:
BREAKING NEWS: President Trump calls on Joe Biden to resign in disgrace. #Afghanistan
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) August 15, 2021
If the GOP is smart, they will pick up this clarion call and run with it . . . right over the $1.5 trillion “infrastructure” boondoggle, over the $3.5 trillion Bernie-written socialist Green New Deal monstrosity, and on to historic victories in the 2022 midterms. If they’re smart.
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Instead of addressing the American people or meeting in the Situation Room with his Generals Joe Biden is out of town taking a much needed and well deserved rest break from his tiring duties (har har har)
Biden and Harris “outted” the names of CIA assets in Afgahistan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://citizenfreepress.com/breaking/biden-accidentally-reveals-identities-of-cia-agents/
Have them shelter in place.
Withdraw the troops, and send in James Taylor
As I read this, Fire and Rain came up on the playlist.
Is “Raining Fire” in your playlist?
There will be no “Raining Fire” from this administration, More like “Send Money to Hunter or Else.”
As I read this General Milley Cyrus came up on my playlist singing “Wrecking Ball”
If the GOP is smart
Unfortunately, we all know the answer to that.
The GOP is bullsh-t: they’re in on the scam.
We never seem to learn. You cannot create and enforce a working democracy in a Muslim-majority country. The Islamists will take over, as in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan.
The Muslim-majority countries that are democracies (eg Indonesia) generally got that way through the bloody efforts of their own people. Some of them (eg Pakistan) seem to go through periods of almost democracy followed by military dictatorship.
This is going to get even uglier for so many people there, civilians and foreigners alike.
What’s more, the whole damn world now knows for certain that the US’s preferred diplomatic position, which reminds me remarkably of the Obama administration (shocking!) is, “Let’s try to make nice,” “Could you do us a favor?” and social media and PR campaigns are incredibly efficient. If necessary, have the media assist in the coverup.
This IS Obama’s policy. Rubber Tree P!ant Joe is just the soiled sock puppet covering O’s over-indulged mitt. This isn’t Saigon…it’s worse.
I know it is. Biden’s Admin is filled with people from Obama’s, including a whole pile of people who made the same foreign policy mistakes back then and think reversing what Trump did is the best course of action.
Now they’re hoping they can convince people that their hands were tied by Trump (which is BS) and the US media largely ignores it.
“people who made the same foreign policy mistakes back then and think reversing what Trump did is the best course of action.”
There are indeed people for whom you can say, “whatever that person recommends, the wise man should immediately do the opposite.” Trump was not one of these people. This group includes people like Lori Lightfoot, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Paul Krugman, and Joe Biden.
Not to mention reset buttons.
One topic for MSM to avoid:
How many Americans have been left behind, to become victims of the taliban?
And keep in mind:
– Biden is NOT the legitimate POTUS
– Even as illegitimate President, he is not in charge.
Biden is a puppet.
The question standing is, what kind of puppet?
Is he the kind that you move using strings from above, or the kind that has a stick up his rear end?
Pinocchio was once a puppet who became a real boy. Biden was once a real boy who became a puppet. But what kind, you got me there.
The press conference that will live in infamy.
https://twitter.com/BryanDeanWright/status/1426710333264179214
Never have a seen a President so completely wrong and literally within weeks of making the statements. Not just a lack of leadership – it causes any thinking person to question the US President’s grasp of reality. Surely his intel people wrote the reports to fit the policy Biden wanted. Once Intel reports become politicized, the country is on the road to hell.
Questioning Biden’s fitness for office has never been an issue. He’s been unfit for years—ever since his hemorrhage. Nixon had Agnew as his VP, and everyone knew that was to discourage impeachment. Once Agnew was indicted in his home state (Maryland) and removed from office, Nixon was vulnerable.
Same here now. All that prevents Biden from being removed is the knowledge that Harris would take his place. And after her comes Pelosi.
It’s clear that we have an undrainable swamp. What we desperately need is legislation preventing us from having to swim in it.
https://www.westernjournal.com/biden-admin-unthinkable-instructions-terrified-americans-trapped-kabul/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=ams&utm_campaign=can&utm_content=wj
This is shocking and absolutely appalling. Worse than Saigon. Meanwhile let’s continue importing 200K illegals per month across the border, many with Covid and released with it into the interior, to kill yet more Americans. Where are their Repatriation Assistance Request forms and registration, in advance?
One point that Biden made is that leaving 5 years from now would be no different than now. I agree, both would be a disaster. However, that is the right answer to the wrong question. The correct one is, “Are America’s security interests in and risks from the region best served by keeping some thousands of troops and air power there?” The answer is obvious, just by looking at such dangerous places as Japan, with over 50K troops, and Western Europe, with over 300K. 75 years after WW II and 30 years after the collapse of the USSR, they could have spared a few.
20,000 AFGHANI’S STUCK – WHILE 200,000+ HISPANICS COME TO USA EVERY MONTH
If they were central-American Hispanics looking for better jobs – they would have received red carpet treatment from Biden. But, alas, they are not. They are true refugees who need asylum. They supported US troops will now be slaughtered. Since the woke seem to hate the USA, does it surprise anyone that Biden would strand those that supported the USA and leave them to their doom?
“First, Biden is the one who decided to pull out U.S. forces by the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.”
Symbolism and failure — the two primary operating modes of the Democratic Party. Just look at our first “little brown girl” VP, another example. Inexplicably eager to take the credit for a major historical fail. Probably thought the media would make her sow’s ear into a silk purse, as always, but this time even that was beyond them.
Symbolism and failure —– Obama’s another one that come’s to mind.
20,000+ AFGANI’S TO BE SLAUGHTERED SO BIDEN HAS SEPT 11 PHOTO-OP
BLOOD ON HIS HANDS
Biden let his PR team drive the time line rather than the security situation on the ground. He was desperate to make a speech at the 20th year anniversary of 9/11 saying we are out of Afghanistan. The PR agenda was more important than doing this the right way. Now tens-of-thousands will be slaughtered.
Biden priorities. Virtue signal even if it costs lives and ruins USA credibility
Why not resign in disgrace, Joe? It’s where you’ve spent your entire presidency, your entire political career…
Your entire life…
“If they’re smart.”
Well, then we’re screwed.
Are they taking a page out of the hildabeasts reaction in Libya? I’m watching a thread of a civilian contractor over there.
One of his latest posts. They’re telling him he has to get a Covid test before he can come back stateside. A fucking covid test? What a pack of assholes biden* has in his admin.
Update for those asking.
Had to do a small bit of fighting but nothing too crazy. The entire sanitization and draw down was actually pretty smooth… until the end… when the army took over. Originally we were allowed 1 checked bag and 1 carry on backpack. Well, the spoiled state department employees took too much shit and took too much time/too many trips and our thanks for doing a superb job was to not be allowed any luggage except for a small backpack. And now, when we get to the military base for download, we have to get a covid test before we can come back stateside. With a 72 hour turn around.
I had enough snacks/food in my packed bag. No food for a couple days now I think.
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I would be lying if I said I wasn’t considering saying fuck it, staying, and becoming an afghan warlord just so I don’t have to do any of this stupid shit
An update on the contractor. hildabeast must be in charge. No real help for the ones we’ve asked to sacrifice for our security.
———————————–
Got my phone back on. A large sum of us are stuck on a c17 on the runway on Qatar. No food, minimal water, no bathroom, and people have started going down as heat casualties. No plan for the next portion. Anybody have any ideas? We could use some help. Going on close to 6 hours now.
From Instagram, the airport is chaos as seen by all the people running around the airplane as it’s moving. Nice job joe you asshole.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSoZ1-7Fgzu/?utm_medium=copy_link
This is to whom it may concern. I am so blanking P.O.d right now.
SLAUGHTER HAS BEGUN
Taliban will use this opportunity to slaughter everyone connected to NATO, UN and USA.
This is to show all those who might ever think of collaborating with the USA that they will ultimately be slaughtered.
The US and NATO will never be able to reoccupy the country – because no one will ever ever again assist the USA – not for any amount of money.
China will fill the void. They love to step in when the USA screws up. They will help rebuild the country and will be hailed as heros.
China gains one more piece on the global chess board.
I think we should retire the phrase “US Intelligence Agency” or at least remove the word “intelligence” from the phrase.
I think I am seeing the results of putting people in charge who grew up with participation trophies and Every Child an Honor Student.
Since I despise all politicians, I’d be happy to blame this debacle on Trump if that was where the blame lay. There are a couple of problems with it that though.
First and foremost, Biden is the C-in-C now. He has the conn and he’s responsible for everything that happens on his watch. There’s no reason this withdrawal couldn’t have been properly planned so that it proceeded in an orderly fashion. There’s just no excuse for this pell-mell stumble for the exit.
Second, Biden spent his first days in office repudiating and reversing everything Trump did. If he thought leaving Afghanistan was a bad idea, why didn’t he simply reverse that policy too? Bringing up Trump’s negotiations with the Taliban is pointless; it didn’t result in any Senate-approved treaty binding on the U.S. government.
Mike Spann….say his name!