He never does. He never will.
“‘That’s it. It’s over,’ a U.S. official said.
The official is wrong. The fall of Kabul is just the beginning of the horrific fallout from Biden’s decisions.”
[Update a while later]
All Biden had to do was…nothing:
…the really awful part is, this was entirely predictable—because everybody I know predicted it. We didn’t know when exactly. But we knew it was coming. If we knew it, they knew it. If they didn’t know it, it’s because they chose not to know it. Or decided to let the chips fall where they may. Now the chips have fallen with one of the most evil political forces the world has ever seen back in charge of the government from which we rousted them 20 years ago.
We stand exposed today not as a country that finally exited a war we could no longer even imagine a victory in, as had been the case in 1975. Rather, we are revealed as a country led by a feckless president who chose to refuse to grapple with the obvious potential consequences of a decision he wanted to make so he could be declared a war-ender and a peace-maker. History will declare him something else, something worse, something darker. The real horror for Afghanis is that history will begin to make its declaration about Joe Biden this week, as the Taliban begin working their depravity on them and the nation from which we once rightly took great national pride in having liberated.
It didn’t even take a year for him to be the worst president in recent memory.
[Update a few minutes later]
Mark Steyn: The scale of a humiliation.
[Update a few more minutes later]
Handing over Afghanistan to the Taliban is Biden’s folly, not Trump’s.
[Update early afternoon]
Joe Biden’s garbage foreign-policy instincts.
[Monday-afternoon update]
Yes, Joe Biden should resign, but so should Lloyd Austin.
Neither of them will, of course. And if the president were to do so, we’d have the wonderful prospect of a President Harris, and the s**tshow would continue.
Obama’s warning to his own staff: Never underestimate Joe’s ability to [screw] things up.
It’s Saigon now, with the potential to become Dien Bien Phu. The Taliban closed the airport to commercial flights, and they could trivially close it to all flights. Sure, we could fly in some transports under fire like we did at Khe Sanh, but there’s no way we’d be able to fly everyone out again.
For now, the Taliban will let us leave peacefully. But the Pentagon just said they’re flying in another 1,000 82nd Airborne to help secure things. Well, that starts a pissing contest over who runs Afghanistan, the US or the new Taliban government, and that’s not a fight we can win because we can barely get anything to Kabul, have no carriers anywhere near a point where, with just one aerial refueling, they could even fly over Kabul.
I fear the military, in trying to pretend they’re not in a disastrously bad situation, are ignoring how incredibly weak their position is.
Interestingly enough, Thriftbooks is selling Donald Rumsfeld’s memoir and the “Peek Inside” button takes you right to Chapter 14.
Those paragraphs about his experiences inside the White House in the days of the fall of Saigon stand out today. No, there was no doubt in my mind of what would become of the South Vietnamese in the aftermath. A good friend of mine in college, who happened to be an Air Force First Lt. studying for an advanced degree who had taken a Vietnamese wife when he was in ‘Nam, who he’d brought home to the States with him, would get disturbing news from her family left behind. John felt terrible about this, knowing the retribution her family faced. It was awful. Better she not hear from family I wondered. I lost touch with him in the course of time. I hope for them that time heals….
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/known-and-unknown-a-memoir_donald-rumsfeld/256206/#edition=6718653&idiq=4127707
I do recall Trump pushing for a withdrawal from Afghanistan, and I thought at the time that such a move was stupid beyond words. I was beyond disgusted when some Trump supporters backed him on that.
Biden, however, has exceeded that level of harmful policy, and done so to a degree that not even I thought him capable of. He’s done so in a way that makes it impossible for me to attribute his actions to mere stupidity and incompetence. It’s simply not plausible. To name but one example, we were supposed to turn over Bagram air base (our largest in theater, and also co-located with out largest army base) to the Afghan army as part of the withdrawal, so what did we do? Totally abandoned the base in the middle of the night (On July 1st of this year), without informing the Afghan army. As a direct result, the base was looted and damaged – rendering it useless for the Afghan armed forces. If there’s a better way to tell the Afghan Army that we’re totally abandoning them, I don’t know what it is. (and as a result of this and other perfidy, the Afghan Army has largely folded like a cheap suit).
It’s oft said that one should not attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence, but… I can’t see mere incompetence being sufficient to explain some of the things going on. Treason, on the other hand, explains it all too well. (A Sept 11th withdrawal deadline? No one could possibly be that stupid – that alone handed a massive propaganda victory to the terrorists for no possible non-treasonous reason whatsoever).
BTW, those planning this “evacuation” debacle might wish to read up on the British disaster of 1849 (their army retreating from Kabul fell for false promises of safe passage, and as a result, out of 14,000, there was one survivor). Seems to me that the Taliban know all about this, and are following the playbook.
It’s worth bearing in mind that the only runway we have access to (and that’s no sure thing) is Kabul airport. And the Taliban have artillery, and are already in range.
During Trump’s term, the military leadership lied to him so they could maintain a strong presence in Syria. It would not surprise me if some in present military leadership figured that by withdrawing badly, the Taliban would give them plenty of ways to convince Biden to stay in Afghanistan. Perhaps even a new build-up of forces. If that’s the case, the idiots-in-charge badly underestimated how much such moves would demoralize the ANA and general populace, and how much it would embolden the Taliban, creating a massive preference cascade and an exponential collapse of Afghanistan’s government and military.
It could be a case of stupid generals playing stupid political games and getting caught totally flat footed, because they’re stupid.
Just a reminder, a month ago US “Intelligence” predicted it would be at least 90 days before the Taliban could take over Afghanistan. The same Intelligence apparatus that said we should be more worried about domestic terrorism, such as white supremacist remembering 9/11. Same Intelligence that failed to predict 9/11 or ISIS yet was certain about WMD in Iraq and the Russian dossier. This is the best Intelligence our leadership is getting to make decisions.
Honestly, we should have pulled out 18 years ago.
But if you were going to withdraw *now*, it would hardly have been possible to screw it up worse than this.
Iran Hostage Crisis, The Remake with dumber people… Yes, worse than Carter
These colors don’t run. They forget why they’re there and wander off. No doubt they’ll be back. Gives our grandkids something to sacrifice for.
“They forget why they’re there and wander off.”
Much like the guy supposedly in charge of this shit show.
It is my opinion that this is not Biden’s failure: I don’t think he had anything to do with it other than signing where he is told to sign.
I don’t think Biden is running anything – not afghanistan, the border, the economy, the virus…nothing. I think a committee of lefties on his staff, and elsewhere, are making these decisions and executing them.
And this is what you get from that sort of cabal.
I just read that Psaki is out of the office for the next week.
Gee I wonder why?
p.s. I think the Democrats think of Biden’s dementia as a feature not a bug. It allows them to do what they want. That’s why they selected him.
It also absolves them of any responsibility when the feces hits the ventilator unit. Grampa Simpson gets to take the fall when it all goes tango uniform.
it all goes tango uniform…
Largely a matter of perception. There will be a new ribbon to add to the uniform: the Afghanistan Evacuation Ribbon…
Milley will be awarded it first. If he can find room for it.
“p.s. I think the Democrats think of Biden’s dementia as a feature not a bug. It allows them to do what they want. That’s why they selected him.”
“It also absolves them of any responsibility when the feces hits the ventilator unit. Grampa Simpson gets to take the fall when it all goes tango uniform.”
Yes to both; I would also add if the Republicans manage which is increasing more likely to win the House next year another reason to Impeach Biden/Harris for incompetence/dereliction of duty. Assuming of course that we get an honest election in November of ’22; that Stacey Abrams and company don’t manage to pull off another steal. Wonder how the “For the people Act” is coming?
I know away to defeat the Taliban. Place a large mirror in space. Aim it at Afghanistan. Try to raise the temperature to 120 degrees + F. And if possible, to 140 degrees F. There would be no night. Only day light. 24/7, 365. This will kill all plants, and most, or all farm animals. It would then lead to famine. If the Afghan people want cooler temperatures, then the Taliban will have to step down from power, or the people of Afghanistan would have to rise up, and kill the Taliban.
We should also put pressure on Pakistan. They could have helped us by attacking the Taliban when they were in northern Pakistan. But they didn’t
Also, I suspect that a large number of Afghanis side with the Taliban. They most likely prefer that they be in power, instead of the previous government.
I have a feeling that we will be back within 6 months, to a year.
Longer than a year I think. The Taliban need time to get things organized and set up new terrorist training camps and then plan an execute an attack.
And those on the left in the US will wonder out loud how this could have happened. And if fact will blame the US.
Remember the Cambodian-Vietnam War? I’m waiting for the new Emirate to “bite the hand that feeds them” in Pakistan. Pushtun-i-stan irredenta!
The Chinese Communists will need to step in and tell both sides to “behave or else” at some point…
A helpful suggestion. Rather than replace with further unknowns, why not swap? National Security Team could swap with COVID Response or Homeland Security Immigration teams? It’s important for the Commander-In-Chief to be comfortable with people he knows he can rely upon, esp. when he’s on vacation. It’s all just a simple matter of re-tasking to find the best fit amongst those already known to be the best and brightest. You know, the adults on the team…
https://www.foxnews.com/media/ex-obama-adviser-biden-shake-up-afghanistan
Another morbidity of three administrations of failure on Afghanistan.
I watched the video of that poor Afghan young man falling to his death from our C-17 fleeing Kabul, and it brought it all back… Stay and face a horrific death or just let go… I thought to myself, the last casualties of 9/11…
No, the Trump administration is not on that list.
It helps to know the planes were loaded with refugees. Real ones that faced certain and immediate death, so obvious that those who couldn’t make it onboard the packed plane would risk and lose their life like that.
It doesn’t help knowing that Biden actually wanted the symmetry of our withdrawal to coincide with 9/11 anniversary. He got his wish.
And if the president were to do so, we’d have the wonderful prospect of a President Harris, and the s**tshow would continue.
Most would trace this meme back to Bush I and the selection of Dan Quayle (Mr. Tomatoe) as his VP Running Mate. The meme, as you may recall, was Mr. Q was a sort of an assassination insurance scheme. But the meme was based on another media falsehood. Lloyd Benson was right, Dan Q. was no JFK. Had misfortune called, he would have been a better president than Jack.
As bad as it is for Afghans right now, the destruction will spread.
If you were China, and saw the US woke military, ship crashing stupidity, intelligence NOT….
wouldn’t you think this might be as good as any time to take Taiwan/
…and so it begins….
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/chinese-media-threaten-taiwan-after-kabul-debacle-the-islands-defense-will-collapse-in-hours
I thought the CCP was very effective using COVID to take Hong Kong. Meanwhile, our Intelligence apparatus is more worried about moms taking over school boards to push back against CRT. Biden is just a symbol of the DC rot.
“And if the president were to do so, we’d have the wonderful prospect of a President Harris” I believe the Vice-President claimed a lot of credit for her part in the Afghani pullout decision.
Seriously, though, I don’t have a problem with pulling out. It was time twenty years ago or so. I have a very big problem with an intelligence failure that obviously caught the entire US government totally by surprise, with all their equipment scattered for the taking, with lots of Americans needing to get out, with lots of Afghanis needing rescue. I am just now realizing that the entire military establishment in Afghanistan has been lying to us forever, pretending to build a Potemkin Afghani army that didn’t really exist. Don’t ask me ever to trust these people again. Start by firing them all.
Hey we can all calm down now. The Taliban have a spokesman now and he re-assures us: All is Well!
https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-1d4b052ccef113adc8dc94f965ff23c7
How big would a space mirror be, to heat up an area about 50,000 sq. miles? What would its mass be?
Situation is ripe for taking American hostages.
There’s nothing to stop the Taliban from doing that unless they decide it’s in their best interests to just let us go and get out of there.
But if they want something – which could be as minimal as twisting the knife in the US – then there will be American hostages.
But if they want something – which could be as minimal as twisting the knife in the US – then there will be American hostages.
The Taliban resolve to solve our Gitmo “problem” for us?
Sure. That’s a good possibility.
Don’t blame the current Biden administration.
This was the expected result and the withdrawal agreement was signed by Trump.
It was an incessant money and people pit we, the West, don’t need. Once Bin Laden was killed, they should have just packed and left. The permanence of the mission undermined what little independence and clout the voted in Afghan government had.
I, personally, think it was impossible to galvanize Afghanistan without the Northern Alliance leader assassinated by Al-Qaeda just before 9/11.
“Don’t blame the current Biden administration.
This was the expected result and the withdrawal agreement was signed by Trump.”
Oh please……
Biden has been cancelling all kinds of Trump agreements. Biden has no trouble doing that and he could have done that here.
Secondly nothing in Trump’s agreement said anything about the methodology used in the last week or so. Show us where Trump agreed to leave billions of equipment and allow it be moved to Pakistan while we are watching. Show us where Trump said the US citizens would have to pay $2000 for the ride out (allegedly since rescinded but only under massive embarassment). These are just 2 examples.
Thirdly France and Britain are going outside the confines of the airport to find and bring their citizens into the airport. FRANCE for gosh sake. Biden is not ordering to troops to do that and the Biden State Department told the US citizens they are on their own….if they can get into the Kabul airport all well and good but be ready to sign away $2000.
And when I use the term “Biden” I don’t mean Gropy Slo Joe – I mean the puppet string pullers of the administration.