The withdrawal from Afghanistan was a fiasco. But Biden seems to think that if he ignores it, the press will move on and all will be well.
The past week was filled with harrowing images out of Afghanistan. Helicopters evacuating U.S. embassy staff in a visual callback to the fall of Saigon. Taliban soldiers roaming the streets, executing innocents. Afghans clinging to the outside of C-17s, some falling to their deaths after takeoff. Like most Americans, I agreed with Presidents Trump and Biden’s goal to finally leave Afghanistan after 20 years. In my naivete, I expected a modicum of competence as we withdrew. By Sunday, everyone realized the withdrawal was a tactical fiasco. But instead of correcting the problems, our governmental officials thought it best to point fingers. The intel community leaked that they had warned the White House this would happen but were ignored. The Pentagon leaked their own warnings but insisted Biden overruled them, too. For his part, the president blamed everyone he could think of. In his Monday speech, Biden first blamed President Obama’s decision to send 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. “I opposed the surge when it was proposed in 2009 when I was vice president,” he said. He directed more blame at Trump, claiming he was unable to change the last president’s withdrawal deal.
