Afghanistan screw up
President Biden told Lester Holt in an interview that will be broadcast on Super Bowl Sunday, “He’s “rejecting” the accounts given by military leaders who pointed blame at the administration for costly foot-dragging in the botched withdrawal” The reason behind Biden’s comments is that from the beginning of the screwed-up Afghan withdrawal, Biden’s approval sank into the toilet.
Above is a chart displaying President Biden’s approval/disapproval according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls from April 15, 2021, through Feb.10, 2022. After a few confusing announcements, on April 15, 2021, the President announced the date for a total withdrawal was moving from May 1 to September 11, the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, when al Qaeda attacked the U.S. While most American’s still approved of a withdrawal from Afghanistan, but many were angry about the insensitivity of Biden’s target date. September 11 is treated as an important day of mourning for most Americans. Beginning with that April 15, Biden’s approval started to sink, and his disapproval rose.
On August 6, The Taliban took control of its first province, the Nimroz province. Their control of Afghanistan grew quickly, and by August 15, they controlled the Afghan capital, Kabul. Four days later, Biden’s approval went underwater (disapproval was higher than approval).
The last American airplane left Afghanistan on August 30, leaving behind thousands of American Citizens, green card holders, and Afghans who helped American troops in exchange for the promise that if America was ever to leave the country, we would take them and their families to the U.S. The media reports showed Afghans who were left behind were murdered by the Taliban in the days after the withdrawal. This coverage came from the media, not the military. Because of Biden’s chaotic withdrawal coverage, the President’s approval decline accelerated. This information was shared with Americans via video and had nothing to do with Biden’s accusation of a disloyal military.
The Afghan disaster resulted from orders given by Joe Biden, not because of military accounts. But because of his failure, which hurt his approval and his party, the President had to find a scapegoat. He chose the heroes who put their lives on the line to protect America from another 9/11-type attack.
Per the Washington Examiner:
Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Farrell Sullivan spoke to investigators who were investigating the botched withdrawal:
He said an NSC member worried that an evacuation would suggest “we have failed,” during an Aug. 6 meeting, which was slightly more than a week before a full-scale noncombatant evacuation operation was launched. The details of the report were uncovered in a Freedom of Information Act request.
According to NSA Sullivan, who sought weeks earlier to prepare for an evacuation, though others within the administration feared it could speed the collapse of the Afghan government, also said conversations with the embassy were “like pulling teeth” until early August.”
Not surprisingly, a White House official took exception with the military’s characterizations. They had to protect the POTUS’ butt: by lying:
“We took office with a set deadline to withdraw but no plan,” the official told the Washington Examiner on Friday. “We immediately went to work planning for every aspect of leaving, including for a NEO that eventually helped more than 120,000 individuals fly out of Kabul in a few short weeks. Those months of extensive preparation, like the deployment of troops in the region, are reflected in the public record and the CENTCOM interviews. We reject any assertion that claims otherwise.”
Actually, President Trump negotiated a deal with the Taliban that tied American withdrawal to commitments the Taliban had to make. However, like so many other Biden actions, Trump’s deal which would have led to a safe, step-by-step conditions-based withdrawal, was tossed in the garbage.
Similarly to Sullivan’s experiences, Navy Rear Adm. Peter Vasely “was trying to get the ambassador to see the security threat for what it really was,” said a military official. At the height of the Taliban’s military push to overthrow the government, this person said: “The embassy needed to position for withdrawal, and the ambassador didn’t get it.”
The evacuation efforts were chaotic at the start, though the military was able to streamline the process, but during one of the first days, Afghans stormed the runway as a plane was taking off, and some desperately tried clinging on to the outside of the plane. An Air Force investigation remains ongoing regarding human remains that were found in the wheel well of one of these aircraft.
The low-lights of the withdrawal came more than a week later with the bombing at the Kabul airport, which killed an estimated 170 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. service members, and an errant drone strike that targeted a civilian whom DOD believed at the time to pose an imminent threat to the troops conducting the evacuation.
The bottom line is that Biden’s trying to reverse his lousy approval ratings by saying the Afghanistan withdrawal wasn’t a disorganized mess. Instead, he claims we just hear lies from the military who risked and lost lives in the conflict. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Commander in Cheif is throwing the military under the bus. He is not only a lousy President, but he has no shame!.
Afghanistan screw up
Afghanistan screw up
Afghanistan screw up
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