Afghanistan’s swift fall into the hands of the Taliban shocked everyone. President Biden is trying to blame everyone but himself.
Summary
The withdrawal from Afghanistan is being called “chaotic” while President Biden addressed the nation yesterday afternoon to defend his administration’s handling of the embarrassing retreat.
- In his remarks, “Biden admitted no fault” for the quick collapse of and frenzied withdrawal from Afghanistan, instead blaming Afghan armed forces Biden said refused to fight.
- Biden argued that the Afghan government’s folding is “proof that no amount of military force would ever deliver a stable, united, secure Afghanistan.”
- Biden is facing criticism from all directions on the Afghanistan withdrawal, with former Obama officials saying it’s difficult to defend “why the nature of the withdrawal has gone as badly as it has.”
- The consequences of the hasty withdrawal and rapid collapse of Afghanistan are wide-ranging: from trepidation in Ukraine over American resolve, to emboldening China in their quest to retake Taiwan.
- CNN reported on the internal deliberations and frantic recalibration within the White House, saying President Biden spent the weekend having “quizzed his team about how they could have misjudged” the speed at which the Afghan government would collapse.
- The New York Times reported on Biden’s speech as “defiant”, quoting the President as saying “the buck stops with me”then going on to blaming everyone but himself for the calamity.
- NBC News also highlighted Biden’s attempt to shift the blame, saying “even as he said he took responsibility for the decision, Biden blamed the outcome of the Taliban takeover on political leaders in Afghanistan and its military.”
- Newsmax interviewed Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham who excoriated Biden for his attempt to pass the blame, saying “Joe Biden has put America at risk. He’s doomed tens of thousands of people to a terrible death. There’s one person to blame here above all others. That’s President Biden.”
- The Washington Free Beacon’s editors criticized the response to the withdrawal from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a joint venture between liberal George Soros and libertarian Charles Koch, who praised Biden’s decision several months ago and called the withdrawal a “success” as recently as Monday evening.
- OANN’s coverage of Biden’s remarks characterize them as having “doubled down” on his position and blaming President Trump for the situation.
Author’s Take
There is a bizarre, Twilight Zone type of feeling watching journalists and news outlets from across the political spectrum thrash President Biden. The headlines tell a story of universal condemnation of the Biden administration’s actions. It is difficult to remember the last time this happened.
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© Dallas Gerber, 2021
