The Biden Doctrine

[KE Spider]

Sorry but hopelessly partisan is starting a 9 post diatribe to get likes, not adding additional context to it only for have blowhards come after me when I can be enjoying my weekend. Do you want me to say Biden sucks too? Because he does. Guess that makes me hopelessly partisan.

You’re talking down to someone who takes a George Carlin approach to the dumbassery of the two party system and the people that beat the drums of their rhetoric. Not everyone that points out facts with ones personal opinion is “hopelessly partisan“.



Guess it’s just easier to behave chauvinistically than to answer my question. I suggest you take a look in the Webster’s and look up projection. Your avatar would be right next to it.

Ferrum, admit I was high last night, but did not intend then or ever to "talk down" to you or anyone. If I offended you, I apologize.

This is close and personal with me. My daughter, a nurse, did a tour in Afghanistan at a FOB. My son in law did two tours being wounded in the second. To see the ham handed, tail between the legs withdrawal infuriates me.

That said, I stand by every word I said last night. The stupidity in the withdrawal "strategy" is mind numbing. It is solely on the current Administration, not Orange Man Bad. We all know that.

 

[Ferrum Spider]

Ferrum, admit I was high last night, but did not intend then or ever to "talk down" to you or anyone. If I offended you, I apologize.

This is close and personal with me. My daughter, a nurse, did a tour in Afghanistan at a FOB. My son in law did two tours being wounded in the second. To see the ham handed, tail between the legs withdrawal infuriates me.

That said, I stand by every word I said last night. The stupidity in the withdrawal "strategy" is mind numbing. It is solely on the current Administration, not Orange Man Bad. We all know that.

I hope it was some good sh!t. I don’t feel hurt or anything just be correct when you assess what I say. Really I’m just over partisan politics in this country and leaving out key facts to prove a point. I don’t appreciate being called partisan and being lumped in with any of the whackos that don blue or red when I loathe them all.

They’re nothing more than modern day nobility….say they have all the answers and the other team is bad. Just get rid of the other party and none of those bad things would happen. It’s counter productive and I’m over this game.

It’s personal for all of us. Decades of wasted tax dollars, countless military and civilian casualties and time away from loved ones (I have military in my family too that was there) all for it to predictably collapse to a place we had no business really being in for such a long period of time.

Im not here to say Biden is doing anything right. Just pointing out the entire timeline to people determined to make this about affirming their feelings rather than looking at the whole timeline. It’s been mismanaged from the start by team red/blue in 2001 through this week.

You can stand by what you say but If you think any of the three presidents or any future one would of handled this better or more efficiently you’re sorely mistaken and I suggest reading up on the history of geopolitics rather than going on a sports message board to seek affirmation of your beliefs. Plenty of good stuff on YouTube watching Americans train Afghan forces (lol) or the history of countries failing to conquer Afghanistan.

The Afghan army was never going to be trained enough to stop the Taliban who just chilled in Pakistan until things blew over.

There was no graceful way to leave that country. And Americans by and large are understandably unwilling to commit to what it really tooo to “nation build” that country.

 

[Gallipoli]

This is embarrassing.

Taliban photo appears to mock Iwo Jima flag raising in latest propaganda push

The Taliban’s media wing has wasted little time releasing droves of new propaganda in the wake of its ascension to power.

www.marinecorpstimes.com

 

[KE Spider]

I hope it was some good sh!t. I don’t feel hurt or anything just be correct when you assess what I say. Really I’m just over partisan politics in this country and leaving out key facts to prove a point. I don’t appreciate being called partisan and being lumped in with any of the whackos that don blue or red when I loathe them all.

They’re nothing more than modern day nobility….say they have all the answers and the other team is bad. Just get rid of the other party and none of those bad things would happen. It’s counter productive and I’m over this game.

It’s personal for all of us. Decades of wasted tax dollars, countless military and civilian casualties and time away from loved ones (I have military in my family too that was there) all for it to predictably collapse to a place we had no business really being in for such a long period of time.

Im not here to say Biden is doing anything right. Just pointing out the entire timeline to people determined to make this about affirming their feelings rather than looking at the whole timeline. It’s been mismanaged from the start by team red/blue in 2001 through this week.

You can stand by what you say but If you think any of the three presidents or any future one would of handled this better or more efficiently you’re sorely mistaken and I suggest reading up on the history of geopolitics rather than going on a sports message board to seek affirmation of your beliefs. Plenty of good stuff on YouTube watching Americans train Afghan forces (lol) or the history of countries failing to conquer Afghanistan.

The Afghan army was never going to be trained enough to stop the Taliban who just chilled in Pakistan until things blew over.

There was no graceful way to leave that country. And Americans by and large are understandably unwilling to commit to what it really tooo to “nation build” that country.

Real classy response, particularly, "I suggest reading up on the history of geopolitics rather than going on a sports message board to seek affirmation of your beliefs. " BTW I'm not the poster that made 9 consecutive posts on the subject. Try reading more slowly my friend. Peace.

 

[Gallipoli]

Here is another good one. The ISIS threat is acute and pending, the State Department warns the world. Nice.
"WASHINGTON—The U.S. warned that Islamic State poses a threat to Americans in Afghanistan as the Biden administration seeks to evacuate thousands of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies.

“The threat is real. It is acute. It is persistent. And it is something we are focused on with every tool in our arsenal,” Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, told CNN on Sunday when asked whether crowds at the Kabul international airport are vulnerable to terrorist attacks."

U.S. Warns of Islamic State Threat to Americans in Afghanistan

“The threat is real. It is acute. It is persistent,” National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday when asked whether crowds at the Kabul international airport are vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

www.wsj.com

 

[Gallipoli]

BTW I'm not the poster that made 9 consecutive posts on the subject. Try reading more slowly my friend. Peace.

No I am. And I am proud of it. This cannot be covered up.
I am letting this Administration speak for itself. Did no one stop to think about whether ISIS would be unleased on Afghanistan? What about advanced weapons? Tanks, helicopters? Getting our citizens out, before the troops?
More will come. This is an absolute disaster. Utter chaos. A cluster...

 

[Ferrum Spider]

BTW I'm not the poster that made 9 consecutive posts on the subject. Try reading more slowly my friend. Peace.

Are you still high?

Yet you decided to speak on his behalf to attack what I was saying (to get fake internet points from like minded posters) accusing me of being partisan from people who share your beliefs which is fine. It doesn’t free you from criticism especially as you spoke to me with a degree of authority to make yourself feel superior and calling me partisan which all I was doing was pointing out that all these leaders are clowns. Your hubris is comical.

This isnt your personal echo chamber it’s a freaking sports website. The only difference was I was pointing out your attitude and argument didn’t match the accusation, not getting hurt feelings over it.(Which I even mentioned)

It may sound crass, but don’t get so offended when someone suggest you read up on history you clearly aren’t familiar with that’s leading you to be so irrationally upset at strangers on the internet for coming to a different conclusion. ESPECIALLY if you do it in a condescending tone and ESPECIALLY after an “apology” I wasn’t seeking you turn around and suggest I need better reading comprehension skills voiding a fake apology I never asked for. If you can’t take it don’t dish it out and try not to sound so much like a persecuted victim when you brought it on yourself. You sound no different than the liberal snowflakes conservatives love to complain about.

 

[Gallipoli]

Yet you decided to speak on his behalf to attack what I was saying to get fake internet points accusing me of being partisan from people who share your beliefs which is fine.

When one speaks the truth, dissenters seek to cancel voices. By the way, i have quoted almost exclusively liberal news outlets.

 

[Gallipoli]

Joe retreats from Afghanistan with his tail between his legs. What does he do now?

Taliban reject pleas to extend evacuation deadline

The Taliban have said that they will not extend the August 31 deadline for Nato forces to leave Afghanistan, jeopardising hopes of extending the evacuation of t

www.thetimes.co.uk

 

[Ferrum Spider]

When one speaks the truth, dissenters seek to cancel voices. By the way, i have quoted almost exclusively liberal news outlets.

And yet none of your links included the previous SOS peace deal signed with the Taliban you're now all of a sudden so terrified of. It’s almost like your omitting some facts from your argument to try and push your own narrative.

There was little truth to his statement calling me hopelessly partisan. I couldn’t care less about the corporate media links you put up that you comically think are “liberal”.

The media in its current form is not liberal or conservative but sensationalist, entertainment and wrestling based destined to have simplified rubes who spend all their time arguing over red and blue and the virtues of why they are “better” when they’re all trash and leading us down the gutter.

 

[Spiderwiz]

We went into Afghanistan for the right reason but we chose to stay to nation build, ignoring history and tribal fissures. We threw money at the problem and exacerbated the corruption. Bush didn’t get out. Obama didn’t get out. Trump instituted a path to get out but he set it up for a very rocky path if not failure … bilaterally negotiating with the Taliban and setting a withdraw date without enforceable conditions … signing the bilateral agreement thereby leaving the Afghan Government on an island (figuratively) … inviting the Taliban to Camp David (thankfully a never consummated event) … all of this providing a facade of legitimacy to a murderous group of zealots … Yes, Biden has botched the execution of the withdrawal but we should at least acknowledge the foundations of this debacle.

Given Afganistan’s history and composition, I just don’t think ripping the bandaid off earlier or later would have produced a significantly different result from pulling it off now. The criticism would have just been skewed differently depending upon the president doing the yanking.

 

[Gallipoli]

And yet none of your links included the previous SOS peace deal signed with the Taliban you're now all of a sudden so terrified of. It’s almost like your omitting some facts from your argument to try and push your own narrative....

Feel free to insert quotes from sources about whether Biden was required to withdraw troops now, instead of waiting until the fighting season is over, or until all of the American citizens are out, or our Afghan partners or out, or whether we should have consulted our allies in NATO before we pulled out in the night. Also, feel free to quote any source as to whether 1) the Trump agreement required this pullout at this time, and 2) whether Biden would have abided by any agreement made by the Trump Administration.

No Biden made this decision himself. Biden came into office wanting to get out of Afghanistan, no matter what. He did exactly that.
Feel free to look at my earlier posts, which discussed Biden's background and his sentiments about South Vietnam in the 1970s and about Afghanistan and Iraq during the Obama Administration.
Just the facts.

 

[Gallipoli]

Here is a good one. Like the Bay of Pigs and John Kennedy, did Biden suffer from Group Think?
How can anyone who can barely form a coherent thought, like Joe Biden, suffer from Group Think?
There is no body home in the upstairs at the Biden household.

 

[Ferrum Spider]

Feel free to insert quotes from sources about whether Biden was required to withdraw troops now, instead of waiting until the fighting season is over, or until all of the American citizens are out, or our Afghan partners or out, or whether we should have consulted our allies in NATO before we pulled out in the night. Also, feel free to quote any source as to whether 1) the Trump agreement required this pullout at this time, and 2) whether Biden would have abided by any agreement made by the Trump Administration.

No Biden made this decision himself. Biden came into office wanting to get out of Afghanistan, no matter what. He did exactly that.
Feel free to look at my earlier posts, which discussed Biden's background and his sentiments about South Vietnam in the 1970s and about Afghanistan and Iraq during the Obama Administration.
Just the facts.

Well for one, I am not here to defend Biden as I have said multiple times as I have a multitude of problems with him as president that you probably aren't even aware of or able to grasp that he is doing. I will happily point that out should people start groveling to him and saying "at least hes not trump" on this message board primarily meant for sports. Its the same way I do it going after people who support these terrible DNC candidates like our very own Levar Stoney and just say "red team bad" (see my navy hill rant).

Despite this, I am willing to point out the folly in your argument where you can only regurgitate "Biden, Biden, Biden" as some sort of defense mechanism without directly answering a simple question because you so badly want to play political football where your team is "winning" and can feel self righteous in your thoughts. This is no defense of Joe Biden as it is to joyfully point out weak points in peoples arguments determined to look at this through red or blue lenses and not look at anything through context all while being condescending in a small group of sports fans of one school enough to think that either party has the answers. Clearly someone is living rent free in your head if you're going to come on a sports message board seeking affirmation post after post and fighting me and all you can come up with is "Biden Bad, everything's his fault."

 

[Mo 2.0]

Good read that i stumbled across over the weekend.

Meltdown of a Superpower

A week after the Fall of Kabul, the flailing hegemon continues to embarrass itself: America's official deadline for total withdrawal from Afghanistan is August 31st, so half the remaining time has already elapsed, and in that first week of a final

www.steynonline.com

 

[Eight Legger]

We went into Afghanistan for the right reason but we chose to stay to nation build, ignoring history and tribal fissures. We threw money at the problem and exacerbated the corruption. Bush didn’t get out. Obama didn’t get out. Trump instituted a path to get out but he set it up for a very rocky path if not failure … bilaterally negotiating with the Taliban and setting a withdraw date without enforceable conditions … signing the bilateral agreement thereby leaving the Afghan Government on an island (figuratively) … inviting the Taliban to Camp David (thankfully a never consummated event) … all of this providing a facade of legitimacy to a murderous group of zealots … Yes, Biden has botched the execution of the withdrawal but we should at least acknowledge the foundations of this debacle.

Given Afganistan’s history and composition, I just don’t think ripping the bandaid off earlier or later would have produced a significantly different result from pulling it off now. The criticism would have just been skewed differently depending upon the president doing the yanking.

Pretty good summation of the past 20 years there. If you play with pigs, you'll end up covered in slop. (And no, for anyone who wonders, I am not comparing the people of Afghanistan to pigs, it's just an expression to illustrate that you can't go into a messy situation and be surprised when things get messy.)

 

[Spiders4ever]

Like when you mess with the bull, you get the horns?

 

[AnnapSpider]

I thought Trump was going to destroy the Republican Party. I never counted on the Democratic Party out
doing what Trump did.
Being independent is like being on a pendulum.

 

[Gallipoli]

This is disturbing. Mr. President, what did you pay and when did you pay it? How much money have we paid the Taliban?

• Meanwhile.... American officials, not humiliated enough, were trying to obtain assurances from the Taliban that, in exchange for aid, they would not attack the US Embassy in Kabul.

U.S. Asks Taliban to Spare Its Embassy in Coming Fight for Kabul (Published 2021)

The demand seeks to stave off an evacuation of the embassy by dangling aid to future Afghan governments — even one that includes the Taliban.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Mo 2.0]

I'm sure some will just laugh this off because its from Fox and Friends First but i refuse to believe that this withdrawal just had to end this way.

American mom makes urgent plea to Biden from Afghanistan: 'We are stranded, please help us'

An American mother trapped in Afghanistan made an emotional plea to Joe Biden on Tuesday, urging the president to help her get back to her children in the United States as the Taliban becomes increasingly violent.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Eight Legger]

I can't figure out the Taliban at this point. For the most part they seem to be allowing this mass exodus to happen without a lot of resistance, outside of isolated flare-ups. We've pulled like 20,000 people out of there in the last day or two. Seems like ISIS, which hates both us and the Taliban, is a bigger threat at the moment.

 

[Gallipoli]

The CIA chief, as a representative of the US Government, met with a top Taliban guy yesterday. Apparently, the guy he met was captured by the CIA and spent several years in jail. Talk about empowering your enemies. Someone needs to answer hard questions about the monetary cost of an orderly exit.

CIA Director Burns met with Taliban leader in Kabul: US official

CIA Director William Burns secretly met with Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.

www.foxnews.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/burns-afghanistan-baradar-biden/2021/08/24/c96bee5c-04ba-11ec-ba15-9c4f59a60478_story.html

 

[Eight Legger]

I haven't seen any indication that we are paying off the Taliban, have you? It sounds like as long as we get people out of there in the next week, things will be relatively smooth.

 

[Gallipoli]

Michael Ramirez - Political Cartoons Daily & Weekly – Townhall

Michael Ramirez - Political Cartoons Daily & Weekly – Townhall

townhall.com

 

[Gallipoli]

What happens to American citizens left behind?

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday that his group will accept “no extensions” of the Aug. 31 deadline the Biden administration has imposed for the withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan, the Associated Press reports.

CIA director, Taliban leader meet in Kabul, Afghanistan: LIVE UPDATES

European countries reportedly have been urging the Biden administration to extend the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Ferrum Spider]

The CIA chief, as a representative of the US Government, met with a top Taliban guy yesterday. Apparently, the guy he met was captured by the CIA and spent several years in jail. Talk about empowering your enemies. Someone needs to answer hard questions about the monetary cost of an orderly exit.

CIA Director Burns met with Taliban leader in Kabul: US official

CIA Director William Burns secretly met with Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.

www.foxnews.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/burns-afghanistan-baradar-biden/2021/08/24/c96bee5c-04ba-11ec-ba15-9c4f59a60478_story.html

Hey look, its more of your exclusive "liberal news sources" you keep patting yourself on the back saying you're exclusively using. I love how you immediately jump to this as a negative and have the nerve to brush off (not to mention never acknowledging it) the previous SOS meeting with him. It just goes to show exactly what I was saying where you only look at this through a partisan lens looking to score points. Of course this would bother you or is noteworthy but not the SOS meeting.

Funny how for someone saying the buck stops with the president bends over backwards to defend our basketball coach when people attack him to excuse the programs shortcomings. (Disclaimer this is not an endorsement of or request to fire Mooney thread just citing an example)

I can't figure out the Taliban at this point. For the most part they seem to be allowing this mass exodus to happen without a lot of resistance, outside of isolated flare-ups. We've pulled like 20,000 people out of there in the last day or two. Seems like ISIS, which hates both us and the Taliban, is a bigger threat at the moment.

Don't want to speak too early on a fluid situation, but it would make 0 for them sense to start killing Americans/potential refugees and bring back military intervention where they have no chance to maintain power. They're about to be handed the keys to the country (if you want to call it one since its mostly just tribal war lords running the show forever) and sadly a not insignificant population of the country want them back in power because of how all the administrations previous failed them in our attempt to nation build since that was what it was never about. The Taliban is an evil brutal regime but they got better at PR since they got sent into the Pakistani mountains and are putting out their version of "goodwill". They do not like ISIS and recently executed the Afghan leader of it because they're competition.

Serious question I don't even know the answer to. How many Americans has ISIS killed?
Or how many Americans killed in this current exodus? Enough to warrant the fear and responses many demand of it?

The real reason why the media and war machine is sending everyone in a frenzy over this is a lot of their owners and advertisers stand to lose a TON of money over this since they wont be able extract their metals and minerals or keep handing money over like candy to military contractors who pocket that money. If it was Trump that did this many on the left would be screaming the same way the US screwed over the Kurds in Turkey when he did exactly that and it was crickets from conservatives. Its all noise to generate outrage amongst Americans to divide them. Sadly many are willing to, or are forced into it by default by having to participate in it.

 

[Gallipoli]

Hey look, its more of your exclusive "liberal news sources" you keep patting yourself on the back saying you're exclusively using.

I quoted Fox News, which was quoting the WAPO. I placed the WaPo cite directly underneath, for clarity. The WaPo broke the story. The irony is that the Taliban guy who is negotiating with the CIA chief, who is representing our government, was captured in 2010 by the CIA in Pakistan. He was held in prison, until the Trump Administration had him released as part of an agreement with the Taliban. One must admit that was a major mistake. However, the image of the CIA now kowtowing to the Taliban is one that will remain in the minds of our enemies abroad. He is now telling his jailer what to do. Biden caused this meltdown in Afghanistan. He owns it.

 

[KE Spider]

The withdrawal is not a partisan issue. It is a competency issue. Judge for yourselves.

See a recent poll have 26% believing it is going swimmingly. Who are these people? They scare me.

 

[Eight Legger]

Not to suggest that things couldn't have been done better, but so far there have been zero American deaths and 50,000 people evacuated safely from the country in a week.

 

[KE Spider]

Not quibbling, but misses the issue IMO. Competency would have never have had our country in the position of running out, gasping for breath, with our tail between our legs. The folks being evacuated now should have been long gone before we shut down our bases and pulled out nearly all of our troops. That decision is mind numbing.

The withdrawal could have been a considered, deliberate, dignified operation versus a panicked, fire drill stampede.

 

[Eight Legger]

That would have been ideal, I agree. I just question whether anything "ideal" is possible in a place like that, however. I don't know that we could have just casually evacuated 75,000 people with no issue at any point in time. Of course we won't know now, but given that the Afghan military was completely inept, my guess is that whenever the withdrawal began, it would have folded immediately and the Taliban would have come lurking quickly. Hopefully we can wrap this up in a week and be done there.

In retrospect, we probably would have been best served sending 10,000 troops to do this all ourselves. But then people would have questioned why we were increasing our presence again, it might have led to escalation of tension with the Taliban, etc. Back to my original point about pigs and slop. I'll be glad when we are out of there.

 

[AnnapSpider]

When has the United States ever been more afraid of a terrorist group, than saving
American lives, and our allies.
It’s so sad when our strongest ally in the world sanctions us in their Parliament.
It’s sad and scary.

 

[Eight Legger]

I don't know that we're afraid so much as cautious. I think we've pretty much always been cautious around terrorists, especially when a bunch of our citizens and allies are in their country. Took awhile to get the Iranian hostages back, too. We didn't just charge right in guns a blazing to extract them.

We've saved 50,000 lives so far. Let's hope we're able to get the rest out in the next week. I'd like my nephew back in one piece.

 

[AnnapSpider]

I don't know that we're afraid so much as cautious. I think we've pretty much always been cautious around terrorists, especially when a bunch of our citizens and allies are in their country. Took awhile to get the Iranian hostages back, too. We didn't just charge right in guns a blazing to extract them.

We've saved 50,000 lives so far. Let's hope we're able to get the rest out in the next week. I'd like my nephew back in one piece.

I’d like your nephew and others back. Seriously!!!
Where Did you get the 50,000 figure? That seems pretty high.
It seems like simple logic of a boot private to know that you get everyone out before you remove the troops with guns.
Don’t you think?

 

[KE Spider]

If we had been "cautious", we would not be in this situation.

Sincere best wishes for your nephew's safe return "in one piece". Unfortunately, didn't happen with my son in law's Afghan experience.

If Spiders play poor defense, then close a 20 gap to 4 by a furious rally late in the game, it is not a victory. It is putting lipstick on a pig.

 

[Gallipoli]

I thought this was an interesting take on the Biden Doctrine.

Tom Tugendhat, a Member of Parliament and veteran of Afghanistan, speaking in Britain’s House of Commons Aug. 18:

I was never prouder than when I was decorated by the 82nd Airborne after the capture of Musa Qala. It was a huge privilege to be recognized by such an extraordinary unit in combat. To see their commander in chief call into question the courage of men I fought with—to claim that they ran. It is shameful.

Those who have never fought for the colors they fly should be careful about criticizing those who have. Because what we have done, in these last few days, is we’ve demonstrated that it’s not armies that win wars. . . . It’s nations that make war. Nations endure. Nations mobilize and muster. Nations determine, and have patience. . .

So let’s stop talking about “forever wars”; let’s recognize that forever peace is not bought cheaply—it is hard. It is bought through determination and the will to endure. The tragedy of Afghanistan is that we are swapping that patient achievement for a second fire and a second war.

 

[KE Spider]

Hope someone asked Jen Psaki September 1 if she understands what "stranded" means bc no way all US citizens will be out by then.

 

[Eight Legger]

I’d like your nephew and others back. Seriously!!!
Where Did you get the 50,000 figure? That seems pretty high.
It seems like simple logic of a boot private to know that you get everyone out before you remove the troops with guns.
Don’t you think?

U.S. evacuates 48,000 from Afghanistan as Taliban calls Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline ‘red line'

President Joe Biden has previously said that he may consider extending the departure date past Aug. 31 but has yet to do so.

www.cnbc.com

48,000 as of yesterday. Presumably 10k or more today at the rate we've been at. My nephew is part of the airport processing team with the USMC.

 

[Gallipoli]

I’d like your nephew and others back. Seriously!!!
Where Did you get the 50,000 figure? That seems pretty high.
It seems like simple logic of a boot private to know that you get everyone out before you remove the troops with guns.
Don’t you think?

Of the 50,000 only about 4,000 are Americans. The reports I have say there were, as of 8/19, between 10,000 and 15,000 American Citizen (passport holders) still in the country.

"While the Pentagon said about 4,000 American passport holders and their families have been evacuated during chaotic rescue operations, the White House has yet to reveal exactly how many Americans have been unable to leave. With President Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline just days away, administration officials have a "political incentive" to keep details vague, according to Nathan Sales, a former ambassador-at-large and counterterrorism coordinator at the U.S. State Department.

"I think the administration sees a real political vulnerability because the message ‘leave no person behind, leave no American behind’ is one that really resonates with the American people," Sales, now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Fox News. "The smaller the denominator is, the less exposure they have to being criticized for failing to effectively evacuate vulnerable Americans."

Biden admin under pressure to reveal number of Americans still stranded in Afghanistan

Top Biden administration officials indicated Tuesday they would soon provide long-awaited details regarding the number of Americans still stranded in Afghanistan amid mounting bipartisan pressure to ensure no American is left behind following the Taliban’s takeover.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Spider B]

In retrospect, we probably would have been best served sending 10,000 troops to do this all ourselves. But then people would have questioned why we were increasing our presence again, it might have led to escalation of tension with the Taliban, etc. Back to my original point about pigs and slop. I'll be glad when we are out of there.

Seems like EL is in the 24% who think the evacuation that has standed thousands of American citizens and put their fate in the hands of the Taliban is going smoothly. Really remarkable. This decision was very predictable and obviously catastrophic. The administration shouldn't need to look back retrospectively to see it. Good grief EL.