A quibble: "Whatever one thinks of President Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan..."
Biden decided to honor Trump/America's signed agreement to withdraw from Afghanistan; he didn't just wake up and say - "hey, let's get of Afghanistan by the end of May." Given the criticism he's received on this matter, it seems important not to miss the subtleties.
A quibble: "Whatever one thinks of President Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan..."
Biden decided to honor Trump/America's signed agreement to withdraw from Afghanistan; he didn't just wake up and say - "hey, let's get of Afghanistan by the end of May." Given the criticism he's received on this matter, it seems important not to miss the subtleties.
I don't fault him for getting out of Afghanistan. I quibble with HOW. Biden had no plan, no strategy, for getting out. It was utter chaos. And he left behind, to be killed by the Taliban, many of the Afghan translators and other workers who had helped us out. I like Bide and think he's done a good job, especially on foreign policy, but he really bungled the Afghan withdrawal.
I'm not unsympathetic with the view that Biden should have done better with the withdrawal. OTOH, the Trump Administration did as little as possible to assist with the transition because they thought they would be able to stay in office, and they were the ones who agreed for the USA to be out. Did they hand Biden's Administration their "book" on how it was going to proceed? Also, the utter chaos was partly a result of the Afghan Army collapsing in days instead of months. Last, there was substantial continuity between Trump's generals and Biden's generals. Surely, they are primarily responsible for lack of planning, strategy and details of the withdrawal. Of course, "the buck stops" with Biden, and he might have done a much better job setting the tone for his generals about saving those who had assisted the US during our time there. Frankly, I don't know what Biden did and didn't do (behind the scenes).
Given all this, I'm not sure it is either true or fair to say, "Biden really bungled the Afghan withdrawal."
I wouldn't have thought that obvious, in your face, indisputable facts were "subtleties" but unfortunately, they are.
More substantively, I'd listen to critics of the withdrawal if they'd acknowledge that it would breach an agreement with the Taliban, which was the reason they basically stopped attacking our troops, and that it would require basically restarting combat operations. The only relatively "low cost" way to withdraw our troops would be to trust the Afghan army we'd been training and arming for twenty years to hold off the Taliban. Which both administrations did, and it didn't work out.
Also they would have to tell us how it would EVER get better and that a president would have to run on that.
The problem with the people who want us to stay in Afghanistan is that they hide the ball. It’s what our government did for 20 years. The reason they won’t say it is that they know the American people won’t vote for it
A quibble: "Whatever one thinks of President Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan..."
Biden decided to honor Trump/America's signed agreement to withdraw from Afghanistan; he didn't just wake up and say - "hey, let's get of Afghanistan by the end of May." Given the criticism he's received on this matter, it seems important not to miss the subtleties.
Oh I agree. People find it so easy to criticize when they have no answers.
I don't fault him for getting out of Afghanistan. I quibble with HOW. Biden had no plan, no strategy, for getting out. It was utter chaos. And he left behind, to be killed by the Taliban, many of the Afghan translators and other workers who had helped us out. I like Bide and think he's done a good job, especially on foreign policy, but he really bungled the Afghan withdrawal.
I'm not unsympathetic with the view that Biden should have done better with the withdrawal. OTOH, the Trump Administration did as little as possible to assist with the transition because they thought they would be able to stay in office, and they were the ones who agreed for the USA to be out. Did they hand Biden's Administration their "book" on how it was going to proceed? Also, the utter chaos was partly a result of the Afghan Army collapsing in days instead of months. Last, there was substantial continuity between Trump's generals and Biden's generals. Surely, they are primarily responsible for lack of planning, strategy and details of the withdrawal. Of course, "the buck stops" with Biden, and he might have done a much better job setting the tone for his generals about saving those who had assisted the US during our time there. Frankly, I don't know what Biden did and didn't do (behind the scenes).
Given all this, I'm not sure it is either true or fair to say, "Biden really bungled the Afghan withdrawal."
I wouldn't have thought that obvious, in your face, indisputable facts were "subtleties" but unfortunately, they are.
More substantively, I'd listen to critics of the withdrawal if they'd acknowledge that it would breach an agreement with the Taliban, which was the reason they basically stopped attacking our troops, and that it would require basically restarting combat operations. The only relatively "low cost" way to withdraw our troops would be to trust the Afghan army we'd been training and arming for twenty years to hold off the Taliban. Which both administrations did, and it didn't work out.
Also they would have to tell us how it would EVER get better and that a president would have to run on that.
The problem with the people who want us to stay in Afghanistan is that they hide the ball. It’s what our government did for 20 years. The reason they won’t say it is that they know the American people won’t vote for it
Egggsellent!