...but Biden critics are getting it mostly wrong. We have no ongoing security interest in Afghanistan, and we don't send troops everywhere to protect women and human rights. We do that in other ways.

By David Rothkopf

The intellectual dishonesty in critiques of how President Joe Biden is handling the U.S. departure from Afghanistan has been off the charts. That's not to say some of them are not warranted. They certainly are. The swift fall of Kabul to the Taliban was predictable, and there is a case that we should have been better prepared for it. And there is no doubt that the risks we faced were great, as shown by the Kabul airport attack last week that claimed the lives of at least 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops.

But some of the arguments we are hearing are indefensible. Among the worst:

1. Biden owns this.

No. The authors of 20 years of war own this. The corrupt Afghan government and the Afghan military who stood down own this. The Trump administration that set the deadlines, drew down the troops, left behind the materiel and released up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners owns this.

2. Well, at least he owns the chaos surrounding our exit.

No. There's no way that the Taliban regaining control would not have led to chaos with many thousands of Afghans seeking to escape the rule of a thug regime. Whenever we began to airlift folks out, it would have started.

3. Well, at least he should have been better prepared for the chaos.

I'm going to give you this one, but it should be noted that efforts to prepare were rebuffed. The Afghan government did not want the United States beginning mass evacuations for the reasons cited in No. 2.

4. Washington could have given those in jeopardy more warning.

No. Trump said he wanted out when he ran in 2016 and signed a deal with an earlier deadline last year. Biden ran in 2020 saying he would leave. The State Department ordered some federal employees to leave in April.

5. America abandoned our allies.

No. Some of those allies left before we did. Canada left in 2014 but has returned in recent days to help with the evacuation. All knew for years of U.S. discussions regarding departure, and the Trump deal and announced departure early last year. And there has been close coordination during the evacuation process. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has convened meetings every other day with nearly 30 allied and other nations.

6. The evacuation was bungled.

No. It started off badly but turned out to be masterful. The administration and the military adapted quickly. The airlift is one of the biggest in U.S. military history; about 114,400 people had been evacuated as of Sunday.

7. The U.S. departure from Afghanistan will make it a potential breeding ground for terror again.

Afghanistan has been a dangerous place all 20 years America has been there. The swift and inevitable Taliban return to power and the airport attack by ISIS-K, the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, show that won't change. Meanwhile, there has been a massive increase in terror threats worldwide. Afghanistan is no longer the epicenter of the threat, and we must adapt. We have many tools to respond, as the drone strikes against ISIS-K illustrate.

8. People will be left behind.

It is wildly unrealistic to think the United States could remove everyone at risk from Afghanistan. What's being done is above and beyond expectations. Other forms of political, diplomatic and economic pressure must be used to promote human rights in Afghanistan.

9. We could easily have left troops there indefinitely.

No. There was a cost to that and a risk. The risk grew as the Taliban grew in strength. Trump accelerated that with the release of prisoners held by the Afghan government and his announced May 1 departure date. Staying would have required a bigger investment.
10. But we have left troops in Germany and South Korea.

Not comparable. Those are allied nations facing real imminent threats from major enemies who pose a strategic risk to the United States. We have no similar ongoing interest in Afghanistan.

11. But the troops could have protected women and girls.

First, as noted, the Taliban were gaining strength for years – despite the presence of the troops. Second, troops are not the means we advance such interests anywhere else. It is not a sustainable or effective approach.

12. But Biden and his team say human rights are at the center of our foreign policy.

That can be true without deploying troops to confront all threats to rights. It must be. Because we'll never do that. Are critics suggesting deployments now to Ethiopia? Myanmar? To protect women elsewhere?

13. The debate about Biden’s performance is not about getting out of Afghanistan. Trying to make it about that is an effort to deflect and distract.

No. Getting out of Afghanistan is the central issue, marking a major shift in U.S. policy. It is about ending a 20-year war. It is about acknowledging a massive U.S. foreign policy failure and shifting to new priorities. That's the point.

14. Biden was part of the problem; he has known about this all along.

No. Biden has been arguing to wind this down for 12 years. When he was vice president, his view was overruled by President Barack Obama. And after 9/11, almost everyone supported going in after al-Qaida. For good reason.

15. But … but … it's messy and painful.

Right. As Carnegie Endowment Senior Fellow Stephen Wertheim has noted, “You don’t get to lose a war and expect the result to look like you won it.”

Bottom line: The airlift is a major logistical achievement. Tragically, in exiting a war like this, some chaos and deaths were inevitable. But getting out was right – and long overdue.

...but Biden critics are getting it mostly wrong. We have no ongoing security interest in Afghanistan, and we don't send troops everywhere to protect women and human rights. We do that in other ways.
By David Rothkopf
========================
Who is David Rothkopf?
He is the author of hundreds progressive articles publications for the New York Times, Washington Post .
Rothkopt is a writer and reporter at NYT and Washington Post, the 2 most controversial news reporting that contradicts all conservative articles and rhetoric.
These papers do not report facts but falsehoods, fabricated issues, and twisted facts.
---------------------------------
The intellectual dishonesty in critiques of how President Joe Biden is handling the U.S. departure from Afghanistan has been off the charts. That's not to say some of them are not warranted. They certainly are. The swift fall of Kabul to the Taliban was predictable, and there is a case that we should have been better prepared for it. And there is no doubt that the risks we faced were great, as shown by the Kabul airport attack last week that claimed the lives of at least 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops.

But some of the arguments we are hearing are indefensible. Among the worst:

1. Biden owns this.

No. The authors of 20 years of war own this. The corrupt Afghan government and the Afghan military who stood down own this. The Trump administration that set the deadlines, drew down the troops, left behind the materiel and released up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners owns this.
----------------------------------
Yes, Biden owned all the failures that happened in the Afghanistan exit. How? The exit was without planning and strategy. For a 20 year of war, Biden did an exit of only 10 days. There were so many priorities to be made. First prioritize sending all the US citizens instead of the 113,000 Muslim Afghans. There were 500 left that were not allowed a ride home.

2. Well, at least he owns the chaos surrounding our exit.
No. There's no way that the Taliban regaining control would not have led to chaos with many thousands of Afghans seeking to escape the rule of a thug regime. Whenever we began to airlift folks out, it would have started.
------------------
Yes, Biden owned the chaos of exit. The very limited time without planning, without vetting the 113,000 Afghans who some of them could be terrorists. The 10 days is impossible to provide vetting plus so many other priorities that needed to be done. 10 days after Biden exit the Taliban paraded with the sophisticated US tanks and armored trucks, ready to attack .

One of the most important duties that Biden failed was the taking back home the US military assets . But he gifted them to the Taliban worth at least $80 billion. I wrote Biden on April 18, 2021, reminding him of taking back home US assets so as not to repeat the Iraq exit in 2011 by Obama. He did not pay attention, though they acknowledged receipt of the message.

3. Well, at least he should have been better prepared for the chaos.

I'm going to give you this one, but it should be noted that efforts to prepare were rebuffed. The Afghan government did not want the United States beginning mass evacuations for the reasons cited in No. 2.
--------------------------------
The Taliban government was reported to be corrupt and though shown that they fought for their government but many were dependent upon the US. They used US to finance their own way of life but never became independently strong to stand for their own.

4. Washington could have given those in jeopardy more warning.

No. Trump said he wanted out when he ran in 2016 and signed a deal with an earlier deadline last year. Biden ran in 2020 saying he would leave. The State Department ordered some federal employees to leave in April.

President Trump planned the exit Feb 2020, to be finalized May 2021. Unfortunately the e******n was s****n from him. Strategic plans have been made by president Trump, along with the Sec. of State Mike Pompeo, and the generals of the military, who are more knowledgeable and experienced in military strategy being a graduate at West Point and a brilliant lawyer. The exit on May 2021, was not finalized due to the fact that the e******n in Nov.3, 2020 was stolen from Trump to make demented Biden win. Massive evidence disclosed, plus the series of audits confirmed it.
------------------------------------
5. America abandoned our allies.

No. Some of those allies left before we did. Canada left in 2014 but has returned in recent days to help with the evacuation. All knew for years of U.S. discussions regarding departure, and the Trump deal and announced departure early last year. And there has been close coordination during the evacuation process. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has convened meetings every other day with nearly 30 allied and other nations.
---------------------
True, the NATO was so upset with Biden due to unplanned chaotic exit without strategy. And the loss of lives of our 13 officers, 12 marines, and 1 navy officer.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-joe-biden-broke-nato-allies-boris-johnson-angela-merkel-emmanuel-macron-11629406300
How Biden Broke NATO
The chaotic Afghan withdrawal has shocked and angered U.S. allies.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/21/afghanistan-disaster-threatens-bidens-america-is-back-message-to-allies.html
--------------------------
6. The evacuation was bungled.

No. It started off badly but turned out to be masterful. The administration and the military adapted quickly. The airlift is one of the biggest in U.S. military history; about 114,400 people had been evacuated as of Sunday.
==================
Correct! The evacuation was with chaotic, and incomplete. 500 US citizens left behind while 113,000 Afghans were given priorities to t***sport to the US. Again no leadership planning. No priorities prepared. None. It was half-complete with disastrous results. 13 US officers died as a result of stupid, dumb, and poor planning exit of Biden.
------------------------------
7. The U.S. departure from Afghanistan will make it a potential breeding ground for terror again.

Afghanistan has been a dangerous place all 20 years America has been there. The swift and inevitable Taliban return to power and the airport attack by ISIS-K, the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, show that won't change. Meanwhile, there has been a massive increase in terror threats worldwide. Afghanistan is no longer the epicenter of the threat, and we must adapt. We have many tools to respond, as the drone strikes against ISIS-K illustrate.
---------------------------------------
Yes, the Taliban are flexing their muscles again. These people are TRIBALS. there are always k*****gs of those who don't believe and those of different tribes. Now, in the Afghans we have the Taliban government now ruled by the 4 GITMO prisoners released by Barack Obama in 2014, in exchange for Muslim convert Bowe Bergdahl.
----------------------------------
8. People will be left behind.

It is wildly unrealistic to think the United States could remove everyone at risk from Afghanistan. What's being done is above and beyond expectations. Other forms of political, diplomatic and economic pressure must be used to promote human rights in Afghanistan.
------------------------
500 US citizens were left behind. Fact was there was a mother and 3 children who were rescued by private US citizens from the Afghans last Wednesday. The Biden Adm. lied and clamed the rescue.
-------------------------
9. We could easily have left troops there indefinitely.
No. There was a cost to that and a risk. The risk grew as the Taliban grew in strength. Trump accelerated that with the release of prisoners held by the Afghan government and his announced May 1 departure date. Staying would have required a bigger investment.
-------------------
LIES! Fabricated NYT and Washington Post news. F**E NEWS!
-----------------------------
10. But we have left troops in Germany and South Korea.
Not comparable. Those are allied nations facing real imminent threats from major enemies who pose a strategic risk to the United States. We have no similar ongoing interest in Afghanistan.
-----------------
No, nobody claimed that. That was your lie. Taliban Muslims are TRIBAL people. They don't submit. And they stick to their own tribes of Islam religion. There is no way that Afghans can be like SK and Japan. Japan is highly civilized country that followed the Western civilization after the war. Fact is Japan is now a Parliamentary system of government, and a very close ally of the US.

Likewise South Koreas is also highly civilized country. The people in South Korea have followed democratic republic similar to the Western world. South Korea and Japan are totally within our allied countries and deserve protection to preserve their freedom.
--------------------------
11. But the troops could have protected women and girls.

First, as noted, the Taliban were gaining strength for years – despite the presence of the troops. Second, troops are not the means we advance such interests anywhere else. It is not a sustainable or effective approach.
----------------------
Dumb assertion, You made that up Kropt, NYT and Washington Post always publish f**e news. Nobody among the conservatives will claim that,. You made that up typical of f**e news media.
------------------------
12. But Biden and his team say human rights are at the center of our foreign policy.

That can be true without deploying troops to confront all threats to rights. It must be. Because we'll never do that. Are critics suggesting deployments now to Ethiopia? Myanmar? To protect women elsewhere?
-----------------
Wrong again. F**e news. You made that up Kropt. Liar!
---------------------

13. The debate about Biden’s performance is not about getting out of Afghanistan. Trying to make it about that is an effort to deflect and distract.

No. Getting out of Afghanistan is the central issue, marking a major shift in U.S. policy. It is about ending a 20-year war. It is about acknowledging a massive U.S. foreign policy failure and shifting to new priorities. That's the point.
----------------------------
No! Here are the facts f**e news media NYT and Washington Post.
Mr. Biden made massive errors in his Afghanistan exit. There was no leadership, planning, and prioritization of activities to be done during the exit. The 10 days period of rapid exit was not enough for the 20 years longest war we had. No leadership at all. Biden is NOT a leader! Period! I am so upset. Biden gifted the US assets left at the Afghans to the Talibans. How dumb.
----------------------------
14. Biden was part of the problem; he has known about this all along.

No. Biden has been arguing to wind this down for 12 years. When he was vice president, his view was overruled by President Barack Obama. And after 9/11, almost everyone supported going in after al-Qaida. For good reason.
==================
Where was the report that Biden argued with Barack about an exit in 2011? After Osama was k**led, Obama and Biden could have exited Afghanistan. But Barack did not and in fact proceeded to Iraq to remove the US security there. Which paved way for ISIS to take over Iraq and all the US military weapons including 6000 Humvees.
-----------------------------
15. But … but … it's messy and painful.

Right. As Carnegie Endowment Senior Fellow Stephen Wertheim has noted, “You don’t get to lose a war and expect the result to look like you won it.”

Bottom line: The airlift is a major logistical achievement. Tragically, in exiting a war like this, some chaos and deaths were inevitable. But getting out was right – and long overdue.

...but Biden critics are getting it mostly wrong. We have no ongoing security interest in Afghanistan, and we don't send troops everywhere to protect women and human rights. We do that in other ways.

By David Rothkopf

The intellectual dishonesty in critiques of how President Joe Biden is handling the U.S. departure from Afghanistan has been off the charts. That's not to say some of them are not warranted. They certainly are. The swift fall of Kabul to the Taliban was predictable, and there is a case that we should have been better prepared for it. And there is no doubt that the risks we faced were great, as shown by the Kabul airport attack last week that claimed the lives of at least 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops.

But some of the arguments we are hearing are indefensible. Among the worst:

1. Biden owns this.

No. The authors of 20 years of war own this. The corrupt Afghan government and the Afghan military who stood down own this. The Trump administration that set the deadlines, drew down the troops, left behind the materiel and released up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners owns this.

2. Well, at least he owns the chaos surrounding our exit.

No. There's no way that the Taliban regaining control would not have led to chaos with many thousands of Afghans seeking to escape the rule of a thug regime. Whenever we began to airlift folks out, it would have started.

3. Well, at least he should have been better prepared for the chaos.

I'm going to give you this one, but it should be noted that efforts to prepare were rebuffed. The Afghan government did not want the United States beginning mass evacuations for the reasons cited in No. 2.

4. Washington could have given those in jeopardy more warning.

No. Trump said he wanted out when he ran in 2016 and signed a deal with an earlier deadline last year. Biden ran in 2020 saying he would leave. The State Department ordered some federal employees to leave in April.

5. America abandoned our allies.

No. Some of those allies left before we did. Canada left in 2014 but has returned in recent days to help with the evacuation. All knew for years of U.S. discussions regarding departure, and the Trump deal and announced departure early last year. And there has been close coordination during the evacuation process. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has convened meetings every other day with nearly 30 allied and other nations.

6. The evacuation was bungled.

No. It started off badly but turned out to be masterful. The administration and the military adapted quickly. The airlift is one of the biggest in U.S. military history; about 114,400 people had been evacuated as of Sunday.

7. The U.S. departure from Afghanistan will make it a potential breeding ground for terror again.

Afghanistan has been a dangerous place all 20 years America has been there. The swift and inevitable Taliban return to power and the airport attack by ISIS-K, the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, show that won't change. Meanwhile, there has been a massive increase in terror threats worldwide. Afghanistan is no longer the epicenter of the threat, and we must adapt. We have many tools to respond, as the drone strikes against ISIS-K illustrate.

8. People will be left behind.

It is wildly unrealistic to think the United States could remove everyone at risk from Afghanistan. What's being done is above and beyond expectations. Other forms of political, diplomatic and economic pressure must be used to promote human rights in Afghanistan.

9. We could easily have left troops there indefinitely.

No. There was a cost to that and a risk. The risk grew as the Taliban grew in strength. Trump accelerated that with the release of prisoners held by the Afghan government and his announced May 1 departure date. Staying would have required a bigger investment.
10. But we have left troops in Germany and South Korea.

Not comparable. Those are allied nations facing real imminent threats from major enemies who pose a strategic risk to the United States. We have no similar ongoing interest in Afghanistan.

11. But the troops could have protected women and girls.

First, as noted, the Taliban were gaining strength for years – despite the presence of the troops. Second, troops are not the means we advance such interests anywhere else. It is not a sustainable or effective approach.

12. But Biden and his team say human rights are at the center of our foreign policy.

That can be true without deploying troops to confront all threats to rights. It must be. Because we'll never do that. Are critics suggesting deployments now to Ethiopia? Myanmar? To protect women elsewhere?

13. The debate about Biden’s performance is not about getting out of Afghanistan. Trying to make it about that is an effort to deflect and distract.

No. Getting out of Afghanistan is the central issue, marking a major shift in U.S. policy. It is about ending a 20-year war. It is about acknowledging a massive U.S. foreign policy failure and shifting to new priorities. That's the point.

14. Biden was part of the problem; he has known about this all along.

No. Biden has been arguing to wind this down for 12 years. When he was vice president, his view was overruled by President Barack Obama. And after 9/11, almost everyone supported going in after al-Qaida. For good reason.

15. But … but … it's messy and painful.

Right. As Carnegie Endowment Senior Fellow Stephen Wertheim has noted, “You don’t get to lose a war and expect the result to look like you won it.”

Bottom line: The airlift is a major logistical achievement. Tragically, in exiting a war like this, some chaos and deaths were inevitable. But getting out was right – and long overdue.