James Jay Carafano is vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at The Heritage Foundation. Here he lays out the essential issues regarding the situation in Afghanistan. But one thing is clear. Twenty years ago the Taliban controlled Afghanistan. They do again today and will for some time to come. Why? Two words: Joe Biden.
Should Biden step down or be removed for his handling of Afghanistan? Yes. But that would leave us with Kamala Harris which would be ten times worse. God help us. #ItDidntHaveToBeThisWay #GodBlessOurTroops #AfghanistanDisaster
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 26, 2021
Carafano: The blame game continues. In his latest speech on the unfolding chaos in Afghanistan, President Biden fingered the terrorist group ISIS-K for the bombing at the Kabul airport. He then delivered more excuses why the hole he dug isn’t getting deeper.
After a 90-day intelligence review, his administration still can’t figure out if COVID came out of a Chinese lab. But the president is already pretty sure ISIS-K organized the attacks on the Kabul airport.
Moreover, he thinks working with Taliban still makes sense. So he continued to spend more time explaining how he is making all the right steps rather than coming up with a serious plan to address a situation that is rapidly spiraling out of control.
The president acknowledged that the U.S. knew this threat was coming – like a Mack truck with no brakes – yet the White House just watched while the airport got smacked. He did that because he discarded all other options on how to get out.
After creating an impossibly unsustainable situation with a chaotic no-plan plan for withdrawal — one in which he ignored the advice of military leaders and the intelligence community – he stated he was relying on the advice of military commanders. This is like Gen. Custer, after he was surrounded, asking his lieutenants, “What do we do now?”
ISIS-K may very well have conducted the bombing. Declaring the U.S. will go after them is far from a reassuring plan for a way forward.
For starters, part of Biden’s no-plan plan was to abandon the U.S. footprint in Afghanistan that allowed us to go after terrorists. The president keeps saying we will go after the terrorists “over the horizon,” but the U.S. already has such capability. Right now we pretty much have to come from the far side of the moon to get to Afghanistan.
Further, what’s worse: that the Taliban are in control of the terrorists, or that the terrorists are out of control? Either way, it’s clear they are back. Afghanistan went from being a relatively peaceful, stable theater to the hottest terrorist hot spot on the planet, and that is all the result of Biden’s decision. And he has still given no indication of any plan to deal with the tsunami of terror that is sure to come.
Biden wrapped up with the old tried and true: blaming Trump. President Biden has made the decision to make the response a referendum on his leadership. This is too large a claim to let pass. It’s about placing blame. It’s not about partisan sniping. It’s about understanding where we are, and what we have to do now — and that requires knowing what we did.
That means it’s time — right now — to start discussions on an independent, nonpartisan investigation to unpack the administration’s response.
Let’s be honest with ourselves. Things are not going well, to put it mildly. This is not the best of all possible outcomes. On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Taliban will control more territory, have more money, more friends and more arms than they did on 9/11.
Today we learned the perilous consequences of that development. It’s time for the White House and all of us to come to grips with that.
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Unthinkable? With 535 traitors in Washington? Not at all. In fact, it was expected. And that ain’t nothing yet.
Thanks Biden & allies
I do not blame the allies … the entire fault lies with the Traitorous Biden Administration … They all belong at the end of a rope !
This may sound “curious,” but I place the entire blame of the U.S. Not-So-Supreme Court. This Court has been compromised. That this once-august judicial body saw it “judicious” to opt out of a serious, non-partisan review and — in the face of irrefutable evidence — an inevitable reversal of the 2020 Election has put America smack direct in the center of the bull’s eye. The Democrat steal of the 2020 Election and the Court’s abetting actions, has put the U.S. in danger. The Not-So-Supreme Court could have guided the country away from this crippling incompetence and satanic governance. They didn’t. Full blame now rests on these nine “justices” who would not know justice if it bit them in their —es.
By the way…… how’s that purge of pro-President Trump supporters going???! LOL…..
Huh, Chairwoosie Mark Milley, Sec of Defuce L. Austin III, and illegitimate prez Xiden & the ho…….. the INCOMPETENT TRIUMVIRATE of IDIOTS running this FUBAR, Keystone Cops show????!
Stay Safe; pray for our REPUBLIC and service members in harms way…….
Joe, Proud USAF vet.
Right in the middle of the Taliban celebration we need to hit them with all our A-10s and eliminate them with the World watching ! Follow the A-10s with AC130 gunships then hit them with a few 10 meg Nukes for good measure ! Make a real statement … Do Not Mess with the USA !
Ah Thomas ;) Much as I could relish the thought of smacking the Toad Brigade where they deserve it most, sadly we have both citizens , our own miltary, citizens of our ( former ) Allies and their armed services, plus far too many innocent “civilians” ( well – the kids under ten just could be not involved ! ) and our antagonists happily learned the lesson very quickly to always live, work and assemble right in the midst of non-combattant people knowing full-well that the USA and most other civilised nations are signed up to International Conventions protecting the civilian populations and by virtue of deliberate close proximity – themselves !
Drones may not be the answer to everything, but they are a fairly reliable method of keeping the terrorists on their toes at all times. Unfortunately for us, Joes’ “Gift” to the Taliban / ISIS-K includes several Drones and controllers – or so I was lead to believe – we should perhaps use any available time BEFORE their 9/11 to locate and destroy these weapons before they can be fully understood and used against USA cities much as we have done in the past to their centers of militarization !
The brigades of Islamist fighters presently parading in US kit are more easily dealt with, but the specialist helicopter-gun-ships also need to be swiftly taken out of the equation before their pilots have time to gain sufficient experience to deploy them. Fixed-wing aircraft on “deployment” with the Taliban / ISIS-K are mores susceptible to standard Air Force and Army “Long Reach” capabilities AA & SA missiles being foremost in thoughts.
All this information is of course already well-known to the enemy combattants – maybe the knowlege will give them pause to contemplate the swiftness and certainty of every response to their unwelcome and unauthorised use of US equipment.
Lets’ leave nukes for another day eh ? Besides – the “fallout” will not be totally radioactive but almost certainly as damaging . ;)
Somebody needs to quickly learn a touch of Islamic History.
We all know what the date 9/11 of twenty years ago means to America and the Western World – that is a given !
What all our planners and decision-makers need to know, is the historical Islamic memories of the date 9/11 – but in the Year 1683 ! This was the history-making date of the Breaking of the Islamic Siege of Vienna – an occasion not exactly viewed with friendly humour from the Muslim viewpoint ! Many scholars regard this historical slap in the face for the usual belligerent Islamists as the root cause behind the choice of 9/11 in modern times as a date to get even or teach the Western Infidels a lesson they’ll never forget ! It may seem that “some” of the USAs’ forward planners and thinkers have already painted-over “our” 9/11 as it lies uneasily with their WOKE modes of thought !
The “Religion of Peace” is quietly laughing its sandy socks off and the Taliban / ISIS-K conglomerate happily counting their Biden-given free military hardware and supplies as though it were some new Islamic Feast Day Celebrations – $85 BILLION – unbelievable !! Maybe they’l start a new “Islamist Joe Biden Thanksgiving Day” in his honour ! A really nice and much appreciated “Gift” for THEIR 9/11 celebrations ? !!