The wailing and moaning about our retreat from Afghanistan shows the victory of images over thought. After one trillion dollars and twenty years, our work there has come to nothing. And that nothing describes the level of thought from most reporters, who can only compare pictures of the US withdrawal from Vietnam from their childhoods with what they see now, and declare our troop withdrawal a failure.
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| On Leaving Afghanistan |
National Public Radio drips with stories about the plight of Afghan women and people who like to read who are now ruled by the Taliban. It’s sympathetic, really. But if they aren’t willing to fight for their freedom, why should we? The Afghan military and political leaders raced out of their country within a day. After twenty years of blood and gold, none of them had enough courage to fight for even themselves, let alone their country.
President Joe Biden deserves credit for making the bold and risky decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. It was always going to be messy. He knew that. Even former President Trump thought the US should leave Afghanistan, and many Americans agreed with him, as did Obama before him. Biden is successfully wrestling with our military leaders, who are very invested in the US remaining there.
President Joe Biden successfully managed to do what two previous Presidents wanted to do, but couldn’t. He is willing to take the criticism and stand by this decision despite the leaks and complaints aired against him.
The American taxpayer funded a corrupt military exercise in a corrupt country run by a Department of Defense that can’t even pass an audit. No wait, they can’t even do an audit. No one knows where all the money went. Not just in Afghanistan, but anywhere in the entire Defense Department.
Afghanistan is known as the graveyard of empires. The United States lasted longer than most, achieved the objective of routing the group responsible for the 9-11 terror attack, and is leaving after another, very expensive, lesson.
