Why Biden is pulling the US -- and NATO -- out of Afghanistan

[m8d]

I found myself wondering why anyone felt this article was really necessary?

9/11: What happened and how many people died in September 11 attacks?

The 2001 attacks killed thousands of Americans, and had profound consequences across the globe.

www.bbc.co.uk

Then it dawned on me there are adults around now who weren't even born when that attack happened. And, indeed, it seems some of the marines killed in the Kabul suicide bombing were barely any older than the war itself.

13 service members killed in Kabul attack honored with the Congressional Gold Medal

The August attack was one of the deadliest days for American forces in the past decade of the 20-year war in Afghanistan.

www.npr.org

What an horrific waste of life and resources the whole thing has been.

At least the military-industrial complex made a lot of money. War is a racket.

 

[brandonbull]

what transcript of what?

use adult words, please

What transcript of what? Derp de derp. I guess Rip Van Winkle just woke up.

 

[brandonbull]

Seems like Biden did a perfectly good job to me. The only significant mistake was underestimating just how short a period of time it would take for the government to collapse, but as I’ve said before as that was already baked in any attempt to withdraw faster probably would have seen the same collapse happen.

I have not seen any plausible better scenario. They all rely on magical thinking or an implicit ‘stay forever’ plan.

Biden was warned and thought a PR tour would make everything better.

 

[brandonbull]

Why read when you are in a cult?

I have yet to see an actual argument that refutes the transcript or calls it fake. Instead, we get more of the standard insult routine from the peanut gallery. Biden was warned about the Tallyban being much stronger than thought and he chose the path of misinformation instead of an actual plan to help stabilize the situation. You would think that even the Left's dead frog level of intelligence would understand that the Afghan government was going to fold as soon as the U.S. removed troops.

Why understand what's going on when you can get the insult of the day?

 

[fskimospy]

I have yet to see an actual argument that refutes the transcript or calls it fake. Instead, we get more of the standard insult routine from the peanut gallery. Biden was warned about the Tallyban being much stronger than thought and he chose the path of misinformation instead of an actual plan to help stabilize the situation. You would think that even the Left's dead frog level of intelligence would understand that the Afghan government was going to fold as soon as the U.S. removed troops.

Why understand what's going on when you can get the insult of the day?

We tried to ‘stabilize the situation’ for TWENTY YEARS and couldn’t do it.

The fact that the Afghan government folded immediately shows that Biden was 100% right. Just admit it, Biden made the right call. Is that so hard to do?

 

[ch33zw1z]

I have yet to see an actual argument that refutes the transcript or calls it fake. Instead, we get more of the standard insult routine from the peanut gallery. Biden was warned about the Tallyban being much stronger than thought and he chose the path of misinformation instead of an actual plan to help stabilize the situation. You would think that even the Left's dead frog level of intelligence would understand that the Afghan government was going to fold as soon as the U.S. removed troops.

Why understand what's going on when you can get the insult of the day?

What transcript of what? Derp de derp. I guess Rip Van Winkle just woke up.

Lol...

 

[brycejones]

Lol...

Brandonbull wouldn’t be brandonbull if he actually linked to verifiable information in his posts.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Brandonbull wouldn’t be brandonbull if he actually linked to verifiable information in his posts.

Or without getting those insults in, lol...

 

[ivwshane]

Brandonbull wouldn’t be brandonbull if he actually linked to verifiable information in his posts.

Or if he was capable of addressing counterpoints.

 

[Jhhnn]

Biden was warned and thought a PR tour would make everything better.

Alternatively, he should have done what, exactly? Answer that & you'll have an actual argument. Otherwise it's just the usual back-biting & derision.

 

[Bitek]

Biden was warned and thought a PR tour would make everything better.

And your better solution was....?

The biggest mistake was made decades ago when we decided to nation build 7th century religious extremists on the other side of the planet into a modern, western style democracy.

Thank God he had the nuts not to backtrack and do another Surge just because the trillion dollar Afghan army were useless cowards and turncoats.

 

[Brainonska511]

The biggest mistake was made decades ago when we decided to nation build 7th century religious extremists on the other side of the planet into a modern, western style democracy.

We didn't even build a modern democracy. We basically took a large number criminal war lords and helped elevate them into key positions of power, where they could continue to grift and commit crimes, under the veneer of a democracy. With a government like that, it's no wonder it didn't have broad, popular support from the people.

 

[kage69]

We've spent $6 trillion so far on the War on Terror, with an obscene amount of that disappearing to corruption. The magats are pissed that number isn't still going up, while they are preventing President Biden from getting his $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill passed. Willing to spend that kind of money on a foreign "shithole," but not less on your own home? And all the while, still no answer on wtf we're supposed to be doing there since the initial objective was completed 10 years ago and nation building doesn't work if you can't win the peace.

And it's not just a strategy for going back to Afghanistan (and paying for it) they have to explain, in particular they need to articulate how that all works with an ANA that doesn't want to fight the Taliban (no offense to the guys that fought and died, but you were the minority).

Let's hear the grand plan taxpayers need to keep funding, looking at all the forum Clausewitzs like brandonbullshit and others

 

[pmv]

I have yet to see an actual argument that refutes the transcript or calls it fake. Instead, we get more of the standard insult routine from the peanut gallery. Biden was warned about the Tallyban being much stronger than thought and he chose the path of misinformation instead of an actual plan to help stabilize the situation. You would think that even the Left's dead frog level of intelligence would understand that the Afghan government was going to fold as soon as the U.S. removed troops.

Why understand what's going on when you can get the insult of the day?

Why do you keep calling them the Tallyban rather than the Taliban?

Tal-y-ban sounds like it should be a town in Wales (though, sadly, it seems it isn't, Tal-y-bont is as close as it gets).

 

[ch33zw1z]

Why do you keep calling them the Tallyban rather than the Taliban?

Tal-y-ban sounds like it should be a town in Wales (though, sadly, it seems it isn't, Tal-y-bont is as close as it gets).

It's Brandon's way to being clever, lol.

 

[Bitek]

We didn't even build a modern democracy. We basically took a large number criminal war lords and helped elevate them into key positions of power, where they could continue to grift and commit crimes, under the veneer of a democracy. With a government like that, it's no wonder it didn't have broad, popular support from the people.

Agreed. I could edit my post to emphasize "try", but even then that's overstating it.

It was engaging in fantasy, without the political courage to say it was never going to work, leave, and be subject to criticism if there was a terror attack.
Ie the real mission was OPERATION CYA

 

[Ajay]

We've spent $6 trillion so far on the War on Terror, with an obscene amount of that disappearing to corruption. The magats are pissed that number isn't still going up, while they are preventing President Biden from getting his $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill passed. Willing to spend that kind of money on a foreign "shithole," but not less on your own home? And all the while, still no answer on wtf we're supposed to be doing there since the initial objective was completed 10 years ago and nation building doesn't work if you can't win the peace.

Mustn’t be enough corporate welfare in the new bill; otherwise the Rs would be all over it like ants on sugar.

BTW, the $6T was just on Iraq and Afghanistan. We’ve spent even more on other anti-terrorism efforts (like the TSA, 'actions' in Syria, various African nations. Selling weapons to Saudi Arabia so they could boom Yemenese terrorists, etc. Oh wait, the MIC made money on the Yemen deal .

Oh, and 200% on the bolded section. IIRC, our only significant success is South Korea - and our military spent 50+ years on Korean soil to make sure it stuck. I have no idea what the inflation adjusted costs have been for that conflict and long term support - let alone the cost in American blood.

 

[HomerJS]

A little nugget dropped at an Afghanistan hearings. Rep Joe Wilson accused Sec of State Blinken of lying and was reminded of his own deplorable behavior. I case you don't recognized the same read on...
Connolly rips Wilson over 'you lie' during Blinken hearing (msn.com)

 

[ch33zw1z]

A little nugget dropped at an Afghanistan hearings. Rep Joe Wilson accused Sec of State Blinken of lying and was reminded of his own deplorable behavior. I case you don't recognized the same read on...
Connolly rips Wilson over 'you lie' during Blinken hearing (msn.com)

R's largely DGAF about behaviors of their own. Guys a hero in their book

 

[emperus]

Sen. Murphy did a great job w/ his time(wanted to say questioning, but really wasn't) w/ Blinken. Gotta say I have been impressed with Blinken, and some of the Dem Senators, not so much with the Republicans.

 

[hal2kilo]

Democrats are their own worst enemy. They seek truth. Nothing could ever have worked with how Trump surrendered. If the Pubs were in the majority, we wouldn't even be having these hearings, and if they did happen, no one from Trump's admin would have been compelled to testify. Fuck these looking backwards hearings.

 

[emperus]

Democrats are their own worst enemy. They seek truth. Nothing could ever have worked with how Trump surrendered. If the Pubs were in the majority, we wouldn't even be having these hearings, and if they did happen, no one from Trump's admin would have been compelled to testify. Fuck these looking backwards hearings.

I agree. But, Government should run with these hearings. But don't think these hearings help the Republicans.

 

[sportage]

Afghanistan hearings in the senate.
Obviously, republicans seek to turn this into Biden's Benghazi. And typical of senate republicans, not one word as to Donald Trump's role in all of this let along the role of GW Bush. Let the republicans pretend to be outraged, to play their political games, have at it fellas.

The real difference with this hearing and those "other" hearings when republicans controlled is that the Biden administration SHOW UP. Where as if thus involved the Trump administration we would have seen a much greater disaster and a lot more deaths as American troops pulled out. And that would have taken place last May of 2021. Worse, worse than anyone could imagine yet if republicans were now in charge we would have no hearings. And no Trump administration official would have ever shown up to testify had a hearing squeaked thru onto the senate floor. Trump would lie, Trump would deny his administration to testify, and Trump would have then traveled across the country giving rallies on how perfect the Afghanistan evacuation went.

 

[nOOky]

Wouldn't it be poetic if no one showed up, and Biden pulled the same shit Trump did?

 

[IronWing]

Yep, I’m not seeing the failure. How many American troops died in Afghanistan this week? Chances are pretty good that we’ll see that same number next week and the week after that if Biden hold to his decision.

Well, it's been a week, how's Biden doing? I haven't seen any reports of US soldiers killed in Afghanistan this week.