There’s a story told, I think, in Lake Wobegon Days, where Garrison Keillor talks about writing a short story that gets lost in transit. And he can’t recover it. And it haunts him as possibly the best story he ever wrote, now lost to the world.
So, I attempted to write this blog last week, not quite a
week into the debacle happening in Afghanistan. I couldn’t finish on Thursday,
because of overscheduling myself. So I work on Friday night, after all the
Friday tasks. I was just finishing and getting ready to copy to post when Word
stopped responding. It was molasses slow. So was everything on my computer. I
couldn’t even get the screen that tells me program usage to come up. I knew the
file had saved—it’s typically on auto-save mode. So I turned off the computer
to reboot.
When I tried opening it, the file was corrupted. I went
through all the possible ways the various messages told me to try to recover
it. Nothing worked. I couldn’t even find previous versions on my online drive.
Mr. Spherical Model started some programs to look for malware or problems. That
eventually turned up nothing.
Sometimes you just have to cut your losses. Finally, I set about
recovering what I could. I’m using a lot of links in this post, so I went
through my online history to find all the URLs I’d visited. And I wrote a quick
outline of the points I’d made, while I could still remember them.
So I’m trying again today. Did I lose the best post ever?
Frankly, I was still in the mode of gathering information and trying to process
it. My purpose was to record the history in live time, suspecting it will be
important to remember in the future. And, who knows, maybe the things I’ve come
across over the weekend are a worthwhile addition.
 |
| Rep. Dan Crenshaw and Rep. Mike Waltz image from the podcast |
There are two views about the past 20 years in Afghanistan. I
don’t know which is correct. When I listen to the arguments, I tend to agree—while
I’m listening. And then I hear the other side and feel pulled a different
direction. Neither of the views ought to have led to what is happening.
The first view is that we are better off fighting the enemy
overseas than on our own soil. My US Rep. Dan Crenshaw expresses this very
well. In a podcast a week ago, August 15, he spoke with former Army Ranger US
Rep. Mike Waltz. Here’s something I learned: The war in Afghanistan has been in
a peaceful stasis for some time—18 months without a casualty. Calling what we
do there an endless war, or nation building, while ignoring multiple other
places where we keep a military presence to maintain peace is more political
than strategic. This view is definitely worth listening to:
·
“The “No More Endless Wars” Crowd Got Exactly What They Asked For” Dan Crenshaw podcast with Rep. Mike Waltz, August 15,
2021.
The other view is that we should avoid all international
entanglements, a view led by Sen. Rand Paul. But there are nuanced views of
that, including that we needed to take out the Taliban, but then we needed a
quick end to that mission. Jason Buttrill, chief researcher for Glenn Beck, was
deployed to Afghanistan right after 9/11. He gives this view:
·
“Former Marine: Afghanistan FAIL should result
in 'MASSIVE' Biden admin resignations” Jason Buttrill with Glenn Beck, August
17, 2021.
With some time passing, I’m not always sure where to credit
details. But somewhere in what I heard there is polling that shows over 70% of
Americans have wanted us out of Afghanistan. Pres. Trump made that promise and
set up a timeline, along with agreements the Taliban would have to keep in
order to make it happen. Another 70% say Biden botched the exit, which seems
obvious to the whole world—except maybe the president, his close staff, and the
US State Department.
Losing
the Peace
Americans know how to win wars. We did it spectacularly in
World War II, so well that, as Great Britain saw the end of its global imperial
period, it felt content stepping back on the world stage, because the United
States was there to step up.
But what we now know is that the US cannot be trusted to “help”
any country in its fight against tyranny—because at some point Democrats will
get elected and lose the peace. And break our promises.
We won Vietnam. Democrats got us into the fight. Then
Republicans struggled through the tough part, and we won. Then Democrats in
Congress refused to fund the support we had promised in order to keep the
peace. The local people struggled on against communist insurgents for two years
before the fall of Saigon.
 |
| Joe Biden in the 1970s image found here |
In 2010, he told a US diplomat, who had asked him about our
duty to avoid a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, "F--- that, we don't
have to worry about that. We did it in Vietnam. Nixon and Kissinger got away
with it."
Who knew he could be so consistent about anything? Well, not
totally. In 2015, he was in favor of inviting in Syrian refugees—especially
if we didn’t vet them.
Anyway, Democrats subjected Vietnam to decades of communist
tyranny. Those who escaped, the many Vietnamese boat people, are among our neighbors. And they've been good neighbors. But they lost their home country.
In the early 90s, when we won the first Gulf War in Iraq,
quickly and decisively, the Democrats gave that victory away by refusing to
hold Saddam Hussein accountable to the terms of the cease fire. Bill Clinton
kept letting them cross one red line after another, until finally, as a way to
distract from the Lewinsky affair, he bombed what turned out to be an aspirin
factory, rather than one of several actual arms production facilities we were
supposed to be able to freely inspect.
We won again in Iraq starting in 2003, when they were a key
state sponsor of terrorism. We took out Saddam Hussein this time, and worked to
help the people recover from his tyranny, for which they were grateful. (I heard this from them myself.) But Obama managed to lose that semi-stable peace, giving rise to the ISIS
caliphate. Nothing we could do about that but take in unvetted refugees, he
insisted. Until President Trump got elected and then wiped out ISIS swiftly. Done.
So, in Afghanistan, we had won a peace, and kept the Taliban
at bay for two decades. No more 9/11-style terrorist attacks on our soil. Their numbers were minimal, and the few remaining were
hiding out in caves or hovels just over the border in Pakistan. If you need to review the history, I recommend Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11.
I don’t know whether Trump’s intention to pull out of
Afghanistan emboldened them. That is possible. But Trump’s plan was to make our
leaving contingent on their keeping the terms of peace. If they didn’t, they
should expect to feel the full weight of the US military. Some think that means
he would have kept a minimal force there indefinitely.
Biden’s interpretation of an exit plan was to bug out of Bagram Air Force base in the middle of the night, not even giving notice to the
Afghani commander, who showed up the next morning to that eerie emptiness.
During our relative peace there, contractors were hired to
do work in Afghanistan. The people Biden left there were tens of thousands of
Americans—many along with families—doing work the US Government had urged them
to do. Plus there were the many tens of thousands of Afghanis who had helped
the US, as interpreters or otherwise, in the effort to build their
infrastructure, military, and government—making them de facto enemies of the returning
Taliban. These are the SIVs, the special immigrant visas.
A month ago the international terrorist threat was quite
low, arguably the lowest it had been since 9/11. Now, with the Taliban claiming
triumph over the US, recruitment and numbers are surging, and al-Qaeda, maybe
even ISIS, are making a reappearance—incidentally while Biden has kept the
southern border open to all comers.
By the way, on Friday, August 13, just as the chaos was getting underway, Homeland Security's Alejandro Mayorkas put out a bulletin on the heightened domestic terrorism threat—coinciding incidentally, a week later, with the admission that there was no coordinated attempt at insurrection on January 6th, but claiming that ordinary people are terrorists nevertheless (not the first time).
In July, Biden claimed there was no chance of a repeat of
Saigon, with people clinging to helicopters lifting off embassy roofs. I think
he failed to say he was fine with people clinging to airplane landing gear
taking off from the tarmac of the only airport people can escape from, which is
surrounded by Taliban. Biden’s creation makes Saigon look like just an ordinary
bad day.
So I think it’s time we conclude that we must look at every
possible victory as something Democrats will follow up to un-win.
 |
| Five days into the Afghanistan chaos, Biden does a press conference and takes no questions. Tweet from Michael P Pregent August 18 |
It is hard to imagine that things could go as wrong as they
have out of simple incompetence. I think it’s only possible if you combine massive
incompetence with hatred of America—which I think will be the historical
summary of the Biden presidency.
Biden was busy vacationing at Camp David while this chaos
was underway in Afghanistan. Finally, five days into the chaos, he showed up,
gave a statement, and took no questions. Later on Wednesday he did an interview on
ABC (more below), saying he couldn’t imagine why anyone saw anything wrong. Thursday
he did a presser, taking four pre-approved questions. VP Harris has been absent
from beginning to end. One report said she was heard to be screaming, “They’re
not going to pin this on me!” True? I don’t know. But conceivable. Without
comment, she’s continuing plans for a trip to Singapore. This administration is
feckless at best, more likely evil.
In last Wednesday’s interview with George Stephanopoulos (full transcript here), Biden said there were no mistakes; everything was going as expected, and he didn’t see how things could have gone better.
 |
| Joe Biden during the interview with George Stephanopoulos screenshots from here |
Biden said, “No, I—I don’t think it could have been handled in a way that— there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing. I don’t know how that happens.”
Let me help here, with the strategic plan that—absolutely everyone
else in the world could come up with:
·
Get the people out first.
·
Then get your equipment out—anything you don’t
want getting into the hands of the enemy.
·
Then get the military out.
Here’s some the technology the US Military has left behind to be reverse-engineered by whichever enemies partner with the Taliban.
 |
| Julian Ropcke tweet of weapons left behind image found here |
It wasn’t just Americans abandoned in this far-flung land. Our allies had people there as well. Biden lied and said he had contacted them all and they were in agreement with his plan. News is that British PM Boris Johnson was essentially put on hold for 36 hours before his phonecall would be taken by Biden. (Another story said 24 hours for Biden to make the phonecall to PM Johnson.) Our NATO allies are livid. They are considering sanctioning him. And they are scrambling to find ways to rescue people.
On the Mark Levin show, retired British Colonel Richard Kemp, former chairman of the Cobra Intelligence Group, said this:
The whole world just became vastly more dangerous. The US Government, President Biden humiliated
the United States. He humiliated the United States Army. In my opinion—and I
don’t say this lightly, and I’ve never said it about anybody else, any other
leader in this position: People have been talking about impeaching President
Biden. I don’t believe President Biden should be impeached. He’s the Commander
in Chief of the US Armed Forces, who has just, essentially, surrendered to the
Taliban. He shouldn’t be impeached; he should be court-martialed for betraying
the United States of America and the United States Armed Forces.
I agree that impeachment is too good for him. However, I don’t
see a legal path in the Constitution to court-martial our president. But
removing him one way or another is looking likely. And sooner rather than
later. Shaming him ought to bring about a resignation—except that he has no shame.
Turning Tide
The media—and Biden’s subordinates—are turning on him,
pointing out the lies. An early indicator was CNN reporter Clarissa Ward, from
on the ground at the airport in Kabul, showing the chaos—in stark contrast to
everything Biden and his spokespeople say.
Stu Burguiere offers a collection of Clarissa Ward posts,
around midpoint in this episode:
·
“The Afghanistan Evacuation Debacle: An American Embarrassment” Stu Burguiere, Ep 331, August 20, 2021.
Tucker Carlson points out how odd this negative reporting
is, along with the contradictions by military and intel sources. He says it has
to be coordinated, and this shows they are now turning against him.
·
“Tucker Carlson Tonight 8/22/21”
Journalist/Commentator Mr. Reagan (Christopher Kohls) offers
his analysis of this sudden distancing from Biden, and thinks their timing
might be off.
·
“Why Has the Media Turned on Biden?” August 22,
2021.
And add this one:
·
“Liberal Reporters Turn on Biden, SLAM Him for Handling of Afghanistan” Glenn Beck on Facebook, August 20, 2021.
Rescue
Jason Buttrill, on The Blaze program The News & Why It Matters, was discussing the difficulty of just telling people, “Make your way to the airport in Kabul.” He shared this map, from Michael P. Pregent, showing the difficulty people face.
 |
| Michael Pregent graphic of Afghanistan situation shared on The News & Why It Matters August 17. screenshot from here |
So I looked for Michael Pregent’s twitter feed and found it to be a useful source for updated reporting, including good graphics. Pregent said, on August 18, that this is the worst foreign policy decision in his lifetime, and it may go down as the worst foreign policy decision ever.
 |
| Tweet from Michael P Pregent August 23, 2021 |
Afghanistan is a mountainous desert, riddled with mines and IEDs. And it’s now occupied by the Taliban, making death a likely outcome for cross-country travelers intent on getting to the only airport to exit. I don’t remember who to credit with saying, “Does Biden think you can just call an Uber?” Add to the danger, the Taliban is already threatening to kill all Christians in particular. They’ll kill any American, foreigner, or Afghani who helped the NATO allies, but they have a special hatred for Christians.
One story Glenn Beck passed along was from an American Christian missionary, in her
mid-20s, who recognizes her life is threatened and she may not make it home.
She contacted her family and let them know she is at peace with her impending
death.
Last Wednesday Glenn Beck detailed the difficulty Christians
are facing and asked his audience to help fund the rescue being planned by The
Nazarene Fund, which has been successful in rescuing many Christians from Syria
and other world hot spots. They estimated a cost of about $4,000 per individual,
and they had a goal to rescue 3-5,000. $4,000 X 5,000 = $20 million. So that
was the goal. In less than two days they reached $22 million. (We felt the call
and added our comparative widow’s mite.) This morning, everything was ready,
but the US State Department refuses to offer permissions or any other type of support.
Department of Defense has been helping as they can, but the State Department
seems to think if they help it’s an admission that the reality exists.
·
“THIS Is The Reality Of Afghanis Today: ’30Minutes That’ll Change Your Life’ Part 1” and “Forget Government. YOU Can Be A LEADER: ’30 Minutes That’ll Change Your Life’ Part 2” Glenn Beck Radio blog, August 18, 2021.
·
“Taliban reportedly going 'door-to-door' looking
for Christians to kill them” Phil Shiver for The Blaze, August 19, 2021.
·
“Glenn Beck's audience raises staggering $22
million in 2 days to rescue Christians trapped in Afghanistan” Sarah Taylor for
The Blaze, August 20, 2021.
·
Glenn Beck Radio Program, followup interview with Rudy Attallah, CEO of The Nazarene Fund, August 23, 2021.
Keeping
the Historical Record
The reports and commentaries I've collected this
past week is mainly to keep the historical record. If we individuals keep the record, maybe
we’re less subject to being deceived when we’re inevitably lied to.
I used The Blaze and The Epoch Times quite a
lot, but there are certainly other good sources—like I said, even CNN reporting
on the ground. So this is just a snapshot, mostly from last week, showing the vast distance between Biden administration claims and reality:
WEAPONS ABANDONED
·
“Shocking videos show just how many US military weapons are now in the hands of Taliban terrorists” Chris Enloe for The
Blaze, August 18, 2021.
·
“US Black Hawk Helicopters, Airplanes, Rockets Captured by Taliban; Refugees Coming” Facts Matter with Roman Balmakov,
August 18, 2021.
BIDEN VERSION
·
“President Biden indicates there was no way to
exit Afghanistan 'without chaos ensuing'” Alex Nitzberg for The Blaze,
August 18, 2021.
·
“Biden claims military advisers never told him to keep troops in Afghanistan, but multiple reports say otherwise” Phil Shiver for
The Blaze, August 19, 2021.
·
“Democratic lawmaker says US military isn't
responsible for getting Americans to Kabul airport safely” Chris Pandolfo for The
Blaze, August 19, 2021.
·
“Psaki has Total TRAINWRECK When Reporter Asks If Americans Will Make It Out of Afghanistan” press conference clip posted by
Glenn Beck on Facebook, August 18, 2021.
This guy giving a State Department update was
so pleasant and calming, I really hoped he would
tell the truth. But he didn't.
Tweet from Michael P Pregent, August 21
REALITY
·
“An internal State Department memo in July reportedly warned of Kabul collapse” Alex Nitzbeg for The Blaze, August
19, 2021.
·
“Biden reportedly ghosted UK, ignored PM Johnson for 36-plus hours amid Afghanistan fallout” Phil Shiver for The Blaze,
August 19, 2021.
·
“Taliban militants fire into crowd to disperse protests, reportedly kill at least three people and injure dozens” Chris
Pandolfo for The Blaze, August 18, 2021.
·
“VIDEO: Desperate Afghani mothers throw their babies over barbed wire to allied troops in order to protect their children from Taliban” Sarah Taylor for The Blaze, August 19, 2021.
·
“Taliban fighters are 'hunting down'
journalists, carrying out revenge executions against Afghans who worked with
the West” Phil Shiver for The Blaze, August 20, 2021. https://www.theblaze.com/news/taliban-fighters-hunting-down-journalists-revenge-executions
·
“Two Afghan stowaways who plunged to their
deaths after clinging to US plane ID'd as teen brothers who scavenged from
trash to care for mother: Report” Sarah Taylor for The Blaze, August 18,
2021.
·
“What? - Americans Have To Pay For Their Trip Home From Kabul?” Donald Trump, Jr. post on Rumble, August 20, 2021.
·
“DoD ADMITS Out Of 2,000 Evacuees, Only 300 AreAmericans” Dinesh D’Souza post on Rumble, August 19, 2021.
·
“Shapiro Breaks Down What's Actually Happening in
Afghanistan” Ben Shapiro highlights on Facebook, August 16, 2021.
PERSPECTIVES
·
“Fed-up Sen. Sasse sends clear message to Biden
about 'hostage situation' with Americans and allies trapped in Afghanistan: 'Go
get them'” Chris Field for The Blaze, August 19, 2021.
·
“WATCH: Details of Trump’s Afghanistan exit plan suggest it would ‘NOT have been this way’” BlazeTV staff, August 20,
2021.
·
“Why Biden’s Afghanistan failure wouldn’t have happened under Trump” Glenn Beck Radio, August 17, 2021.
·
“No, Biden Can’t Blame Trump for The Afghanistan Withdrawal Disaster” Margot Cleveland for The Federalist, August 16,
2021.
·
“WW2 Heroism Exemplifies OUR DUTY To Help Afghanistan Today” Glenn Beck Radio, August 20, 2021.
·
“Glenn: Biden’s IMPEACHABLE response to Afghanistan is NOT Us” Glenn Beck Radio, August 20, 2021.
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“Glenn is FIRED UP about Joe Biden’s SHAMEFUL embarrassment in Afghanistan” Glenn Beck Radio, August 20, 2021.
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“Actually, the Taliban are an enemy.” Ted Cruz
posts clip of spokesman John Kirby refusing to call Taliban the enemy, on
Facebook, August 20, 2021.
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