The country is falling apart yet President Biden spends a lot of his time doing nothing. Check his presidential schedule on line. Many days it is one event or so and the rest of the day he is gone.
This disengaged approach to the presidency became obvious recently as the U.S. backed government in Kabul fell apart. Tens of millions of dollars of U.S. military equipment fell into the hands of terrorists. That’s even though the president, just a week or so ago along with his key military advisors, said the Afghan regime was in great shape and would not fall to the terrorists and rebels.
Ghost Armies?
Biden, trying recently to silence critics, amazingly announced that the rebels were only about 75,000 but the Afghan government had “300,000 troops.”
Really?
The Kabul regime had a bigger army than the Japanese or the Poles or the British? The Afghan regime, in what would have made it one of the biggest military powers on the planet, had lots of battle-ready soldiers and would defeat the rebels, the president said.
Quoi?
Immediately, there were disagreements in the press over whether Biden had been told how serious the situation was. Blame passed back and forth. Even Biden’s many boot lickers in the mainstream media were suddenly complaining about the man they put in office. Some of these people were the same ones who were comparing Biden to Christ in January. Now, seven months later, it’s obvious Biden doesn’t walk on water.
Biden Said What?
Congressmen who were there at the Afghanistan briefings a week or two ago said the president was warned the situation was perilous and that he must have a withdrawal plan. The U.S. didn’t have the latter.
That is a major screw-up that will cost lives and billions of dollars. Hence, U.S. troops are being sent back to Afghanistan to save American and American employees who are in grave danger. A potential slaughter could be in the making.
Tens of millions of dollars in military equipment are gone. They are in the hands of terrorists. That’s courtesy of the already overtaxed U.S. citizen and of an administration so sloppy and reckless it is a disgrace.
“What’s the Plan, Mr. President?”
Supposedly, the Trump administration had an Afghan pullout plan that was jettisoned as everything else that had to do with the Trump administration. Supposedly Trump wanted civilians to leave first. Then have the military bring out the equipment. Then, in the last step, blow up the airfields.
But whatever the plan the Biden administration is using, it is obviously inadequate and could cost a lot more lives.
That’s because one of the hallmarks of this administration has been a lack of preparation; a lack of vision, a lack of understanding of the consequences of its actions. These include throwing the southern border open to anyone and everyone. Someone, before they took office, should have reminded Biden and his minions of this truth: It’s easy to solve problems on paper. It is daunting to try some of these proposals in the real world.
Can the President Do Anything?
The Afghanistan situation is disturbing for several reasons. As the Kabul regime fell apart recently, President Biden was nowhere to be found for several days. Finally, on Monday August 16, Biden, who had been on vacation at Camp David, came back to the White House. He finally addressed the disaster in Kabul as thousands of Afghans who worked with the Americans feared for their lives.
Biden gave a short, self-serving, speech in which he correctly noted that the U.S. had been in Kabul for decades and that the U.S.’s nation building efforts were a failure. Quite right. But he had been vice president during eight years of this disaster and he has been president since January. However, Biden took no responsibility for not having an exit plan; for potentially subjecting tens of thousands of people to a Taliban holocaust.
Blame Ike?
This blaming anyone but yourself is weak. What if this line of reasoning had been used by president John Kennedy, who launched the failure plagued Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba? Suppose he had blamed the previous president, Eisenhower, because the loony project was dreamed up in the previous administration. Kennedy, to his credit, took responsibility and never ran away from his failure.
Bad Optics
By contrast, Biden gave his tardy, it’s not my fault, Afghan speech. Then he shuffled away, oblivious to the questions reporters were screaming (Remember, when Biden holds his few press conferences, questions must be pre-screened, a process that makes these press conferences a joke. However, the pathetic mainstream media, the Biden enablers, never objects. Compare this to the dog eat dog, open-ended press conferences under Trump. Is it any surprise why so many Americans have lost faith in the media?).
After Biden’s pathetic speech, instead of going to the situation room at the White House and working with his cabinet on an emergency plan for Afghanistan, Biden was gone. Where did he go?
Biden went back to his helicopter. He was on his way back to Camp David to resume his vacation. Apparently, he would rather sit around watching re-runs of Golden Girls and Matlock than do his job. Later, after still more criticism, he decided to come back. Is Afghanistan all his fault now?
Yes.
Certainly, the two-decade old Afghan policy is a failure as are all attempts to nation build in countries that aren’t interested in Western democratic values.
A Bad Administration with Years to Go
In less than seven months, Biden has created two human disasters that are causing untold misery: The open border mess on the southern border and the terrible events in Kabul.
And he is just getting started. His term still has some three and a half years to come and Biden has already announced that he is running for re-election. Maybe the White House will have to be moved to a nursing home. I’m sorry but not every 78-year-old is up to the task of president of the United States, a job that will exhaust much younger men and women. But Biden doesn’t seem to worry about overwork.
Biden has done these things at the same time he hardly ever seems to work, if one goes by his schedule.
Who’s the Boss?
Like his health, this inevitably leads to speculation: Who is actually running the country?
Is Biden in the early stages of dementia and should the 25th amendment, the part of the constitution that provides for presidential succession in the case of presidential disability, be invoked for the first time? That might make things even worse.
Be Careful What You Wish For…
But does the country need to have Vice President Giggles, Kamala Harris, take over?
Here would be a clear case of out of the frying pan into the fire. Harris was charged with going to the southern border and solving the crisis. She resisted for months.
Finally, after months of ridicule, she went to the El Paso airport. She made a speech about how everything was under control, then got back on the plane and went back home.
In the southern border, Kabul or on so many other issues, more Biden disasters are on the way.
