PBS' Yamiche Alcindor: Biden is 'not running away from the responsibility' in Afghanistan

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Media top headlines August 18

In media news today, a top Biden aide says he won't 'comment on hypotheticals' when asked if Americans will be left in Afghanistan, a journalist who witnessed the fall of Saigon reacts to the situation in Afghanistan, and Twitter faces scrutiny as Taliban fighters continue using the Big Tech platform

PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor defended President Joe Biden in the wake of the crisis in Afghanistan, citing sources that showed her he's "not running away from the responsibility."

"I think it’s been very clear to me in talking to White House officials that they understood the gravity," Alcindor said on "Morning Joe" Wednesday. "This is America's longest war. This is a 20-year war spanning multiple presidencies. And President Biden didn’t take this decision lightly, sources tell me. It’s why in his speech he said, ‘the buck stops with me.’" 

"He’s not running away from the responsibility," she continued. "He understands there's a humanitarian crisis."

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Alcindor also cited Biden's return trip to the White House as an indication he's taking the matter seriously.

The reporter frequently grants anonymity to White House sources pushing pro-Biden talking points. Alcindor often injects left-wing commentary into her reporting and has said she views her role in journalism as being an advocate.

Biden, however, has faced widespread criticism for a perceived lack of leadership during the crisis and for returning to Camp David shortly after his address on Afghanistan Monday. The drawdown of U.S. troops made way for the Taliban to seize control of the country, including the capital of Kabul. Thousands of Americans have been left stranded in the region and the White House admitted a "fair amount" of U.S. military equipment has fallen into Taliban hands.

CNN's Jake Tapper blasted the administration for being "flat-footed," while the New York Times' David E. Sanger called it a "humiliating final act in the American experiment in Afghanistan."

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That made Alcindor's opinion an unpopular one, but some observers were not surprised, considering her history of praising Biden.

Alcindor praisied Biden as a "moral, decent man" at his first press conference while asking about his border policies.

"You've said over and over again that immigrants shouldn't come to this country right now ... That message is not being received," she said. "Instead, the perception of you that got you elected as a moral, decent man is the reason a lot of immigrants are coming to this country and are trusting you with unaccompanied minors."

She also seemed to agree with a Democratic source in November who compared Biden's cabinet picks to the Avengers.

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"I was talking to a Democrat who just said this also felt like 'The Avengers,'" Alcindor said on MSNBC. "It felt like we were being rescued from this craziness that we've all lived through from the last four years and now here are the superheroes to come and save us all."