Media top headlines August 27
In media news today, President Biden says he was 'instructed' to call on reporters from list following Kabul attacks, MSNBC's Malcolm Nance downplays the Kabul suicide bombing, and ESPN gets slammed for 'wokeism' after canceling Rachel Nichols' show
Veteran U.S. Navy SEAL Jimmy Graham is baffled at President Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan that has left the Taliban in control of the country and doesn’t think the commander in chief is up for the job.
"I really think he seems not there," Graham told Fox News.
"I feel like people are using him to say a thing, and he can barely keep it together. They need to keep it short before he loses his composure," Graham continued. "I haven't seen his heart in any of this."
Veteran U.S. Navy SEAL Jimmy Graham said morale among fellow veterans that he’s spoken with is down significantly. (The KAIROS Company)
Graham, also a retired Protective Officer for the CIA’s Global Response Staff and a fellow in community safety at the Centennial Institute, said Biden resting his head on the podium when faced with a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy was a clear "moment of weakness" for the beleaguered president.
"We all saw it," Graham said.
Many pundits from mainstream media outlets panned Biden on Thursday for his remarks on the heels of a terrorist suicide bombing that targeted U.S. forces and evacuees at Kabul’s airport in Afghanistan. Graham feels that much of the criticism is faux outrage and said mainstream outlets often replay the moments that Biden actually came off as sympathetic, such as when he relayed his history of family tragedies.
"I don’t trust that," Graham said when asked about liberal outlets scolding Biden.
"Of course, a father that's lost a child [is] horrible and anybody with a heart is going to relate to that. But a lot of that speech was fluff," Graham said.
CBS NEWS ON KABUL ATTACKS: ‘WORST DAY OF THE BIDEN PRESIDENCY’
"Everything was so out of context. It really means nothing," Graham continued, adding that the media will quickly forget Biden’s stumbles if history is any indication of the way a Democratic president is treated.
"That's not fair. We need to see that as the American people. We need to return to the truth. At some point we must get back," he said. "There's a war on decency right now."
Graham said morale among fellow veterans that he’s spoken with is down significantly following the attacks that left at least 13 service members dead on Thursday. In order to avoid making it worse, he hopes that for the sake of veterans, the media doesn’t repeat lines such as "20 years were wasted" and servicemen "died for nothing" as the chaos in Afghanistan unfolds.
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"If we get a different message out there, ‘I want to thank you for serving.’ Know that military, not the police, they're still very much respected. We need to keep that in place by speaking the truth," Graham said.
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