Independent voters give Biden 'F' grade for speech on Afghanistan
Lee Carter, partner and president of Maslansky + Partners, highlights voter reactions to President Biden's speech on the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.
This past Sunday saw the American flag brought down from the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan as Taliban soldiers rushed unopposed through Kabul.
This dark, striking image represents President Joe Biden’s unforgivable failure to manage America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Biden’s disastrous decision-making has empowered an evil terrorist organization, put millions of Afghan women and children at risk of rape and murder, betrayed the tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers who fought in Afghanistan, and sullied America’s global image.
This moment will go down not only as one of Biden’s worst failures in office, but as a horrifying low point in the history of American foreign policy.
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Regardless of how one feels about America’s extended presence in Afghanistan, there’s no question that our Biden-led exit has been an unmitigated disaster.
As the Taliban moved with dangerous speed, Biden’s administration broadcast their total ignorance of the situation on the ground.
Weeks ago, Biden said it was "highly unlikely" that the Taliban could overrun Afghanistan. He added that there would be "no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of a embassy." Just three days ago, on August 13th, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby described the situation in Kabul as "not an imminent threat."
Then on August 15th, 48 hours after Kirby’s comments, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. America re-committed thousands of new troops to hastily evacuate our officials and ordered sensitive diplomatic material destroyed as the Taliban captured Kabul.
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Just 48 hours. That’s how long it took for the Taliban to prove -- with horrific violence and brutality -- that Biden and his officials were totally unaware of the life-and-death consequences of their actions.
Biden has betrayed our allies and our own military in the wake of his failure. Thousands of translators and Afghan Special Forces who bravely fought alongside American troops now risk being executed in the streets. And the sacrifices made by our military men and women – who have fought, been wounded, and died in Afghanistan for decades – have been disrespected beyond measure.
America’s finest sons and daughters valiantly fought and served in Afghanistan to protect our country and keep terrorism at bay. With his bungling, Biden undid their hard work, essentially telling them that their sacrifice meant nothing. They deserve better than Biden’s failed leadership.
Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held a briefing on Tuesday August 17th, and his comments revealed that the crisis runs deeper than previously realized. Millions of dollars worth of American weapons and vehicles have fallen into the hands of the Taliban. More than 10,000 Americans still remain stranded in a nation now run by brutal, America-hating terrorists.
This has been a failure on every front -- thanks to Biden, the Taliban will now use taxpayer-funded weapons to subjugate Afghanistan’s citizenry.
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Given the scale of this devastating international embarrassment, one would expect America’s president to be front-and-center, working to solve this self-inflicted crisis.
Not Joe Biden. He failed to address the American people or the press for days about the developing crisis in Afghanistan.
Why? He was on vacation: he spent the last several days holed up at Camp David, enjoying the luxurious benefits of the presidency as abandoned Afghans die in the streets of Kabul.
Only after immense pressure, Biden returned to the White House – but only to cast blame and refuse responsibility before quickly returning to Camp David.
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Americans should be disgusted. It takes a unique and repulsive level of arrogance to create a humanitarian crisis and then avoid any responsibility for its fallout.
Take note that this is the Biden playbook – he’s handled the Southern border crisis the exact same way.
Where is the transparency? Where is the accountability? Where is the leadership?
As Joe Biden’s vacation stretched on, Americans saw him for who he really is: a failed leader utterly confident in his ability to avoid responsibility for his actions.
Ryan Crocker, a former Obama U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, said this past weekend that he has "grave questions in my mind about [Biden’s] ability to lead our nation as commander-in-chief."
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Biden’s Afghanistan disaster has put any questions to rest: Joe Biden is a failed president.
Every American – not to mention the rest of the world – can see it.
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