Maureen Mackey: A message for Biden, other US leaders -- stop yelling, start leading
Americans will not soon forget how this administration allowed 13 military service members to die
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More than five days after Joe Biden yelled at the country on live TV about his decision to pull our troops out of Afghanistan by August 31, many Americans are still shocked at the president’s unbecoming demeanor—and upset at the chaotic, dangerous way that he and this administration executed this withdrawal.
Anger does not equal strength. Anger does not equate to confidence.
Chaos should not constantly shadow the commander-in-chief of the United States, either.
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We have enormous issues here at home that need to be handled: the continuing pandemic, the impacts of Ida, the broken border, inflation, economic struggles, the education of our children, and so much more. But Americans will not soon forget how this administration allowed 13 military service members to die—and how it abandoned our fellow citizens in Afghanistan, wasted our hard-earned money and precious time, and left us far more vulnerable to terrorism.
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Biden then barked about it all afterward, an oddly empty stare in his eyes as he "addressed" the nation (taking no questions afterward, just walking away with a mask in hand when he finished his prepared remarks).
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Mr. Biden, please remember the men, women and children of the United States who are still not at home and whom it was your sworn duty to protect.
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Remember our brave military killed in the line of duty—killed while doing their best to serve our country in uniform, something so few in our nation ever do.
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Remember the families of the 13 fallen. Their lives are forever changed, forever scarred. They will have needs going forward for many years to come.
Remember all those others who helped the U.S.—and were given promises of protection. Their fate is now cruelly uncertain.
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Biden must also remember his own vehement vows to unify the country. Biden said at his inaugural in January 2021, "My whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation. I ask every American to join me in this cause. Uniting to fight the common foes we face: anger, resentment, hatred."
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People voted for him partly because of those promises. How ironic that his own anger is one of the "foes" he referenced.
The president, who never fails to praise his wife or listen to her, might take note of her own written words this week as schoolchildren return to classrooms this fall. In an op-ed, Jill Biden wrote, in part, "To keep our schools open and safe this year, it will take all of us coming together—being honest about the risks we face, listening to science, and working as one."
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Mr. Biden, in light of the current crises you and the rest of the country are facing, you might adapt the first lady’s words this way to your own urgent situation: "To keep our country open and safe for all time, it will take all of us coming together—being honest about the risks we face, listening to our fellow citizens with humility, interest and concern (no matter their politics or position), and working as one."
The health and very existence of our country depend on it.