Harvard professor says flag waving Kristi Noem 'unserious,' Kabul crisis is 'what happens' when US not serious

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's decision to wave an American flag in a parade (in a picture that went viral on Saturday) explained why the Taliban is winning in Afghanistan, one Harvard professor claimed on Twitter. 

Tom Nichols, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College and at the Harvard Extension School who writes for USA Today and The Atlantic, claimed that Noem's American flag parade was "unserious, self-destructive, faux patriotic."

Nichols posted a picture of Noem's parade – which took place on Monday, August 9, but which resurfaced on Twitter on Saturday – with the caption, "Meanwhile, as Kabul falls." He deleted the tweet, but then reposted it, explaining his reasoning.

"I deleted this because it was too short. I wanted to make the point even more directly, as I did here. A charlatan like Noem riding through a superspreader event with a flag while Kabul falls is America, 2021: Unserious, self-destructive, faux patriotic," Nichols claimed.

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"How does something like Kabul happen? It happens when you are no longer a serious country - when you cannot even deal with a pandemic and you think this nitwit waving a flag is a great idea. This is not a public that will engage in reasoned debate about the future of Afghanistan," the professor argued.

Sal LaBarbera, a retired 33-year veteran of the Los Angles Police Department, mocked Nichols' take.

"Yes the governor of a state can take care of foreign affairs," LaBarbera tweeted, sarcastically. "Our president is asleep our southern border is wide open. Great observation Tom."

Andrew Follett, a senior analyst at the conservative organization Club for Growth, responded to Nichols by noting that President Biden went on vacation this weekend.

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"Joe Biden is literally on vacation right now you know..." Follett tweeted.

Gov. Noem's office told Fox News that the governor carried the flag on horseback on August 9. She auctioned off a painting of herself on horseback and the American flag that she carried. The auction supported Treasured Lives, an organization that helps victims of sex trafficking. The painting sold for $55,000 and the flag for $25,000.

The United States is struggling with an increase in cases of COVID-19 due to the spread of the delta variant. 

Nichols did not respond to Fox News' request for comment by press time.