I'm not sure anyone could say that I'm a slouche for Joe Biden. However, there are times when the right actions are taken and we must acknowledge his efforts. One example is executing the decision of President Trump to withdraw from Afghanistan.
Although Biden's decision to execute the withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan was a complete dog's breakfast of failure at every level, it proved that Biden's White House, his woke Defense Department, and the “white rage” cult commanding our military weren't up to the mission of any significance (Deputy Secretary of State claims that the “Process” worked to support Afghanistan Mission and Everything You Know About Afghanistan Mission and All you know is wrong) This decision was due 20 years ago.
When we quit Afghanistan, we had been fighting for longer than those fighting for the cause were alive. Why were we there at all? The plot to strike America that took place on the 11th of September, 2001 was devised by al Qaeda forces in training camps that were protected by the federal government. The goal of demolishing these camps as well as removing the government who had protected the camps was announced by President Bush in October 2001.
This issue was solved in early 2002. In March 2002 George Bush gave a speech in which he laid out an extensive plan to fix Afghanistan and creating a country where “…peace is attained through an education system that is accessible to girls and boys that works,” and “develop[ing] an economy that is able to provide for its citizens without meeting the global drug demand.”
Since we have completed the task of overthrowing the Taliban and removing al-Qaeda from their camp, I've got a question: What next? What should a winning look like when our goal is to change Afghan culture, society, and economics? How can we tell if we've achieved our goals? Do you really believe that anyone could make a difference in a society which treats women as chattel, without resorting to repopulating Afghanistan with non-Afghans? Did anyone think that through influencing Afghan society and culture especially at the level of family units it could lead to the recruitment of forces for Taliban? Did we consider that the deployment of DEA agents to eliminate the opium poppies that are the sole cash crop that is available in many parts of the country we could be incentivizing farmers to murder us, rather than cultivate quinoa or kale?
My long-held opinion is that the best option was to quit in 2002, and make it evident that if the situation started slowing down, we'd be back to murder people and destroy things. I believe the CIA attacking long-in-the tooth, out-of-the loop Zayman al Zawahiri, chief of the al-Qaeda group, is a confirmation of the decision to withdraw (Al-Qaeda Chief Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in a CIA Drone strike). Yes there is a reason that the Taliban made it clear that they would not provide shelter to terrorists during negotiations. However, did anyone truly believe that? Rumor is that he was exiled in one faction of Taliban factions and that we killed him.
The thing that worries me is reading about people who claim to be conservatives attacking Biden for al-Zawahiri's appearance in Afghanistan. Please, don't be so harsh. Naturally, terrorists will be seen in the area. But, what can we do to stop them? Do we follow that Bill Clinton strategy of tying ourselves in a legal knot to stop us from taking action? For the simple reason that, if you think about it, al-Qaeda grew in Afghanistan because Bill Clinton and the over-educated idiots who ruled his administration made aggressive measures unlawful. Don't rely on me to prove it; go read Ghost Wars by Steve Coll. I strongly recommend it.
Tonight, on Trey Gowdy's show, he spoke with Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher. Gallager is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and was of the opinion that the appearance of al-Zawahiri in Kabul was a sign of the futility of the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan to a “over the horizon” presence. The implied meaning was that we required an in-person presence.
We shouldn't have to worry more about the terrorists that have chosen to take place in Afghanistan rather than the Antifa grouping in Portland. We have the intelligence assets to make sure that camps don't develop and the Taliban does not enter into an alliance with terrorist groups. If these things happen, we have the capability to strike to resolve the issue.
I'm not saying that we have to allow Biden an excuse for his sloppy actions. Biden must be held accountable for the tragic withdrawal from Afghanistan. As we confront China on the Pacific, the final thing we want is a conflict that isn't backed by winning conditions. This was the case for twenty years. We should have learned our lesson.
