President Biden’s blunt delivery of his statements on Afghanistan was intentional. So was the long nature of speech. So was the clear and calculated effort to withdraw from the chaos of the previous 17 days and focus on Biden’s broader foreign policy goals.
Biden’s statements served as an effort to punctuate the end of two decades of war and underscored a decision Biden never gave up.
But it was also a clear, albeit implicit, signal that the White House would publicly shift its clear focus to the national challenges of the coming days, according to several administration officials.
The administration is closely monitoring the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, where Biden has deployed federal resources in recent days. Biden is likely to visit the Gulf Coast sometime in the next few days, officials said, once it is clear that his presence will not interfere with relief efforts.
The battle against the rise of the Covid-19 Delta variant is still looming inside the White House as the biggest challenge facing the administration, especially when millions of children return to schools.
Officials also say Biden plans to refocus intensely on selling its $ 4 trillion national legislative agenda as it enters its most critical phase on Capitol Hill in the coming days.
Biden and his top advisers saw the next day that the final U.S. military plane take off from Hamid Karzai airport as a time for Biden to move away from the litigation of the chaotic and bloody evacuation.
There would be no recognition of failures or mistakes. Instead, it would serve as the most detailed encapsulation of Biden’s broader foreign policy vision he has delivered in months.
They addressed the intentionally longer and broader observations aimed at a majority of the country that has long been in favor of coming out of the war.
The speech was, as one official described it, a “clear reminder to the general public,” according to Biden, who strongly believes it has a wide range of support in the country.
Still, officials acknowledge that there are still significant challenges ahead.
Diplomatic discussions on the security of crossing the country for the more than 100 American citizens who want to leave and stay have not reached any conclusion. U.S. officials are still trying to secure clear assurances that Afghan allies may also come out, a possibility that has sparked significant skepticism and concern on both sides on Capitol Hill.
Of the Americans remaining in the country, sources claim they represent the most complex cases that U.S. officials have been trying to handle in recent days. Most were dual citizens, often long-term residents of Afghanistan, who doubted whether to leave until the last moment out of concern for leaving the extended family.
Following the terrorist attack at Kabul airport that killed 13 members of the U.S. service and dozens of Afghans, other U.S. citizens chose to curb efforts to march out of fear, sources said.
Officials describe efforts to ensure the safe passage of these citizens as “intense” as the diplomatic phase of the operation is launched.