Neville Chamberlain can rest easy. It is no longer the most embarrassing relaxant in modern history.
Joe Biden is the new cowardly champion.
Biden not only blinked in terror. He is at odds with the Taliban, acknowledging their victory and laying the groundwork for their legitimacy as rulers of Afghanistan.
Who would have imagined that any American president would allow murderous thugs to set the terms for the surrender of our military? But that’s what happened and crystallized on Tuesday.
The Taliban declared that no more Afghans should go to Kabul airport, that those who were already there should leave and then closed the main road of the airport. For practical purposes, these words and actions ended with the mercy of removing our allies.
And Biden did not object. Not even a lament, just a silent acceptance.
Even more unforgivable, in line with the Taliban’s demand that it adhere to its initial August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of all troops, Biden demonstrates his readiness to stop thousands of Americans behind the enemy lines.
It is unknown exactly how many Americans will be left behind, but most estimates stand at thousands. They are now hostages of Biden’s fear and failure.
Their fate is uncertain, but the fate of the tens of thousands of abandoned Afghans who helped us and whom we promised to rescue is almost certain death.
This is extraordinarily insensitive and will have repercussions around the world as proof that America is no longer the home of the brave.
As always with relaxation, our allies will be shaken and our opponents will be encouraged.
The crisis at the airport has been building for more than a week, but Biden still had a chance to adjust by stepping back in time to complete the evacuation.
But as news circulated that he would not extend the mission beyond next Tuesday, the White House said the president would make a statement.
First I had to speak at 2pm, then at 3.30pm and then at 4.30pm, at least the delays were debated which gave the impression that the changes in policy.
It wasn’t. In fact, when he finally showed up shortly after five in the afternoon, Biden began talking about the infrastructure and legal voting initiatives that were opening up in Congress.
The message was clear: I have bad news about Afghanistan and I want to divert attention by feeding my leftist base and promising the American people more free stuff.
It was pathetic and, as such, was consistent with all of Biden’s conduct during this crisis. He created it and, as it spins more and more out of control, he shrinks and opts for deception instead of truth and partisanship instead of completing the mission.
Due to the tough deadline, the military has reportedly begun withdrawing nearly 6,000 troops at or near the airport. The move represents Biden’s many promises to get all Americans out of the country as lies.
The fact that he did not repeat that promise on Tuesday reveals that he does not have the courage to be direct about the implications of his decisions.
Even his statement that he asked the military for contingency plans if the evacuations were not empty rings. When withdrawing troops and allegedly leaving the airport, where would any troops add security land safely?
Also, if these plans were a real option, why ask for them now? It would be much easier and safer to stay at the airport longer than leaving and returning.
Arriving on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, Biden’s misjudgment and mismanagement have diminished the heroes who prevented Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for other terrorist attacks against America.
All the while, his obsession seems to be that he would be the president who would end the war. He even tried to sell it as a victory saying the troops would return home on 9/11.
He reversed this piece of madness, but never adapted to the changing realities of the terrain. Once he ordered the abandonment of our air bases, the Afghan army saw that the war was desperate and collapsed.
However, Biden did not react until evacuation was impossible, and began sending more troops to Kabul. Although some 70,000 people have boarded the flights 24 hours a day, the mission is far from over.
But he defends his decision by repeatedly citing the threats of an attack by Islamic State terrorist remnants. He talks about “growing risks. . . we are on the ground every day. “
Sure, there is some truth in this, but is the possibility of fleeing and abandoning our citizens, allies and principles enough?
The men and women who fight in the United States are brave and witty without limits. They deserve a commander in chief as committed as they are.
Unfortunately, what they have has been faltering at the most crucial hour.