Inside the Biden administration as Afghanistan collapses

Axios ^ | August 11, 2021 | Axios Jonathan Swan, Zachary Basu, Glen Johnson

[The_Media_never_lie]

The Taliban has stunned even some seasoned military and national security officials in the U.S. government with the speed of its conquests over the past week, sources with direct knowledge of the developments tell Axios.

Why it matters: President Biden isn't budging — resolved to get out by Aug. 31, no matter what — people briefed on his thinking say. He may not see much of a pause between his total withdrawal from Afghanistan and the country's total collapse into a bloody civil war.

[The_Media_never_lie]

No one should be surprised by the rapid fall. If they are surprised, they are incredibly naïve and not well versed in history. There have been ample stories of Taliban like activities during the Obama years, and the collapse of inflicted nation states.

[cgbg]

The so-called “experts” “never see it coming”.

They are totally useless.

[Newbomb Turk]

I’d like to know exactly who is making these decisions inside the Biden administration. It’s not Joe, he’s not mentally capable to exude any of this.

,

[The_Media_never_lie]

It wasn’t rocket science. If they had studied the history of the past 10 years, they would not have been surprised.

[LRoggy]

Hey, Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, make sure to lecture the Taliban on how to implement Critical Race Theory on Taliban troops! Maybe you should have spent some more time on the contingency plan for withdrawal and how to evacuate all the Afghan women who wanted to leave instead? What a pathetic way to end this! Maybe we’ll see the last helicopter on a roof too while we are at it?

[rbg81]

These days, whenever I hear the word “expert”, I think of @0:48 in the below clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ-oafGPkqg

[Empire_of_Liberty]

I think the trick is to get out before the door slams you in the ass.

It’s looking like it was too bad that Trump couldn’t get these brave Americans back in time to clean out the DOJ.

[HYPOCRACY]

Biden couldn’t pick out Afghanistan on a map made out of his diaper contents.

[Gen.Blather]

“It’s looking like it was too bad that Trump couldn’t get these brave Americans back in time to clean out the DOJ.”

Trump was expertly politically hamstrung so that he couldn’t accomplish nearly what he wanted. It’s not Trump’s fault that he failed. It’s like a good fighter going into the ring against another good fighter...or, in this case an unlimited number of good fighters...and spending his entire ten rounds fully occupied.

As for Afghanistan, it’s a nation on a map because the area is all shaded the same color. But it isn’t a nation in any other sense. The people hate each other and they’ve been at war with one another for as long as there have been people in that area. There is nothing good their culture has to offer the United States. We should have gone in and bombed the crap out of the people the CIA fingered as having a hand in terror. Then we should have left. The idea of turning the area on the map labeled “Afghanistan” into a copy of middle America was ludicrous. Put a fence around the whole place and kill anyone coming out.

[Theoria]

Afghanistan was never gonna hold together after we left. The world will witness the rop run thru and destroy. However, the girls and women should be fine. Bush, Obama and the rest of the clowns have always said its a peaceful religion.

[Marko413]

If only we had sent more aid in gender studies education, then this wouldnt have happened. /sarc

[mikey_hates_everything]

They hear it plenty on a daily basis from people who don’t work for them but are around them at work (State Department). They ignore it because it’s not from their own organizations or inner circles.

[Empire_of_Liberty]

Thank you. That was a good assessment.

It appears clear, at least to me, that it will be hard to pull out. There is an “endless-war” wing in DC that wanted to bomb Kosovo and now wants 50 years in Afghanistan. It transcends party lines.

I, personally, will get some enjoyment out of NPR going full “war-monger”.

[PGR88]

If they are surprised, they are incredibly naïve and not well versed in history.

It shows there own arrogance, self-delusion and willingness to swallow their own propaganda.

[SMARTY]

If last year taught me anything at all, it's that there are no longer any ‘experts’ in America

“Expert” is another one of those words the media throws around AS IF it means anything.

Our journalists are not ‘experts’, either! They are just a crowd of biased and ignorant clowns who insist on passing themselves off as journalists

[dfwgator]

Experts are a tool of propagandists.

[HighSierra5]

If you’re not going to kill em ALL and let ALLAH sort em out then why bother?

[House Atreides]

“Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, make sure to lecture the Taliban on how to implement Critical Race Theory on Taliban troops! Maybe you should have spent some more time on the contingency plan for withdrawal and how to evacuate all the Afghan women who wanted to leave instead?…”
********************************************
Jeez…. Probably the MAJORITY of Afghan women would leave given the chance. DON’T BRING THEM HERE! They have to live in whatever cesspool they and their men create. I don’t want that cesspool here.

[BikerJoe]

it’s a nation on a map because the area is all shaded the same color. But it isn’t a nation in any other sense. The people hate each other

Sort of an internal version of how P.J. O'Rourke describes the Middle East, "they aren't Nations. They're quarrels with borders."

[dfwgator]

Europeans drew up those countries. There was no rhyme or reason to it, just as with Yugoslavia, “Yeah let’s make all of these people who hate each other’s guts a country. What could possibly go wrong?”