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Corpsing with the Taliban
Steyn On-line ^ | August 18, 2021 | Mark Steyn

Posted on 08/18/2021 12:03:16 PM PDT by Twotone

With respect to Afghanistan, the puppeteers waggling the dead husk that is Joe Biden have made a political calculation - that, on the home front, the fact of departure will count for more than the manner of departure. Joe's not a ubiquitous figure in the news cycle the way Trump was, so he can sit in the basement for a few more days - and, in electoral terms, America's total humiliation in its umpteenth unwon war in some krappistan no one can find on a map will ultimately work for the Dems.

The Taliban, for their part, seem happy to play along. The BBC reports that the female anchors are back on Afghan telly! They were hurriedly yanked from the screens on Sunday morning, presumably because the execs feared the ladies would be damned as whores of the infidels and taken off to Herat and Kandahar never to be seen again. But "Taliban 2.0" (as they're being called in all apparent seriousness) are playing a subtler game this time. So the Rachel Maddows and Joy Reids of Tolo News are back on air - and, with bare-faced cheek, quizzing the fiercely bearded jihad boys about their plans for the restored Islamic Emirate:

This is Kabul, of course, where the savvier Talibs are in charge. Out of town, things might play out more traditionally: The BBC reports that in Jalalabad the local holy warriors are already firing on protestors, and al-Jazeera says Khost, too. In Taleqan, in the far north near the Tajikistan border, a woman was reported to have been shot dead for not wearing a burqa. Even so, even in Kabul, why would the Taliban be giving cordial interviews to non-burqaed babes?

(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; afghanistandebacle; bidensfault; bloggers; steyn; stronghorse; taliban; weakhorse

1 posted on 08/18/2021 12:03:16 PM PDT by Twotone
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To: Twotone

“With respect to Afghanistan, the puppeteers waggling the dead husk that is Joe Biden have made a political calculation - that, on the home front, the fact of departure will count for more than the manner of departure. Joe’s not a ubiquitous figure in the news cycle the way Trump was, so he can sit in the basement for a few more days - and, in electoral terms, America’s total humiliation in its umpteenth unwon war in some krappistan no one can find on a map will ultimately work for the Dems.”

I’m uncomfortable with disagreeing with Mark Steyn, but I don’t think any of this was calculated. I don’t know what they actually can do at this point. It all fell apart in a matter of hours, and our CinC cannot respond in days, much less hours or minutes. This is not a calculation that this will ultimately work in the Dems favor, this is panic. They do not have control of this situation at all.


2 posted on 08/18/2021 12:13:04 PM PDT by cdcdawg (Blame Biden and pray for his downfall.)
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To: Twotone

It’s all so infuriating.


3 posted on 08/18/2021 12:16:11 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (We have two Democrat parties. 50% of the US population has no political representation.)
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To: Twotone

Just saw this on YT.

MP Tugendhat talks in front of Parliment about what has happened in Afghanistan...mainly what BIDEN has done and what needs to change.

Very passionate. Tells me what they think of what Biden has done.

Type in YT search
Afghanistan veteran MP says Taliban takeover has caused...

guy’s name is Tugendhat. The longest one is 8 min published by BBC


4 posted on 08/18/2021 12:16:54 PM PDT by Karoo
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To: Twotone

Dead on. And completely depressing.


5 posted on 08/18/2021 12:17:56 PM PDT by Kozak (The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. TV)
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To: cdcdawg

Considering the magnitude of this fiasco, it is being under-reported in the news. Many leftists are blaming Trump.


6 posted on 08/18/2021 12:18:15 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (THE ISSUE IS NEVER THE ISSUE. THE REVOLUTION IS THE ISSUE.)
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To: Karoo
MP Tugendhat talks in front of Parliment

A mere blip. The British, as well as the Germans and most of west Europe, still prefer Biden incompetence (and incontinence) over mean Trump tweets.

7 posted on 08/18/2021 12:20:39 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (THE ISSUE IS NEVER THE ISSUE. THE REVOLUTION IS THE ISSUE.)
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To: Twotone

Good read. Thanks for posting.


8 posted on 08/18/2021 12:20:48 PM PDT by Eddie01 (Only a fool plays a rigged game by the rules)
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To: Twotone

Think how bad this could get: The Talibidens could round up a few hundred Americans who are still there, hold them hostage and demand Joe give them a nuke or they will start executing.


9 posted on 08/18/2021 12:23:34 PM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (As long as Hillary Clinton remains free equal justice under the law will never exist in the USA)
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To: Twotone
"...why would the Taliban be giving cordial interviews to non-burqaed babes?"

It's called taqquiya.

Lying to infidels is good. Lying to infidel whores is mo' betta.

10 posted on 08/18/2021 12:40:35 PM PDT by castlebrew (Gun Control means hitting where you're aiming!))
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To: cdcdawg
They do not have control of this situation at all.

I agree with you on this. It will be dumb luck if there are not mass hostages and/or mass casualties.
11 posted on 08/18/2021 1:20:47 PM PDT by cgbg (A kleptocracy--if they can keep it. Think of it as the Cantillon Effect in action.)
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To: Twotone
...you don't have actively to like the Strong Horse; you simply have to recognize that the other guy is the Weak Horse, and therefore a bad bet for your future. And Weak Horse status can get conferred incrementally:

~China swallows Hong Kong with nary a peep of protest from the west: Weak Horse;

~The Wuhan Institute of Virology infects the planet and pays no price from America and Europe: Weak Horse;

~Washington approves Russian pipeline to Germany while canceling Canadian pipeline to America,and then begs the miraculously resurrected Opec to increase production - which they decline to do: Weak Horse.

12 posted on 08/18/2021 6:25:28 PM PDT by Rummyfan (In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel.d)
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To: cdcdawg
This is not a calculation that this will ultimately work in the Dems favor, this is panic. They do not have control of this situation at all.

No they do not and I think it is going to get worse and worse.

13 posted on 08/18/2021 6:26:52 PM PDT by Rummyfan (In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel.d)
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To: Twotone
Khairullah Khairkhwa, the alleged brains of this spectacular operation, spent over a decade at Gitmo, where the Great Satan flies in a former Ritz-Carlton pastry chef to make the post-Ramadan baklava (I'm being serious; I met the guy in 2006) and is so solicitous of jihadist feelings that he hangs every new inmate's complimentary Koran in a surgical mask on the cell wall so Ahmed will know his holy book is perfectly hygienic. Thereby teaching the jihadists that we implicitly accept Islam's critique of us - that we infidels are unclean.

Personally, I would close Gitmo and tell all the inmates that they are welcome to swim home.

14 posted on 08/18/2021 6:31:28 PM PDT by Rummyfan (In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel.d)
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To: Rummyfan

The problem is that the so-called “opposition” to the Democrats is even weaker.


15 posted on 08/18/2021 6:32:41 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Twotone
...Bergdahl and Thoroughly Modern Milley couldn't organize a piss with a self-lubricating catheter.

LOL!

16 posted on 08/18/2021 6:32:45 PM PDT by Rummyfan (In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel.d)
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To: cdcdawg

I agree. I think no one is “in control” right now. The curtain has been pulled back- our military leadership is weak and confused- they’re woke and lost.

And Joe gets worse each day- dementia doesn’t reverse. This leaves our country in a perilous state- and Chyna is watching ...and Taiwan is watching...and Russia...


17 posted on 08/18/2021 6:36:36 PM PDT by SE Mom (Screaming Eagle mom)
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To: SE Mom

“Chyna is watching ...and Taiwan is watching...and Russia...”

They all are, and at the moment, they are probably shocked at just how badly that all went. They are probably stuck between “grab territory” and “form coalitions” because we are rudderless. Of all possible places, I think that North Korea will be the first to really sound off. Just a hunch. I don’t know the tax ramifications of investing in Japanese defense contractors, but I intend to look into it.


18 posted on 08/18/2021 6:50:52 PM PDT by cdcdawg (Blame Biden and pray for his downfall.)
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To: Twotone

I neglected to mention in earlier posts in this thread that “With respect to Afghanistan, the puppeteers waggling the dead husk that is Joe Biden” is absolutely great stuff.


19 posted on 08/18/2021 6:52:14 PM PDT by cdcdawg (Blame Biden and pray for his downfall.)
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To: SE Mom

20 posted on 08/18/2021 6:52:37 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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