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Posted on 08/21/2021 1:54:23 PM PDT by elpadre
US critics are calling President Joe Biden’s blundering exit from Afghanistan his “Saigon moment,” because the evacuation of American and Afghan civilians from Kabul strongly resembled the disorderly, final abandonment of Vietnam 46 years ago.
Reminders of the Vietnam War climax included scenes of rescue helicopters taking off from the US embassy roof, desperate Afghan refugees storming the mission’s gates and toddlers being hoisted by their parents over compound walls.
Politically, the events have tarred Biden as incompetent. It also struck at the heart of one of Biden’s self-declared goals: showing that government can do things right – in contrast to the tumultuous administration of Donald Trump.
In Kabul, by almost any measure, he failed. Yet Biden’s reaction so far has been to downplay any significance.
That may be because Biden seems not to have Vietnam comparisons in mind. Rather a foreign policy crisis mismanaged by another predecessor, Jimmy Carter, is likely the template that haunts him. Carter’s 1976-80 term in office was mortally damaged by his handling of the Tehran hostage crisis. Biden is taking steps not to repeat Carter’s leadership style.
Let’s first take the misleading Vietnam comparison. In contrast to the Kabul evacuation, the Saigon exit was a precision operation. The US started pulling out American civilians and Vietnamese associates more than a month before the April 30, 1975, fall of Saigon. President Gerald Ford, who oversaw the operation, included alternatives in case things went wrong.
At first, he relied on fixed-wing aircraft to haul thousands of ... (good story - continue at link)
(Excerpt) Read more at asiatimes.com ...
The danger now is may try to over compensate for the weakness and do something that causes a military disaster.
For the sake of the people involved (not Biden’s) let’s hope it doesn’t become his Little Big Horn moment!
(PS I’d sure like to have one of those bright, shiny new FN M4’s Biden gave the Taliban!)
Jan 20, 2025
Taliban release hostages as Donald J. Trump is inaugurated for his second term.
Hey Joe! Who the he__ elected you??!!
Dead people. Some of them dead from as long ago as the civil war which ended in 1865.
"Let’s put this into perspective here," Biden said during a press conference Friday defending the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. "
Joe Biden showed up nearly one hour late for his presser on the US’s efforts to safely evacuate Americans trapped in Afghanistan.
After mumbling and slurring his way through prepared remarks, Biden took questions from a few pre-approved reporters.
A reporter from NPR called Joe Biden out for lying about what’s really going on in Afghanistan.
Biden falsely claimed Americans are able to safely get to Kabul airport:
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