The deadline has been reached.
Anyone who’s ever faced the encroaching rush of a deadline -- and I think this describes every human being above the age of six -- understands what it’s like to dread the unstoppable passage of time. It’s not that arriving at a certain date is necessarily a bad thing, but it’s the sense that we could always use additional chances to make sure everything is completed and perfect when the hour comes to meet the task or duty.
In Afghanistan, today is a “real” dead-line for many. Today’s the day when American forces under the shaky leadership of President Joe Biden are due to evacuate from Kabul for supposedly the final time. One speculates the ending images will resemble those from 1975 Vietnam, when the last remaining helicopters with the recognizable American star emblazoned on the side lifted off from the South Vietnamese capital with communist tanks within sight and range.
Witnesses from that day described feelings of loss at the abandonment of not only so many hopes and aspirations of preventing the southeast Asian nation’s fall to communism, but also for the desperate and likely hopeless plight of those left behind. Today in Afghanistan, the magnitude of the defeat appears much larger than forty-six years ago as tens of thousands who’d hoped to escape from the country are stuck there, many with their only recourse being to beg for mercy from the Muslim fundamentalist Taliban.
Fortunately for America’s political leaders in the mid-nineteen-seventies, citizens of this country weren’t able to fully grasp the level of desperation from those left in harm’s way. In 2021, however, with most people (even in poor countries) possessing the ability to create images and video with smart devices, the pictures will be too clear. We should brace for the ugliness to come -- and it will stir an avalanche of sadness.
What we won’t be able to turn off or ignore are the continued excuses, rationalizations and blame avoidance from the decision-makers at the top. Based on past precedent, our Democrat president will speak to some aspect of the pullout, arguing, again, that he didn’t have a choice, and then he’ll say something to the effect of, “The United States honors its commitments and we will work with everyone who’s willing to effectuate the safety and ultimate evacuation of anyone still in Afghanistan who wishes to leave. My message to those temporarily in a bad situation: Don’t give up hope. You will not be forgotten. We will not rest until you are away from danger.”
Blah, blah, blah.
Like every other promise from the current president, his words won’t be backed by capability, desire or substance. If it wasn’t clear from Joe Biden’s nearly fifty years in the Washington DC swamp, he’ll say anything that sounds politically palatable and makes him seem credible and qualified. Joe’s an empty shell, a large patch of quicksand without essence. Perhaps even worse, the entire Democrat party has devolved into a huge swath of Joe Bidens. It doesn’t give much encouragement for the future, does it?
“Biden does not seem to recognize whether the [media’s] questions are important or not. I have never seen a president of the United States so out of touch with reality. I suppose former President Woodrow Wilson may have answered questions in this way, but that was after his stroke. Could Biden have had a stroke?
“I would say he has to leave office immediately, but that would leave Vice President Kamala Harris as president. From what I have seen of her, she is as out of it as Biden, though for different reasons. Biden is out of it because he is an old 78. Harris is out of it because she is an ideologue of the far left. Either way, both are incapable of running the country. This is what you get when the voters vote against a candidate rather than for a candidate. They did not like Trump, though he gave them good government. So now they have a president who is clearly not up to the job, and a president in the wings who is an ideologue of the far left and clearly irrelevant...
“So, Biden is in the White House, and I do not see any way to remove him. What is more is the Democratic Party, at least in its upper tiers of leadership, is populated by people no more competent than Biden or Harris. They are all frauds. They are governors cut from the cloth of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The senators are cut from the cloth of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. They all have more skeletons in their closets than a grave robber. We are in for a long and painful period.”
In his infinite wisdom, Tyrrell relayed the story of how a young thirty-something Joe Biden told then President Gerald Ford that he would vote for all the money the government needed to get every American out of Saigon, but none for the poor Vietnamese would-be refugees in their impossible circumstances. Sound familiar? Now the ancient version of ol’ lunch bucket Joe has essentially repeated himself, vowing to stay until the last American citizen is safe but basically telling the terrified Afghanis that they’re left to their own devices.
Or should I say, the Taliban’s incendiary devices.
Tyrell’s final point about the utter depravity of the Democrat party is right on point. As I argued numerous times during the Democrat presidential primaries last year, it didn’t really matterwho ended up the winner -- because they were all awful (well, except maybe for Tulsi Gabbard, but she never had a chance). The northeastern kissing cousins -- Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren -- were probably the most “out there” in terms of in-your-face liberal policies. But what would’ve been the qualitative difference between either of them and Joe Biden as president?
The Delaware senator proved to be more electable because the media allowed him to adopt the “moderate” label, but in practice, he’s every bit as truth challenged, unrealistic, maneuverable (by the leftists) and out-of-touch as the rest of them were. The contemporary Democrat doesn’t care about “science” or math or humanities or history or anything else. And they certainly don’t give a squat about American allies who will perish without keeping our promises to them.
If it weren’t true, then why are Democrats so willing to go to the mat for illegal aliens but they won’t lift a proverbial finger to help a known military ally? Where’s the outrage? There’s no great humanitarian underpinning in Democrat immigration policy. All they want are the potential future votes and to exploit cheap labor in the form of nannies and lawn service workers.
As Tyrrell indicated, it’s an attractive prospect to consider removing Joe Biden from office, but what thinking person believes Kamala Harris would represent a worthwhile upgrade? Harris hasn’t shown any more willingness to take press questions than her boss and can’t go two minutes without giggling about subjects that aren’t funny. She’s arguably even more incompetent than Joe, since everything she touches turns into an epic failure.
Meanwhile, the Democrat congressional leaders are about as bad as you’ll possibly get -- and it’s been that way for a long time. A few years ago, when Sen. Harry Reid announced his retirement as Democrat senate leader, did Americans seriously expect Chucky Schumer to be a reasonable replacement? And if Schumer were to step down, who would be the new Democrat senate leader? Dick Durbin? Would Durbin be better? Hmpf.
And should Nancy Pelosi walk away tomorrow because she couldn’t get enough hair appointments in Washington, DC, who would fill her high heels? Steny Hoyer? Or one of the new group of rabid socialists from “The Squad”? There aren’t any moderates left in the Democrat caucus. Maxine Waters isn’t necessarily more objectionable than Eric Swalwell, is she?
The writing was on the wall far before Joe Biden was deemed the 2020 Democrat nominee. Barack Obama offered zero willingness to work with Republicans on any issue, but at least he showed some restraint when asking for the moon. Liberals and the establishment media hated Donald Trump because the non-politician wouldn’t play their game. If Hillary Clinton had won in 2016, the same issues we’re seeing today would’ve cropped up, only sooner.
Tyrrell is correct; Americans are in for a long and painful period, and there’s no deadline indicating when it might end. Today marks the end of one sorry chapter, but it’s only the beginning of the suffering for those who must try to live with the aftereffects of inexplicable foreign policy.
The other day, Victor Davis Hanson asked, “Does America Still Work?” After today, you really have to wonder.
Rep. Louie Gohmert
Joe Biden resign
Afghanistan
Joe Biden impeachment
CENTCOM Commander General Kenneth McKenzie, Jr.
ISIS
Bagram Airfield
Taliban
Vehicle born IEDs
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene