Tuesday August 17, 2021
As I watched the clips of what is happening in Kabul and heard the commentators say Trump set this up I didn’t understand because I had not followed the facts closely enough.
But now? I got de facts.
Last year Mike Pompeo had a meeting with the Taliban leadership. He struck a deal. The deal, like most Trump deals, was one sided and not in favor of Trump or the U.S. The deal was “We’re leaving.” Donald wanted to be gone last May, but was talked out of it. He drew down our troops to 2,500. That’s not enough to do much in Afghanistan. Then he left office.
What were Biden’s choices? According to Biden and most others, it was build up or get out. Biden had been opposed to Obama’s 100,000 build up. He had seen the pull out in Vietnam. He didn’t want a repeat. He choose to get out.
Some will argue that he should have done it differently. Yeah. Agreed. However, the fact remains that after twenty years nothing had really changed.
Richard Engel did a great job explaining the recent history.
The Washington Post did more to explain how the Taliban took over the country so quickly, and a veteran who was in Afghanistan in 2010 finished the job for me.
Engel explained that the warlords had driven out the Russians and for the next twenty years rode on their reputation of doing so. They had gotten old. The troops they claimed to command were non-existent. The Taliban became the strongest group in Afghanistan. The government propped up by the U.S. was corrupt and incompetent. The siphoned off billions. They build lavish homes for themselves.
The army was trained but they were starving and they had seen their wages stolen by the upper echelon. They were not going to fight for this government.
The Taliban had started making deals as soon as Pompeo had capitulated. They started at the rural provincial level and worked their way up to the towns and cities. The troops had agreed to basically switch sides. The politicians to keep things running.
How did we get it so wrong?
The same way we did in Vietnam.
The best and the brightest lied to us there and to themselves.
I read “Facts and Fears” James Clapper’s hagiography. He was in Vietnam. He gave Westmorland intel. Westmoreland barely paid attention.
Veterans who served in Afghanistan, correspondents who reported, have been warning and screaming for months. Trying to warn the Biden administration. It seems that they don’t have their ears to the ground. Where is the Roosevelt like “can do” team of Franklin and Eleanor? Or Teddy? People could write them letters and they’d do something to help. Why can’t we seem to do that now?
Same story different time.
Yup
You did collect pertinent data. I have researched and saw the same story as you. I remember someone saying, at the time, it was going to be a mess because Tump left so few troops there. Somewhere I read Trump freed the Taliban leader from jail. I also read where Trump invited him to the White House.
I know it looks bad for Biden but geez the guy has so many irons in the fire.
Doesn’t look good. I was really dismayed at Amy Walter’s response on Judy Woodruff. I wish the media would quit the negativity toward Biden.
Not much he could do but keep the promise.
Yup. Either that or surge again, and that hadn’t worked.