President Biden's speech yesterday on the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was effective at explaining the reasons for the decision to bring the troops home from that country as the Taliban take it over. But it completely fell short of what Biden had to do to reassure Americans of his stewardship - assume full responsibility for the way the withdraw has been spiraling out of control.
Biden spent much of his speech pointing the finger at Afghan political and military leaders while passively claiming responsibility in a non-committal manner without expressing specific gratitude toward the veterans of the war who did their tours of duty and have since made it home. The only saving grace of his speech was his lack of regret for getting out of Afghanistan completely, saying there was no alternative but to quit. I agree. Again, we lost whatever chance we had to establish a permanent government that could have held its own against the Taliban long, long ago. But Biden's overall tone was so self-righteous that it must have Democrats - already struggling in Congress to pass his domestic agenda at a time when the fourth of possibly many (a double-digit number of?) COVID waves is surging - looking nervously at the 2022 midterms.
We're in trouble, folks.
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