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Dick Cheney’s daughter blames Afghanistan on Trump/Biden


DakotaHale

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12 minutes ago, DakotaHale said:

Again: Dick Cheney’s daughter 

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Yeah, most foreign-policy hawks and experts are blaming both of them. Biden was basically following the agreement Trump had made with the Taliban last year. The same result would have happened whether Bush, Obama, Trump, or Biden left Afghanistan. Afghan security forces are so corrupt that they were easily bribed by the Taliban too. That's an issue in any impoverished country. 

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I totally get her bias.  I also kind of agree.

I think the only thing that would have actually worked would have been for us to stay in Afghanistan forever.  Of course, that's not a workable solution at all for a lot of people, and I understand that too, even if I don't necessarily agree. 

And so once you reach a near nationwide, bipartisan conclusion that "Literally nothing is going to work", then you come down to "How much longer are we going to keep this expensive charade going?" and "How are we going to minimize the damage when we pull the rug out?"

And those two things are in opposition to each other, because the faster you end the expensive charade, the more cataclysmic it's going to be...but it's also going to be some degree of cataclysmic no matter when you do it and you're hemorrhaging money every second you wait.

Now, some people will no doubt seize on that to say "Then we should have never gone there in the first place."  I'm going to disagree.  Because these 20 years in Afghanistan have meant that we were almost always at peace at home.  We haven't had to fear a terrorist attack in any serious way, because those who would attack us have been scattered and on the run.  That changes now -- though hopefully the defenses we've been building in the 20 intervening years mean we're more ready now.  Maybe.  

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This was going to happen whenever we withdrew.  Everybody outside the Washington bubble has known it for at least the last 15 years.  Ultimately it's not the responsibility of the US to fight the Afghan's war for them.

 

Liz Cheney deserves better than to just be called somebody's daughter.  She's an adult with agency of her own.

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I disagreed with Trump on this decision and I also believe a withdrew could have been handled in a safely manner. This wasn't the case. Seen from today it would have been best if Obama went home after they found bin Laden. The money spent on Afghanistan could have been used way better.

It's true that the US should not fight the wars of other countries, but it's also difficult to turn a blind to a new safe harbor for all kinds  of terrorists. It's worrying how close China seems to intend to cooperate with the Taliban.

As Taliban Seizes Power, China Poised To Make 'Big Gains' In Afghanistan

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1 hour ago, Patine said:

What safe manner did you have in mind there? Honestly?

There should be capable people around to determine this entirely. However, you could definitely make sure to evacuate your people and equipment first, rather than letting them fall into the hands of the Taliban. 

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Just now, DakotaHale said:

While I don’t doubt that the current and previous guys fumbled it I still think it’s foolish to begin a sentence with “[The] calamity in Afghanistan began with the Trump administration”

You're correct, "Obama administration" would have been an apt replacement for "Trump administration" to cover all 3 who are to blame.

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1 minute ago, Dobs said:

You're correct, "Obama administration" would have been an apt replacement for "Trump administration" to cover all 3 who are to blame.

I assume since you’re leaving out Bush you stand on the side of “our mission was only to destroy Al-Qaeda and everyone who kept us in past that was a failure?”

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Just now, DakotaHale said:

I assume since you’re leaving out Bush you stand on the side of “our mission was only to destroy Al-Qaeda and everyone who kept us in past that was a failure?”

And also sending Osama Bin Laden to the gates of Hell of course

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2 minutes ago, DakotaHale said:

I assume since you’re leaving out Bush you stand on the side of “our mission was only to destroy Al-Qaeda and everyone who kept us in past that was a failure?”

1 minute ago, DakotaHale said:

And also sending Osama Bin Laden to the gates of Hell of course

I'm leaving out Bush primarily because I think his administration was the last time we had a coherent goal in Afghanistan. We should have pushed the Taliban harder and been stronger allies to the Republic of Afghanistan. I appreciate Bush's massive strides toward ending Bin Laden and crippling Al-Quaeda. I simply wish his successors would have kept that energy in preventing terrorists to yet again take over the nation.

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1 minute ago, Dobs said:

I'm leaving out Bush primarily because I think his administration was the last time we had a coherent goal in Afghanistan. We should have pushed the Taliban harder and been stronger allies to the Republic of Afghanistan. I appreciate Bush's massive strides toward ending Bin Laden and crippling Al-Quaeda. I simply wish his successors would have kept that energy in preventing terrorists to yet again take over the nation.

Based and thanks-for-clarifying-pilled. 

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Seems like someone else is also blaming it on Trump & Biden.

Edited by Timur
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17 minutes ago, Timur said:

Seems like someone else is also blaming it on Trump & Biden.

Bolton is actually one of the Neo Con's I'm pretty meh on. But he ain't wrong here. 

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Part of me regrets being so in favor of a complete pullout of Afghanistan for most of my life. There was definitely intense pressure on Trump and Biden both from isolationists who didn’t really know the impact that leaving Afghanistan could have on its people. Time will tell if this is the lowest point of Biden’s presidency, but I sure hope that it is.

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21 minutes ago, Cal said:

There was definitely intense pressure on Trump and Biden both from isolationists who didn’t really know the impact that leaving Afghanistan could have on its people.

True. I think neither isolationists nor warmongers are concerned about the Afghan people. However, those against pushing terrorists back should have known that a country governed by terrorists will pose an immense threat to world peace and therefore to America itself. There are already enough countries which are a security problem. That's also a reasonable argument for fighting abroad. It's not "just" about aiding another nation. It's also about keeping your own nation safe.

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The Afghani people showed very little interest in stopping the Taliban from retaking control.  I'm reminded of what Joseph de Maistre wrote; "Toute nation a le gouvernement qu'elle mérite."  In English, "Every nation gets the government it deserves."

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