In 2001, American forces invaded Afghanistan. The ruling Taliban was routed in short order but, 20 years later, they’re sweeping across the country as Joe Biden appears to have settled for unconditional withdrawal. Liberty Nation’s coverage will go deeper and wider than other media outlets; focusing on the big questions to which Americans want answers: Is this the perfect demonstration of how not to end a war? Are we witnessing the fall of Saigon all over again? Will Mr. Biden go down in history as the man who ended America’s longest military conflict – or as the man who brought about its ultimate humiliation? How will the media frame the administration’s handling of its chaotic disengagement? Will Americans be safely extracted from the war zone and, ultimately, what was it all for, if this is how it ends?
With 13 Dead Soldiers, Joe Biden Appears Unequal to the Moment – 8.27.21
All rhetoric, all the time, from a president who refuses to accept responsibility.
In the wake of the deadliest day for U.S. troops in more than a decade, the question on concerned lips is whether President Joe Biden is either capable or willing to do what is necessary. Despite his tough talk at the podium coupled with misty eyes, the commander-in-chief failed to demonstrate leadership and fell short on offering a solution to the increasingly dangerous situation in Kabul.
A tragic series of poor decisions and blunders led to the horrifying deaths of 13 American military personnel. There were so many steps where the president could have changed course, but through either hubris or incompetence, Biden pushed on despite warnings, oblivious to criticism or a sense of responsibility. Continue reading…
Double Shot of Psaki To Go With Biden’s Nothing Burger – 8.27.21
Biden exits stage left and leaves Jen Psaki to answer the tough questions.
Is it not always true that the White House press secretary has the most difficult job in Washington, D.C.? Perhaps it is, but, with one or two notable exceptions, the men and women who have served in this position – under both Democrat and Republican presidents – have handled their ritual confrontations with the Press Corps with deft conviction, knowledge, preparation, and the ability to give as good as they get in the face of hostile questioning. Jen Psaki, when answering questions on the 13 U.S. military personnel slain in Kabul, appeared to have mastered none of those vital skills – even when confronted with reporters who, for the most part, are still reluctant to go too hard on the White House. Continue reading…
China Propaganda Machine Churning Over US Afghanistan Withdrawal – 8.27.21
Biden admin failing to deal with China’s all-out gray-zone attack over Afghanistan.
China never needs to fire a shot in anger to bring down the United States in the eyes of the world. Instead, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is engaged in an all-out propaganda campaign to denigrate the U.S. military capability and American foreign policy. Liberty Nation described this effort back in March of this year, and nothing has changed in the CCP’s gray-zone warfare tactics aimed to show that Uncle Sam is an unreliable geopolitical partner. Beijing’s encouragement to terrorist organizations emboldens them to be far more aggressive than they might otherwise be. The situation created is ever more dangerous for U.S. forces and civilians still trapped in Afghanistan. The security situation worsened in Kabul on August 26, when at least two terrorist bombings caused the deaths of 13 U.S. military personnel, as well as dozens of civilians – after warnings of terrorist threats emerged two days earlier. Continue reading…
Biden Talks Tough Tonight in Televised Speech – 8.26.21
So much to say with so little new content.
Several hours after two bombings happened in Kabul, Afghanistan, President Biden addressed the nation appearing ashen and exhausted. His greeting to the American people on Thursday, August 26, was, “Tough day.” Calling the dozen U.S. soldiers killed “heroes,” the commander-in-chief spent several minutes offering condolences to the families of those who perished in Kabul before moving on to discuss America’s next steps.
“The situation on the ground is still evolving,” Biden said while promising to continue evacuations up until the August 31 deadline but not beyond it. Continue reading…
Biden’s Afghan Bungling Cost 12 Marines and Soldiers Their Lives – 8.26.21
The ill-conceived get-out-of-Afghanistan debacle, despite warnings, leaves soldiers and Marines dead.
It’s relatively easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize the ham-fisted Biden administration leadership in Washington D.C. and the Kabul airport. But now, those failures have cost at least 12 U.S. Marines and soldiers their lives. First reports after the initial news that a suicide bomber attacked the Abbey Gate at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul were that four US Marines were killed and three wounded. More recent reporting from Fox News put the deaths at 12 military personnel, mostly Marines. A second bombing took place at the Baron Hotel close to the Abbey Gate. Though numbers are only trickling in, numerous reports of many Afghan women and children being killed and injured in the bombings. Meanwhile, according to sources on the ground, the Taliban government is trying to distance itself from the bombings. Continue reading…
Evacuation Canceled? Americans at Kabul Airport Told to Go Away – 8.26.21
An ominous security alert warns Americans not to approach the airport – and tells those at the gates to leave.
Shortly after 7 p.m. Eastern Time on August 25, the U.S. State Department issued a dire warning to Americans in Afghanistan: don’t go near the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport. For the Biden administration, the Kabul catastrophe just gets worse. The exact wording of the State Department Security Alert is:
“Event: Because of security threats outside the gates of Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.”
The message goes on to say U.S. citizens “who are at the Abbey Gate, East Gate, or North Gate now should leave immediately.” And go where? The only direction to go is back through the Taliban line, which took hours or days to get through. The diplomatic corps at Foggy Bottom also provides useful “Actions to take” like “Beware of your surroundings at all times, especially in large crowds.” For those on the ground at the gates to the airport, there are only “large crowds.” Continue reading…
Biden On Afghanistan – Lies, Contradictions, And Spin – 8.25.21
No help for Afghans as Biden’s strategy descends into chaos
The messaging from the Biden administration and the president himself all appear to have amounted to naught. Whether it was promising that all Afghans who helped in the American war effort would be evacuated to dodging real questions in favor of pre-selected softballs, Joe Biden has turned a bad situation into a disaster from which U.S. credibility may never recover.
With the news that the August 31 withdrawal date will not be extended, a number of political chickens have come home to roost. Despite a series of tough-talking appearances, the president has offered little more than equivocation, back-tracking, and has handed over half-truths mixed with misleading content. Continue reading…
What Happens Next In Afghanistan? – 8.25.21
Biden bowed his head to the Taliban on withdrawal, and some will pay dearly for the messy departure
The U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is perhaps what most Americans have wanted for years. However, to say that the process of removing soldiers and American citizens from the region has been messy would be a profound understatement. As the final deadline approaches, the Biden administration’s handling of the affair has many wondering what will happen next. Continue reading…
Taliban Says Jump, Biden Says ‘How High’? – 8.24.21
Why the Biden administration is now at the mercy of the Taliban.
As the unraveling of America’s 20-year effort to turn Afghanistan from a place right out of a Flintstones’ cartoon into a democracy spirals downward, the Biden administration finds itself left with few options. Increasingly, there is little room for the White House to maneuver in what looks to all the world like an epic foreign policy blunder. Remember when the American creed was never, ever to negotiate with terrorists? Well, my friends, it appears those days are over. Continue reading…
Will G7 Pressure Biden To Extend Afghan Withdrawal? – 8.24.21
Push the deadline or risk ISIS attack – No safe options for the president.
President Biden will today meet virtually with the other leaders of the G7 nations to discuss the ongoing situation in Afghanistan. The president has already spoken with many of his counterparts in advance of this small-scale summit. It is expected that the leaders will appeal to Biden to extend the August 31 withdrawal date to allow more time for evacuations; however, pressure from both the Taliban and Democrat leadership may mean the president rejects the request outright. Continue reading…
After The Afghan Disaster: Will Biden Channel JFK Or LBJ? – 8.24.21
History demonstrates that Americans are surprisingly forgiving of leaders who admit their mistakes.
As Joe Biden and his top advisers begin counting down to the deadline for withdrawal from Afghanistan, now just one week away, they are relying on a reservoir of Taliban goodwill to somehow bail out the reeling president. To call this an embarrassing, tenuous, even dire fix for the world’s lone remaining superpower would be the understatement of the year. But just as important as safe passage for Americans and allies is what happens when the roiling chaos in this two-decades-long bane of America’s existence finally subsides, and the next international crisis hits, as it will soon enough. Continue reading…
Al-Qaeda And ISIS Resurgence? – Biden Ready To Pay Up – 8.23.21
Is deadly shooting at Kabul airport a sign of things to come?
Reports of gunfights at the Kabul airport highlight the precarious situation now unfolding in Afghanistan. Leaving one Afghan officer dead, U.S. and German troops exchanged fire with “unknown attackers,” suggesting that it is not just the ruling Taliban controlling the flow of traffic and people into the airport compound. There is burgeoning chatter that both Al-Qaeda and ISIS (or ISIS-K) are operating in the region; as of yet, it is unknown whether they are working in collaboration with the Taliban. Continue reading…
Will Afghanistan Short-Circuit The Dems’ Wild Spending Spree? –8.23.21
It was less than a fortnight ago that Joe Biden and the Democrats were sitting pretty – and then came Saigon/Tehran 2.0.
One of the defining characteristics of politics – and one which reliably produces maximum drama – is how rapidly a fall from grace can transpire. The tumble from the penthouse to the outhouse brings to mind the old song about “riding high in April, shot down in May,” but it can actually come to pass in the space of far less than a month. Especially in the internet age, such a descent can happen in the twinkling of an eye.
It can result from personal scandal. Witness the soon-departing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, knocked unceremoniously off his high horse. Ask the likes of Sen. John Edwards, Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Rep. Anthony Weiner, and Sen. Larry Craig, among others, how their careers effectively ended overnight after scandalous revelations. Continue reading…
The Taliban Learned Quickly How To Manipulate Social Media – 8.23.21
The quest for international legitimacy through digital platforms.
The Taliban has regained control of Afghanistan and this time around it’s using social media to gain legitimacy. It’s been 20 years since the organization was in power and much has changed technologically, including social media platforms influencing global politics. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and other media companies are faced with a few questions with radical repercussions: Is the Taliban violating their posting and sharing rules? Continue reading…
Americans in Afghanistan: Waiting for Godot? – 8.21.21
A couple hundred here, a couple hundred there are rescued – but thousands more wait.
They watch. They wait. Now caught behind enemy lines, thousands of people in Afghanistan are being scattered about the earth this morning in a helter-skelter U.S. effort to rescue its citizens and allies. In record numbers, the American people want to put an end to this long, lost war, but a badly bungled exit is hampering those efforts. Continue reading…
Even Scripted, Biden Fails to Deliver a Coherent Message – 8.21.21
“The buck stops with me” – and everyone else, evidently.
President Joe Biden, who had spent less than 72 hours at the White House this week, delivered what he called an update on the situation in Afghanistan Friday, August 20. It was clearly scripted – as were his selection of reporters allowed to ask questions and his responses to them – but even that didn’t empower the president to deliver a coherent message. Continue reading…
The Taliban And China: An Unholy Alliance – 8.20.21
When China reaches out to the Taliban, nothing good can come of it for the West.
While the world focuses on the U.S. debacle in Kabul, the Chinese are quietly making nice with the Taliban on the border between the two countries. Foreign policy experts in the Biden administration should be determining the nature of the Kabul-Beijing nexus and what it portends for America’s geopolitical interests. Notably, China is not alone in extending the olive branch of friendship to the Taliban. Continue reading…
Sources Say Taliban Hanging US Allies – 8.20.21
President to address degrading Afghanistan situation later today.
With reports that the Taliban are going house-to-house in Kabul hunting down those who worked with the U.S. Army and hanging them, many are arguing that it’s time for President Biden to start making actual decisions. While the airport’s interior certainly seems secure, the chaos just outside the gates worsens by the hour. Numerous reports indicate that the Taliban are blocking people from gaining access to safety and discouraging crowds from gathering by wielding sticks, whips, and gunfire. Continue reading…
Joe Biden: The Not So Compassionate President – 8.20.21
The debacle in Afghanistan has finally unmasked Mr. Empathy as nothing more than a great illusionist.
Illusion is the art of deception that intellectually misleads perception and causes someone to question his or her discernment. David Copperfield and the late great Harry Houdini have been hailed as the greatest illusionists of all time, but perhaps that honor should go to our commander-in-chief, Joe Biden. Continue reading…
Taliban’s Afghanistan Blitz: Predictable, Inevitable, And Ignored – 8.20.21
Between the Intelligence Community, the DOD, and the White House, where did it all go wrong?
Is it possible the Taliban offensive in Afghanistan, culminating just days ago in the overrunning of Kabul, caught the Biden administration and the Pentagon completely off guard? No, it is not, and any suggestion to the contrary would be disingenuous at best. Still, the Department of Defense and the White House both deny intelligence assessments indicated a possibility that the terrorist organization intended to retake the country, oust the Afghan government, and declare an “Islamic Emirate” with such speed. Continue reading…
The Left On Afghanistan: Biden Presidency Will Never Be The Same – 8.20.21
Even the left-wing media cannot defend the indefensible.
It is always a dangerous business to base your political fortunes on a single element you believe provides the greatest short-term advantage and most distinguishes you from your opponent. For when that one asset is neutralized, or even turns into a liability, you are left with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Continue reading…
Did Biden Fail in Afghanistan Because of Anti-Trump Hatred? – 8.19.21
The effort to undo Trump’s legacy has placed thousands of American lives at risk.
Breaking reports indicate that President Biden’s state department began the process of disbanding a bureau dedicated to helping Americans abroad back in June, just two months before the present situation in Afghanistan. The Contingency and Crisis Response Bureau, known as CCR, was set up by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo under the direction of President Trump to deal with such contingencies as evacuating staff and providing an emergency medical response. But with the Biden administration keen to undo just about every policy and program created during the Trump years, the CCR was put on the chopping block.
In June, a memo was signed by Deputy Secretary of State Brian McKeon that approved the “discontinuation of the establishment, and termination of, the Contingency and Crisis Response Bureau.” A State Department Budget Justification document for 2022 sent to Congress earlier this year reads, “The Department has paused implementation of Op Med (CCR) pending a policy review.” However, it seems that the State Department is now trying to muddy the waters. Continue reading…
Afghanistan’s Golden Rule: He Who Holds the Most Guns Wins – 8.19.21
Rule number one in any coup – disarm the people.
In the weeks and days leading up to the fall of Kabul, the Taliban were a very busy bunch of jihadists. They did not bother capturing people – the real mission was to get their hands on the guns; and seize them they did, in great numbers. Individual firearms, U.S. weapons, every gun great and small they could unearth was confiscated. For all those U.S. gun-grabbers out there, this Afghani crisis is more than mere humiliation, more than a humanitarian crisis – no, no, this, dear Americans, is a teachable moment. Continue reading…
Afghanistan Has Fallen: Anatomy of How Not to Go to War – 8.18.21
Something important was missing in the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.
The United States has been in armed combat frequently, more than any citizen would ever have wished, and U.S. military leadership has acquitted itself honorably in most cases. This cannot be said of the White House, Congress, and Pentagon decision-makers. In its coverage of America’s involvement in Afghanistan, Liberty Nation made the point that the current administration and the Pentagon have made a shambles of what had been claimed to be a measured, disciplined, and structured Afghanistan exit strategy. Throughout history, when the United States does not pursue an unambiguous, undeniable “win” in a conflict resulting in a vanquished enemy, the outcome seldom has worked out well for any semblance of lasting peace. Continue reading…
Abandoning Americans In Afghanistan? – 8.18.21
How will Biden justify no plan in place for rescuing U.S. citizens?
With thousands of Americans and Afghans attempting to flee the now Taliban-led Afghanistan, U.S. officials are urging all those who seek escape to make their way to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. But with obfuscated messaging via the Biden administration, boarding a plane may not be so easy; to do so under immense time pressure could be even more difficult. On Tuesday, August 17, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked what guarantees of evacuation she could offer to those Americans who were still in Afghanistan after the August 31 deadline for withdrawal. Continue reading…
Seeds Of Afghanistan’s Collapse Sown By Obama-Biden – 8.18.21
As vice president, Joe Biden saw the release of GITMO detainees who plotted the Taliban’s return.
Within the U.S. government, over the span of the last four presidential administrations, there has been plenty of blame to go around for what now is happening in Afghanistan. But if there is a specific decision that helped facilitate the Taliban’s shockingly swift reconquest of that country, it was the one made by then-President Barack Obama – and supported, or at least not opposed, by Joe Biden, vice president at the time – to release five high-value Taliban detainees in exchange for the return of U.S. Army soldier Bowe Bergdahl. Continue reading…
Biden Swerves On Afghan Responsibility – Media Gives Free Pass – 8.17.21
Doublespeak, strawmen, and liberal platitudes as the president fails to deliver.
Any expectations that the president would take responsibility for the still-unfolding chaos in Kabul were dashed when Joe Biden returned briefly from Camp David to address the nation. In what is becoming an almost trademark manner, the commander in chief spoke strongly on the Afghanistan situation while entirely avoiding the most critical issue. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the vast majority of the Big Box media gave him a pass on dodging the elephant in the room. Continue reading…
Afghanistan And Iraq: Money For Nothing? – 8.17.21
After 20 years of blood and treasure, and less than nothing to show for it, will neocons finally leave us alone?
When George W. Bush proclaimed loudly during the 2000 presidential campaign that his prospective administration would refuse to engage in what he termed “nation-building,” it set forth a fundamental recalibration of how American power would be projected upon the world. Instead, that proclamation would result in one of the most ironic — and many would say catastrophic — reversals of foreign policy in American history. And in the end, it was for George W. Bush what “read my lips, no new taxes” became for his father, the 41st president: his downfall. Continue reading…
US Evacuation Flights Suspended – Chaos At Airport – 8.16.21
A fast-moving situation in Afghanistan unravels as Biden Administration keeps its distance.
Multiple news reports indicate the situation at Kabul International Airport is unraveling rapidly this morning. U.S. ground forces fired shots in the air to gain control of the situation as thousands of desperate Afghanis breached the runways. Reuters is reporting all American evacuation flights have been temporarily suspended, and five people were killed at the airport. No word yet as to whether the casualties were American or Afghanis. Continue reading…
Afghanistan: It’s All Over – Except For The Blame – 8.16.21
As the Afghan president flees his country, the U.S. media finally asks the tough questions.
As Liberty Nation foretold, the noose has closed. President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani beat President Biden’s date for withdrawal by fleeing his people, capital, and responsibilities. Few are surprised. When the Biden administration started its precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan – now named the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – many predicted that the country was doomed to fall.As you might expect, there is no shortage of media commentary on the United States’ ignominious retreat from supporting the fledgling Afghan government and its security forces. The Biden administration’s rapid and forceful response was to lower the U.S. flag at the nation’s embassy and move what remains of its operations to the Kabul airport. Continue reading…
Kabul And Saigon: A Tale Of Two Cities – 8.15.21
Will the desperate situation in Afghanistan’s capital leave another indelible image of American humiliation?
It has taken countless thousands of Americans decades to recover from it. Most never have, many of them haunted by inescapable nightmares, from ceaseless guerilla warfare in the jungles of southeast Asia to the shameful treatment they received upon returning to their homeland.
This week, those wrenching memories of the Vietnam War – the 58,000 Americans who died in it, the thousands of others who returned from it scarred for life, the violent demonstrations in the streets, a nation riven by dissent – have been painfully dredged up, brought back into the American psyche as the specter of another national humiliation at the conclusion of the longest war in American history presents itself. Continue Reading…
Joe Biden MIA On Afghan Disaster – 8.15.21
Reality returns to bite Biden over Afghanistan decisions.
Proclamations made by President Joe Biden on his plans to withdraw troops from troubled Afghanistan, once lauded by politicos and pundits, have returned to cast the belabored president as either a Neville Chamberlain-style figure or a leader lacking foresight. The recent announcement that U.S. Embassy personnel in Kabul are being ordered to destroy sensitive material ahead of a suspected siege paints a grim picture for Biden’s withdrawal policy. Continue Reading…
Afghanistan On The Brink: The Noose Is Tightening – 8.14.21
Taliban at the gates of Kabul as major cities fall to the Taliban.
The U.S. may be sending troops to safeguard the retreat from Kabul, but that has not stopped the steady march of the Taliban toward its objective, all of Afghanistan. Liberty Nation continues to report on the evolving events in Afghanistan. But unfortunately, what is happening is the devolving of what the U.S. had hoped would be the birth of a country that could take its place among other developing nations with the personal freedoms that others enjoy.
However, that does not appear to be Afghanistan’s future. The Taliban is at the gates of Kabul, and most observers believe it is only a matter of a few weeks or possibly days before the Taliban has taken over Afghanistan. Continue Reading…
How Not to End a War: Taliban Advances, Biden Admin Shocked – 8.14.21
The Biden Administration has adopted a strong new stance: Deer in the headlights.
The latest news from Afghanistan is that the U.S. military will evacuate Americans from the Embassy in Kabul. The safety of the remaining U.S. citizens is in great jeopardy, and the prediction that Liberty Nation posited is coming true. Afghanistan is South Vietnam 1975 redux. More than likely, it won’t turn out any better this time. Now we learn that President Biden is sending what at first was said to be 3,000 but is now 8,000 soldiers to protect U.S. civilians being evacuated. Continue Reading…
