Appears that at least 4 U.S. marines are among the casualties.
Fox is reporting at least 10 dead US servicemen.
He and his administration need to resign, along with a lot of pentagon and so-called "intelligence" people.
Here's a laugher...my girlfriend's uncle, who is a BLEEDING heart Liberal (wanted Bernie, settled for Biden but "anyone but Trump" mindset) took 2 of the guns that were left over from the estate of my girlfriend's recently deceased aunt because he feels there's going to be a "civil war." Hello, you voted for it.
This after struggling to fight back tears and a breakdown. Not saying it's an easy speech or that many could have done better, but the leader of the Free World looked very shaken and weak.
And then after that he goes to questions with "first person I was instructed to call on..." Goodness. This guy really is not in charge.
posted by QuakerOats
He and his administration need to resign, along with a lot of pentagon and so-called "intelligence" people.
posted by gutThis after struggling to fight back tears and a breakdown. Not saying it's an easy speech or that many could have done better, but the leader of the Free World looked very shaken and weak.
And then after that he goes to questions with "first person I was instructed to call on..." Goodness. This guy really is not in charge.
It comes off as a guy burdened with selling out his country. Hinting he is under the control of others then rebelling and briefly taking a few random questions.
posted by majorsparkIt comes off as a guy burdened with selling out his country. Hinting he is under the control of others then rebelling and briefly taking a few random questions.
I give him credit for giving the speech and taking questions. But I thought he wasn't up to the task - bad optics for our enemies.
And this shit show won't be ending on Aug. 31st, whether we're completely out or not.
We just had a terrorist attack on our troops. And it seems like the two bombers would have had to get past multiple Taliban checkpoints. Sure doesn't look like pulling out of Afghanistan is going to make us safer.
posted by gutI give him credit for giving the speech and taking questions. But I thought he wasn't up to the task - bad optics for our enemies.
And this shit show won't be ending on Aug. 31st, whether we're completely out or not.
We just had a terrorist attack on our troops. And it seems like the two bombers would have had to get past multiple Taliban checkpoints. Sure doesn't look like pulling out of Afghanistan is going to make us safer.
The Taliban is orchestrating this. I hope it is not true that we are giving them names. Also what have we come to? No shit on you gut but why the fuck does anyone feel the need to give the POTUS credit for giving a speech and taking questions.
Eviction moratorium shot down by the Supreme Court. 3 Dems dissented. Congress could have easily legislated something but they ignored it until a day or two before recess and then pretended to care and cry about it.
posted by geeblock
Trump's plan was all 'conditional'. He achieved success by neutralizing the situation there with a very limited presence, and just one death in 18 months. It was evident that the enemy understood and feared reprisals.
Stop trying to compare apples and oranges. Biden and his advisors are simply not up to the task and the horrific catastrophe was easily predictable.
posted by QuakerOats
Trump's plan was all 'conditional'. He achieved success by neutralizing the situation there with a very limited presence, and just one death in 18 months. It was evident that the enemy understood and feared reprisals.
Stop trying to compare apples and oranges. Biden and his advisors are simply not up to the task and the horrific catastrophe was easily predictable.
I missed the conditional part.. link?
as far as I am concerned both parties share blame.
The taliban was created and armed by Reagan.
Bush invaded Afghanistan in the first place.
Trump surrendered to them and freed 5,000 of them while begging them to come to camp david and meet with him.
He had no plan in place to get the troops out, much in the same way he left our allies high and dry when we left syria..
the whole thing was a mess and was always going to be. this shouldn't be a partisan issue and people shouldn't use soldier's deaths as political fodder. Trump is a draft dodger who has no respect for the military unless he's slamming nfl players. At least biden has two kids who were in the military.
posted by gutI give him credit for giving the speech and taking questions. But I thought he wasn't up to the task - bad optics for our enemies.
And this shit show won't be ending on Aug. 31st, whether we're completely out or not.
We just had a terrorist attack on our troops. And it seems like the two bombers would have had to get past multiple Taliban checkpoints. Sure doesn't look like pulling out of Afghanistan is going to make us safer.
I am anticipating either a drone strike or Special Operations retaliation. The Pentagon said yesterday and today that the Taliban is actually assisting in limiting/ preventing and providing some sort of security in some of the areas. If you think about, it makes sense. It does not benefit the Taliban to have suicide bombers that would prolong the American presence. It is in the Taliban's best interest to get the Americans out as much as possible. It would also limit their ability to rule and seem like a legit government. The Taliban and ISIS-K have also been at odds since ISIS-K was founded some years ago.
posted by QuakerOats
Trump's plan was all 'conditional'. He achieved success by neutralizing the situation there with a very limited presence, and just one death in 18 months. It was evident that the enemy understood and feared reprisals.
Stop trying to compare apples and oranges. Biden and his advisors are simply not up to the task and the horrific catastrophe was easily predictable.
Oh, that is some good missing of events last year.
The reason why we had one death the last 18 months was the deal with the Taliban and the fact that US troops were not actively fighting. It was more a support role, logistics, contractor support, etc. The Taliban also did not attack US forces because we were leaving by May 21. Why would they attack us, if we were leaving? Why prolong the American presence by attacking?
The deal also completely set aside the Afghan government.
What the Trump administration failed in, just like Bush, Obama, and now Biden, is not understanding at how fragile the Afghan government actually was. It seems like after the deal with the Taliban last year, the Taliban went around and paid off militant groups or said to Afghan military officials side with us and you will not die, and you will get paid. The Afghan military was a shell and not paid. It made it easy for the Taliban to roll it over in just a few weeks. It was just like South Vietnam folding to the North, but only faster. Trump and his administration failed to see that and instead just made the deal, washed their hands, and said to Biden, your problem now.
posted by geeblockI missed the conditional part.. link?
as far as I am concerned both parties share blame.
The taliban was created and armed by Reagan.
Bush invaded Afghanistan in the first place.
Trump surrendered to them and freed 5,000 of them while begging them to come to camp david and meet with him.
He had no plan in place to get the troops out, much in the same way he left our allies high and dry when we left syria..
the whole thing was a mess and was always going to be. this shouldn't be a partisan issue and people shouldn't use soldier's deaths as political fodder. Trump is a draft dodger who has no respect for the military unless he's slamming nfl players. At least biden has two kids who were in the military.
The Taliban were not created by Reagan...they were already there. They were aided by the CIA in late 79, still under Carter, and then expanded under Reagan CIA.
HW Bush then left Afghanistan after the Cold War.
W Bush invaded, rightly after 9/11. The mistake seems to have been the mission went from counter terrorism to nation building and thus started the whole cluster fuck of what is the mission?
posted by geeblock
this shouldn't be a partisan issue
That's what you're doing here. Regardless of how it's been handled until presently (all presidents have kicked it down the road), the cluster going on right now has taken it to a new level. We'd have been 1000 times better off than we are right now. This has been a failure in leadership.
This is what happens when you elect a president that did not campaign.
posted by majorsparkThis is what happens when you elect a president that did not campaign.
I'm not sure any recent President would have done much better. Trump would have not allowed any Afghans to come home, and probably would have said screw them. Obama would probably be doing the same thing. Bush as well.
posted by ptown_trojans_1I'm not sure any recent President would have done much better. Trump would have not allowed any Afghans to come home, and probably would have said screw them. Obama would probably be doing the same thing. Bush as well.
There is only one President we know what would be done. The speculation on what the others would have done is nothing more than an attempt to spin the very definition of a clusterfuck.
The Pentagon's press secretary said that thousands of ISIS-K prisoners were filmed being freed from Bagram prison by the Taliban on August 15th. The Taliban know we are not going to do anything meaningful when Bagram airbase was abandoned. Only a fool would trust the Taliban. The objective now is complete humiliation of the US and they are succeeding. Have you seen the propaganda videos that are going out?
And I can't recall a President at a press conference in my lifetime pull out a piece of paper and say "they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell for NBC," WTF is that?
posted by majorsparkThere is only one President we know what would be done. The speculation on what the others would have done is nothing more than an attempt to spin the very definition of a clusterfuck.
The Pentagon's press secretary said that thousands of ISIS-K prisoners were filmed being freed from Bagram prison by the Taliban on August 15th. The Taliban know we are not going to do anything meaningful when Bagram airbase was abandoned. Only a fool would trust the Taliban. The objective now is complete humiliation of the US and they are succeeding. Have you seen the propaganda videos that are going out?
And I can't recall a President at a press conference in my lifetime pull out a piece of paper and say "they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell for NBC," WTF is that?
This was going to happen regardless of how we left. It would have happened under Trump or any other President. The place was going to fold like a house of cards if Trump was still in office as well.
The Taliban won. That is hard to swallow. It just like saying that North Vietnam won. Afghanistan was a mess that was going to be a messy exit no matter what.
On your last point..I guess you just forgot how press conferences work....Going back most President's usually have a list of reporters they call on. Go back and watch Nixon's for example. He goes through a list and calls on reporters.
posted by ptown_trojans_1This was going to happen regardless of how we left. It would have happened under Trump or any other President. The place was going to fold like a house of cards if Trump was still in office as well.
You can keep telling yourself that. You are in a very small minority. Whatever it takes I guess. I am not talking about the the Taliban taking over Afghanistan but if you think the clusterfuck we have all seen unfold over the last couple of months was unavoidable and going to happen no matter who are leaders are, I don't know what to tell you. If it was so predictable as you now say one would think there would be some preparation.
posted by majorsparkYou can keep telling yourself that. You are in a very small minority. Whatever it takes I guess. I am not talking about the the Taliban taking over Afghanistan but if you think the clusterfuck we have all seen unfold over the last couple of months was unavoidable and going to happen no matter who are leaders are, I don't know what to tell you. If it was so predictable as you now say one would think there would be some preparation.
yea its a shame that trump had that super bigly good plan all laid out and talked about it extensively and biden chose not to use it.
posted by ptown_trojans_1On your last point..I guess you just forgot how press conferences work....Going back most President's usually have a list of reporters they call on. Go back and watch Nixon's for example. He goes through a list and calls on reporters.
Considering my parents were still wiping my ass near the tail end of Nixon's Presidency, like I said I can't recall. Does he announce "they gave me a list".
posted by geeblockyea its a shame that trump had that super bigly good plan all laid out and talked about it extensively and biden chose not to use it.
Biden can do whatever he wants. In fact he made his own plan. Trump is no longer President so I don't no how his plan would have played out. Are you ok with this?
