RIGHT WRONG — The Weekly Opine

The Biden administration honeymoon is officially over, following the president’s inept handling of troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

August 19, 2021

Avoidable

A legendary New Orleans musician comes to mind as we sort through the mess that has resulted in American troops leaving Afghanistan. Dr. John’s greatest song, “Right Place, Wrong Time” applies here, paraphrased (by me) to read “Right Decision Wrong Execution.” Or as the late Dr. John sang, amending his own lyrics, “the right rib but the wrong sauce.”

To begin with, keep in mind then-Senator Joe Biden, in 2001, voted “yes” to use military force in Afghanistan. During the 2020 presidential primary, Biden tried using political sleight-of-hand, saying he did not support the war in Afghanistan. Not true.

After the 9/11 attacks, America was rightfully intent on chasing down Osama bin Laden, who was purportedly holed up in Afghanistan with Al Qaeda. The U.S. Senate unanimously voted to authorize military force in Afghanistan. The House of Representatives voted similarly, with only Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) voting against the war.

In 2003, George W. Bush ramped up America’s nightmarish foray into the Middle East (the timing of which ruined a big promotion I was leading at McDonald’s, coincidentally named “Winning Time”). Junior Bush tried to atone for H.W. Bush’s surprising decision not to chase Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from power at the conclusion of the Gulf War.

In the aftermath, with American troops at war in Afghanistan and Iraq, American presidents on both sides of the aisle lined up for a game of kick the can.

First, Barack Obama. Then Trump. Each administration played footsie with the truth, wrongfully telling the American people the war in Afghanistan was showing positive results, even as journalists painted a different, more accurate portrait of desperation and despair.

Following the Obama administration’s catching and killing of Osama bin Laden (in Pakistan not Afghanistan), America should have quickly pivoted away from Afghanistan. But as everyone knows by now, war is not only hell, it’s also big money.

Now, as president, Biden finally decided to remove American troops from the war-torn country – a decision supported by most Americans.

Give him credit. Biden just flipped the switch, turning out the lights on the 20-year Afghan conflagration during which thousands of lives were unnecessarily lost. And trillions of dollars spent, much of the money lining the pockets of greedy, politically connected consultants and contractors.

Fumbling critical fundamentals - such as communication and logistics - cost President Biden as Afghanistan devolves into chaos. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Desperate for execution

One of the greatest coaches of all-time stressed the importance of execution. The late Green Bay Packers coach, Vince Lombardi, who led the Packers to victory in Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II, was famous for espousing that you don’t do things right some of the time, you do things right all of the time. In other words, poor execution ruins the best laid plans.

The Biden administration just performed like the junior varsity, badly fumbling the pullout from Afghanistan. A situation calling for precise communication and logistics was met with unbelievably careless mistakes, from an administration that has done a formidable job fighting the coronavirus.

In advance of the pullout, no one thought to remove U.S. personnel, and close the embassy, prior to withdrawing the remaining American troops. Equally mystifying, why would we turn our backs on Afghan citizens who aided us the past 20-years? These humans – some of whom surely have been captured and killed by the Taliban already – provided invaluable interpretation and spying for us. It is unconscionable and immoral to leave them scattering and running for their lives while we hustle our troops home.

The visual of Afghans (almost all of them men) crowding the airport, running along the tarmac, and clinging to a huge cargo jet, as it began rolling toward takeoff, will be seared in our memories forever.

Biden, now trying to explain it all away, should not be granted immunity relative to the quagmire he’s fostered. Biden was vice president under Obama. During presidential campaigning, he waxed about his foreign policy acumen as a key reason he was the most qualified contender to become president. Yet, he’s failed miserably in the biggest foreign policy moment of his career.

Predictably, that jerk Trump, vividly demonstrating he is still a piece of trash, bragged a couple months ago – when Biden announced the imminent Afghan pull-out – that he (Trump) should be credited. Now, the creep who should be sporting an orange prison jump suit that matches his hair, (pick a reason Trump should be in prison; sexual assault, rape, treason, tax evasion, perjury), rails that Biden should not have pulled troops from Afghanistan.

This is the same spineless fool who kneels before Vladimir Putin and, ignorantly, invited Taliban leaders to a summit at Camp David, before the few adults in his administration talked Trump out of it.

Looking toward the future, the biggest threats to America are homegrown, not foreign born. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Foreseeable future

I do not share the concern of experts that we are now at greater risk of a foreign led (e.g., Al Qaeda) terrorist attack on American soil. My theory has always been if we leave the Middle East alone, they will leave us alone. Much of the strife in that part of the world is because of intense religious differences dating back thousands of years. Our political instincts are not effective dealing with philosophical religious arguments that, for the most part, we do not understand and therefore misinterpret.

Several years ago, friends pointed out a large hornet’s nest situated under a gutter along my house, high above my patio. They implored me to get a broom and ladder and knock the nest down. I declined, telling them I’d been sitting on the patio all summer without the hornets ever having encroached my space. Why stir up hornets that were not bothering me?

America, by interfering in the Middle East, unintentionally helped pave the way for the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Our involvement over there – however well-intended – stirred up the hornet’s nest and the hornets followed us to our American patio. This is not to say that what happened on 9/11 was justified, as a result of America’s perceived and real transgressions in the Middle East.

The bigger concern for Americans is the continued abuse some conservatives mete out against less educated, lower income folks, making it impossible for them to sustain economically. Not to mention conservative’s assault on democracy e.g., trying to suppress citizen’s voting rights. Healthcare-wise the biggest obstacle is the pandemic, which is spiraling out of control in a “war” that Trump-Pence were not smart enough to win.

When you have homegrown terrorists such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, My Pillow sicko Mike Lindell, and Fox News anchors purposefully lying, and making decisions that endanger and kill thousands of U.S. citizens, nothing the Taliban or Al Qaeda are up to gains my attention.

Publisher’s note: The Weekly Opine will be on annual summer holiday for two weeks. The next post will be Thursday, September 9, following the Labor Day holiday weekend.