Opinion
A new book by Politico’s Alexander Ward reveals that President Joe Biden was not ashamed of his key role in the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan early in his presidency. The withdrawal set the tone for President Biden’s slide in the polls, which saw huge success after 20 years of war ended in failure for Americans on live television.
President Biden’s legacy will likely be tied to his decision to suddenly withdraw troops from Afghanistan, leaving behind thousands of allies and hundreds of Americans. Ironically, the book’s title alludes to the Biden administration’s need to “rebuild” foreign policy after President Trump.
The internationalists: the struggle to restore foreign policy after Trump illustrates the utter lack of accountability within the Biden administration and, if nothing else, explains how President Biden has been a catalyst for the destruction of America’s credibility as an ally on the world stage. For a generation of veterans like me, the withdrawal from Afghanistan is a moral stain on our country, one for which Joe Biden and members of his administration should have been held accountable.
It starts from the top
A recurring leadership principle taught while I was in the military was that those under your charge emulate you as a leader. In essence, leading by example is what sets the tone for how the rest of the organization will function.
Suppose one is a leader with strong ethics and adherence to personal and organizational responsibility. If so, everyone along the chain of command will do the same.
In Alexander Ward’s book, he writes that after the withdrawal from Afghanistan:
“…no one offered to resign, largely because the president did not believe anyone had made a mistake.”
As I watched the withdrawal from Afghanistan before going to work with my uniform on through tears, I wondered when the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and/or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would resign. After all, how could those who had served as leaders, at the very least, stand by and watch the horror of our failed withdrawal without feeling the need to resign?
The answer was simple because their leader did not and still does not believe in an environment of accountability. In Ward’s book, he explains:
“Biden told his top aides, including Sullivan (national security adviser Jake), that he stood by them and that they had done the best they could during a difficult situation.”
Because as the book continues:
“Finishing the war was always going to be complicated.”
The mess continues to expand more than two years after the retreat.
Empty promises
On August 18, 2021, President Biden told ABC News that he was committed to having American troops remain in Afghanistan until every U.S. citizen who wished to leave the country could. Not only did things not end up that way, but members of his administration knew it was a lie at the time.
A senior White House official told Ward at the time:
“There is no one here who thinks we can keep that promise.”
Did any of those White House officials who doubted President Biden’s promise alert the commander in chief? Or did they allow President Biden to make whatever claims he wanted without concern for the tactical reality on the ground?
Both scenarios are equally bad as either the President has ignored his administration’s warnings, knowingly lying to the American people, or he is simply an empty vessel for those who effectively run the country. In all, over 800 Americans were left behind.
To add insult to injury, two weeks ago President Biden announced that Tracey Jacobson would be his nominee for U.S. ambassador to Iraq. Ms. Jacobson ran the failed visa program for Afghan allies.
Under Jacobson’s tenure, tens of thousands of Afghan allies who had been promised refuge in the United States were abandoned and left hunted by the Taliban after the US withdrawal. The appointment of Tracey Jacobson is simultaneously evidence of President Biden’s lack of responsibility towards Afghanistan and his administration’s disastrous foreign policy strategy.
The consequences
The worst moment of the withdrawal from Afghanistan came when 13 American soldiers were murdered in Kabul by a suicide bomber. After their deaths, President Biden said:
“I am the president of the United States of America and the responsibility lies with me. I am deeply saddened by the facts we now face, but I do not regret my decision.”
Last month, the United Nations Security Council reported that Al-Qaeda had created eight new training camps in Afghanistan and five new madrasas, which are schools specializing in Islamic indoctrination. The report also exposes this chilling reality that Al-Qaeda:
“…maintains safe houses to facilitate movement between Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran…”
Even as the Earth turns and the wheels of history move, what was before is once again, with those that veterans like me fought against now facilitating our enemies in Iran who have stepped up attacks on American assets leading to the death of American service members. . According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction report, the Biden administration left behind:
“…aircraft, weapons, vehicles, munitions and specialized equipment worth nearly $7.2 billion.”
Over the course of the 20-year war in Afghanistan, more than 2,400 service members have lost their lives and more than 20,000 of us have been injured. The buck doesn’t stop with President Biden or his appointed advisors.
The hard truth is that there is no money in the United States. The only people who should take responsibility for the decisions made by US elected and appointed officials are the citizens themselves.
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