I hope this doesn’t come across as too many negative waves, but I cannot be very optimistic about the effect of all this on future elections or policies. In following the countless comments to The Wall Street Journal online article about the bombing it’s obvious that there are many Democrats who will never place the blame for the debacle where it belongs. They are seizing on one fact, that President Trump planned for a withdrawal from Afghanistan, and ignoring everything else, including the fact that it’s inconceivable that his staffs would have been as incompetent as the present gang and that he himself would have made such disastrous decisions about its execution. Pointing out those obvious facts seems to have no effect whatsoever on their beliefs.

President Trump has already become a figure of myth to the Left; no, not a creature that never actually existed, but a figure of legend who can be forever vilified and blamed for all bad things.

As I’ve said before, Leftism has become a secular religion to many people, and therefore unassailable. And the substitute for demons and devils are people like Trump: no matter how illogical blaming them may be, the belief is something they can take refuge in now and forevermore. In fact, the more time elapses and the blurrier the actual history becomes, the easier will it be to blame future ills on that figure of myth.

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin1069:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
All they cared about was getting Donald Trump out of office at any cost. Well, the bill has come due.

Yes sir. As I’ve been preaching to friends and family for years, elections have consequences.

Well, they are supposed to anyway.
If conducted fairly and honestly.
Trump won.

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:

Seriously, why would the dems stop now? EVERYTHING they've done for the past 50 years has been leading up to this point. Instead of taking stock, backing off, re-evaluating strategy, seeking professional guidance, and instituting a course correction, they will press blindly ahead...

I very much agree with this except it's been over a century of infiltration and corruption. The left have been very patient, they lost that patience when Hillary lost. They kicked out the jambs, crazed by Trump and lost all reason.

They've never been more vulnerable than these last five years, no hint of a mask. How we exploit that I don't know but they can be had right here, right now. So far we're not doing much right and counting on a post-John Fucking Lewis Voter Integrity Act world won't cut it.

God Bless our Military in combat and the families of those KIA. Please keep them in your prayers. The pain of today will never go away.

As much as my heart bleeds for the KIA and their families, what on earth are all the American citizens going to do? They seem like sitting ducks. I read earlier in this thread some military are taking it upon themselves to venture out to help. God bless them all!

This was in one of the comments to the WSJ article I mentioned above:

“[Former Secretary of State] Pompeo gave interviews as to [the Trump plan] exit strategy:
“Control and beef up Bagram thus controlling the Air (keeps Taliban out of Kabul)
“Evac Civilians
“Evac SIV's
“Account for every stitch of US Equipment
“Evacuate Military
“Bomb every US Facility so it was of no use to Taliban”

I’m being lazy now, but can anyone here confirm that claim?

quote:

Originally posted by Dwill104:

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
Apparently a looming pull-out deadline, and the suicide attacks resulting in the deaths of U.S. troops isn't enough of a reason for Congress to suspend or delay their vacation plans...I mean it's not like they need to consult with the President and his administration during a deteriorating tragic debacle to provide oversight over a cascading series of failures, offer emergency appropriations, or to assist with decision making during the evacuation...or even just to issue some words of support.

Calling Congress back is a completely useless endeavor. There’s a reason the framers of the constitution made the President CoC and kept Congress out of it. Saying nothing about who the President currently is, was, or will be, they knew that giving Congress a voice in deciding military action would be a clown show. Them being in session will just be a ton of political posturing, with zero value with regards to the tactical situation on the ground today, tomorrow, or next week. The Executive branch doesn’t need Congress to pass some funding bill because the DoD has enough money to do whatever they need to do right now. The DoD also doesn’t need “consultations” with Congress about what to do. For better or worse, The President, JCOS, and DOD own this, and getting Congress involved isn’t going to in any way make it better.

I'm aware that Congress has no Constitutionally mandated authority over the use of the military and, given the current Democrat majority this Congress will do nothing more than absolutely necessary in a Biden-caused crisis and will circle the wagons and back President Biden to the hilt.

However, if Speaker Pelosi actually gave a damn about Americans and coalition partners stranded in a deteriorating situation, with troops dying in combat, she damn well could exert the power and influence of her office in Congress. She could reach out to the President, even if quietly and out of the public eye, and demand cabinet level resignations, she could initiate congressional IG investigations, she could even threaten to prevent legislation important to the President from advancing through committee, even if it was no more than an idle threat.

Hell, Congress passes all sorts of meaningless resolutions celebrating whatever bullshit SJW virtue signaling they deem politically advantageous, so before they head out on vacation they could call for a national moment of prayer while letting our people know that they are not forgotten and our nation will expend every resource available to get them to safety.

Just because Congress doesn't have any Constitutional direct command over the military doesn't mean that they can't involve themselves in the rescue of Americans civilians, troops, and coalition partners, if they were truly principled and gave a damn about something besides spinning a crisis and maintaining political power.

Speaking only for myself, if I was a congressman, as much as I hate D.C., there is no way that I would leave my office and go on vacation given the current crisis. I would be looking for anyway possible to try and improve the situation and I would be exerting pressure if there was call to do so.

quote:

The Wall Street Journal online article about the bombing it’s obvious that there are many Democrats who will never place the blame for the debacle where it belongs. They are seizing on one fact, that President Trump planned for a withdrawal from Afghanistan, and ignoring everything else, including the fact that it’s inconceivable that his staffs would have been as incompetent as the present gang and that he himself would have made such stupid decisions about its execution.

It is just astounding to me that you can point out that Trump had made clear to the Taliban that they would be destroyed if they hurt an American upon our departing, a threat that had teeth given his history of killing terrorists, and point out that Bidet had done a 180 on every one of Trump's policies, so why would this be different, and they still fall back on "this is what he would've done." As Jesse Watters so succinctly put it last night, "Trump kills terrorists. Biden takes orders from terrorists."

I learned several years ago when I posted on the La Crosse Tribune website, maybe a year into Trump's presidency, that you simply cannot argue with crazy, illogical and emotional people, which is what the Commiecrats are. You just end up frustrated and angry at these America haters all the time. However, it is encouraging that the independents' support for Bidet is dropping like a stone, and I really don't see any slowing it down.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
This was in one of the comments to the WSJ article I mentioned above:

“[Former Secretary of State] Pompeo gave interviews as to [the Trump plan] exit strategy:
“Control and beef up Bagram thus controlling the Air (keeps Taliban out of Kabul)
“Evac Civilians
“Evac SIV's
“Account for every stitch of US Equipment
“Evacuate Military
“Bomb every US Facility so it was of no use to Taliban”

I’m being lazy now, but can anyone here confirm that claim?

I don't know his actual new title now but former SoS Mike Pompeo is now working for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) legal firm (along with former DNI Rick Grennell) in advisory/ consulting roles, and both gentlemen regularly make comments on the ACLJ radio show/ podcast. In the last week or so I've heard Mike Pompeo list every single one of those items as part of the Trump plan.

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
In the last week or so I've heard Mike Pompeo list every single one of those items as part of the Trump plan.

Thanks for the confirmation.

I see where some are calling for his resignation. Don't they realize that "Don't pin this shit on me!" Harris will be taking over? I can see that making that fuster cluck even worse IF that's possible.

Looks like Joe will pass up the early bird special and "address" us at 5 PM ET.
Will be instructive, no doubt.

Unbelievable...

U.S. officials provided Taliban with names of Americans, Afghan allies to evacuate

U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of the city’s airport, a choice that's prompted outrage behind the scenes from lawmakers and military officials.

The move, detailed to POLITICO by three U.S. and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in Afghanistan’s capital city last week after the Taliban seized control of the country. It also came as the Biden administration has been relying on the Taliban for security outside the airport.

Since the fall of Kabul in mid-August, nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated, most of whom had to pass through the Taliban's many checkpoints. But the decision to provide specific names to the Taliban, which has a history of brutally murdering Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. and other coalition forces during the conflict, has angered lawmakers and military officials.

“Basically, they just put all those Afghans on a kill list,” said one defense official, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. “It’s just appalling and shocking and makes you feel unclean.”

A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command declined to comment.

The issue came up during a classified briefing on Capitol Hill earlier this week, which turned contentious after top Biden administration officials defended their close coordination with the Taliban. Biden officials contended that it was the best way to keep Americans and Afghans safe and prevent a shooting war between Taliban fighters and the thousands of U.S. troops stationed at the airport.

After the fall of Kabul, in the earliest days of the evacuation, the joint U.S. military and diplomatic coordination team at the airport provided the Taliban with a list of people the U.S. aimed to evacuate. Those names included Afghans who served alongside the U.S. during the 20-year war and sought special immigrant visas to America. U.S. citizens, dual nationals and lawful permanent residents were also listed.


“They had to do that because of the security situation the White House created by allowing the Taliban to control everything outside the airport,” one U.S. official said.

But after thousands of visa applicants arrived at the airport, overwhelming the capacity of the U.S. to process them, the State Department changed course — asking the applicants not to come to the airport and instead requesting they wait until they were cleared for entry. From then on, the list fed to the Taliban didn’t include those Afghan names.

As of Aug. 25, only U.S. passport and green card holders were being accepted as eligible for evacuation, the defense official said.

Still, that U.S. officials handed over a list of Afghan allies and American citizens and residents shows the extent to which they outsourced security of the airport’s outer perimeter to the Taliban. The Taliban has gone door-to-door in search of Afghan interpreters and others who helped U.S. and Western forces.

In written and verbal communications, Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Rear Adm. Peter Vasely, head of U.S. forces on the ground in Afghanistan, have referred to the Taliban as “our Afghan partners,” according to two defense officials.

The Biden administration has been coordinating the evacuation effort and airport security with the Taliban, which is running the checkpoints outside the airport’s outer perimeter. Officials have been “in daily communication” with Taliban commanders about who to let in, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters this week.

The news comes just hours after two Islamic State terrorist attacks rocked the area just outside the airport, killing at least four U.S. Marines and wounding dozens more. A number of Afghans were also killed in the bombings.

After the attacks, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) appeared to criticize the Biden administration’s strategy of coordinating with the Taliban, writing in a statement: “As we wait for more details to come in, one thing is clear: We can’t trust the Taliban with Americans’ security.”

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Looks like Joe will pass up the early bird special and "address" us at 5 PM ET.
Will be instructive, no doubt.

What’s the over/under on him bringing up Beau?

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Looks like Joe will pass up the early bird special and "address" us at 5 PM ET.
Will be instructive, no doubt.

Only he won’t be answering any questions. His flak, the redheaded Goebbles is expected to take over at 5:30

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
As I’ve said before, Leftism has become a secular religion to many people, and therefore unassailable. And the substitute for demons and devils are people like Trump: no matter how illogical blaming them may be, the belief is something they can take refuge in now and forevermore. In fact, the more time elapses and the blurrier the actual history becomes, the easier will it be to blame future ills on that figure of myth.

I read an article today, and in the comments, a rabid lefty invoked J.W. Bush as the cause of this debacle in Afghanistan. See, because Joe was part of the Obama administration for eight years, they feel the need to push the blame back before then to keep Biden holy and unsullied. I believe you are absolutely correct in that leftism is more of a religion, and Bush/Trump will always be their demons.

quote:

Originally posted by BMR:.
What’s the over/under on him bringing up Beau?

BINGO.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

quote:

Originally posted by BMR:.
What’s the over/under on him bringing up Beau?

BINGO.

Yup

————————
He’s not gonna do anything, he’s just saying what people want to hear. There will be no military strikes . Watch.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

quote:

Originally posted by BMR:.
What’s the over/under on him bringing up Beau?

BINGO.

Yup

Yeah... I don't take sucker bets. And, a televised "moment of silence?" For fucking real?

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

quote:

Originally posted by BMR:.
What’s the over/under on him bringing up Beau?

BINGO.

Yeah. That didn't take long.