Welcome to the Commentary magazine Daily Podcast for Friday August, twenty seventh twenty, twenty one. I am jump out towards the editor of commentary, amazing with me, as always eggs. active Editor, a green wall hi HO senior. Christine Resin High, Christine job and associate editor nor Rossman High Noah Hydra eyes, I don't know where, in the annals of president, show us speech? making an precipice sing

We should place Joe Biden, Sir, Foreman says. Why night after, yesterday afternoon, in an effort to. Connects to the american people on the Horror of the suicide bombing sighed, the couple airport that took thirteen american servicemen has left many others injured, including many many many Afghans. but I dont remember a worse performance. I may I remember Trump saying there good people on both sides and Charlottesville, but I dont remember a performance the intended to say, of the American

emotions and the country's rage and upset end show that we were in the steady hands over com, leader, I don't remember anything that has failed quite so: special accurately as that What what are you guys? What you're? What's your take that

essentially that there is such a profound disconnect. I mean I struggle sometimes to wonder just exactly whether I have my finger on the pulse of a nation at times, but there sits such a lack of any comprehension for understanding of, or interest in how the american public responds to moments like these. In the american press corps and in the people who were surrounding Joe Biden, they have convinced themselves of their Joe Biden. Score competency is his empathy that he's such a little swish that he can do right into your soul, and feel your pain and channel it back to you- and you know you can achieve some kind of catharsis in that way, and he is good at that when the moment calls for sadness. This is not a moment that calls for sadness. Americans do not want to feel sad.

When they ve been attacked, they wanna be mad and Joe Biden can't be mad. He promised yesterday nonsensical that he would avenge the deaths of these American said that he would do whatever possible, with the exception of a big military operation. We will go to to Helen back for you unless it requires a big footprint, and obviously this is not an happened. The United States can't can't effect this kind of an operation during retrograde, and it can do this from the air using satellites without actionable intelligence on the ground. Its why we will not avenge these deaths, we will absorb them, and so in that sense, I guess you really should be sad, because, if this decline is project is really punctuated by that about whether the preposterous thing here is that, when he's this is this is the problem with with what we are getting out of Afghanistan you see is that when we get hit, we have

no nothing to stand on and nowhere to go from it. So when, when buying says, we will not be deterred by terrorism, that's kind of hard to bear Eve, while were in the midst of handing Afghanistan over the terrorist. Well, and I think I think it also showed that I agree with jobs assessment the speech. I also think that it showed. Finally, for those of Us always been suspicious of this marketing ploy that no you're absolutely correct to say that this idea that the Joe Biden real politics, strength. This is emotional intelligence. In his empathy this was for me I mean I've. I try. I've tried to give them the benefit of the doubt on a few of these occasions, but at this will sound harsh. It is not intended to sound harsh, but when he trotted out the death of his son bow again at this moment it was all wrong, not tend not to add all question his his deep grief over the death of his child. That is one of those that is

Perhaps the most devastating thing that can happen to apparent the chicken springing it out to score political empathy points in it, it was, it I actually felt anger yesterday listening to him, do it because you're right now, people, upset there. They want to know oh, how we're going to respond because an attack on our servicemen and service women is an attack and he didn't risks under this, as if the United States military, which was our representative of our nation over there, was attacked, he talked about it like it really. Brought up some personal issues for him. That's not appropriate at this moment whose speech designed to communicate resolve, but the tone was or in sorrow, which isn't resolve its a set of resolve its resignation, which is when he feels I he's communicating his absolute complete

he's so at sea he is so underwater. This has become such an unmanageable crisis for him that he was communicating his own abject, come lack of any control over over circumstances, which is the opposite of the objective I think he's trying to achieve, and the speech was made worse by the context, that what is what have we seen by doing these weeks, he's should have been hiding from the american people at every turn, and showing up dramatic, Italy, late to whatever speed your press home, she has to give, and then he comes out mumbling. Looking at addressing the subject, not addresses other looking so under and weak, so taken in its totality. It was just it was such an immediate failure. He served knew that it wasn't going. He wasn't gonna rise to the occasion. The second opened his mouth the public, wants president's to rise

the occasion they come at grade president's. A curve at moments of national crisis. That's why there's the rallying round the flag effect like it's? Not that hard to get the public on your side They want to hear that you a plan they wanna hear they want to be moved by what it is that use speaking as a former presidential speech, although one who never dealt with a moment of crisis. In my brief tenure, at the White House, you know gimme it's this is not. This is not the hard stuff in terms of doing it exactly what we know is saying was right. Straying resolve showing concern and care a spy. into the emotional gravity of the moment and then move on two

what we are going to do in response to the terrible thing that has happened. So if you want to use tragedies Reagan's speech after the explosion of the challenger said we are going back to space and we are staying in base and you know the really odd that really peculiar thing about binds remarks was. The other was the word for word echo of what George, W Bush said after nine eleven he said we will attack at a time and a place of our own choosing. That is literally the phrase that binding use yesterday for a policy, the purpose of which was to put a it, I was to put a button or put a cap on Twitter on the twenty years that began on nine eleven I mean that was his explicit per Thus, in pulling out right, he said he wanted to do it on nine eleven twenty twenty one to me,

some see. No two brings the symbolic close to this era and now, Oh, he is forced to use this rhetoric which effectively thou think people of quite simulated. This This was committed us to fight. a terror war in Afghanistan We have to go into Afghanistan, a lingering eyes. I think it's a lie to, but let's just take him at his word we're going to hunt you down, we will not forget. We will not forgive. We will hunt you down and I have directed the military to tell me to tell me whatever it is that they need in quite defined What the mission was that he was. asking the military to tell him what they needed, but if the military comes back and says we need ten thousand year, we need thousand troops to of our soldiers sailor, Airman Marines, to help us secure the fifteen hundred Americans. If that number is correct, which I doubt that

Jeanne hundred Americans were left not to mention the Afghan s eye poor who, who are sort of our moral hours. Really. What does he say then as this could say that the two that point he actually. This speech is just besides being a kind of interesting in and cosmic and to his own tendency to plagiarize other people's words at the end of his prayers. He did at the beginning it everything He sat in those moments of a borrowed resolve was conch acted immediately by his response to the questions that the press asked him. So, for example, he kept saying Oh I don't know, we trust the Taliban, but we they have their own interests, and we understand those interests will be doing this, that neither never addressing the key point, which is that if you, even if you trust them if you're, if you're, trying to negotiate with an organization that can itself, even if you believe in didn't have anything to do with this attack. They can prevent terrorist attacks on our interest on their own soil. That suggest that perhaps there

interests, are not the thing that we should be focusing our right now, the immediate safety of the event. factories and our soldiers are what we should be focusing on. He totally alike, that by talking about how oh they at their interests. Why, giving names of Americans in Afghan as ivy holders to these people. If they can't even prevent terrorist attacks the there it's bear its hard to get your hands around what they think At this point, the line of the administration yesterday has been now didn't in the mission is an over on August thirty, one now every tool. We have to execute that mission, will be over, but the mission itself will persist even if we're not seeing to it that I shall be behind that. The rationale for that is ponderous, except only to set this administration for inevitable failure when those goals are not met. Second, Europe, I watched the Pentagon briefing yesterday. If you didn't want to publish, should have sent complimentary, general canning, Kenzie

slavishly obsequiously laughing at the feet of the Taliban. Talking about how a competent they were. Some are some most Arthur and how good they are at the security there providing us and what have you. We have no reason to believe that. That's true at all the notion here that these guys just kind of got through this cordon Taliban operates Gordon around the airport and they led through people very selectively. Now the notion that this probably happened by ignorance as opposed to malice, makes a little bit more sense. But the mission has defined by the US administration is this? Is it the best scenario? You could have hoped for it. Every other scenario was works. What if we had ten thousand troops in this country, but if we re negotiate that withdrawal day or didn't renegotiated, withdraw that what have we had? Three take Barbara? All of it would involve combat with Taliban right, and you don't want that because, we produce american casualties. Well, guess what thirteen that Americans more dynamic since then, in any day in a decade the last

possible amount of debt Americans that we experience was an attack on a helicopter, where everybody was standing and was in the same place, the notion here that we would have experienced almost at that very similar, if not the same amount of death to execute a far more competent mission, now makes a little bit more sensitive urban public. I dont know what this administrations endgame is. I don't think they have an end game there, trying to win new cycles at the expense of the issue, but I think they also or their their operating on the on the presumption out of mean that I think that there are cynically sitting around talking this way, because I think it must talking euphemisms cause. Nobody will talk this way in the middle of a crisis like this but the day, think if they can just keep going story will fade and, as I think we saying you you said when I was out earlier in the week em out we talked about yesterday story is not going to fade

as an end on thirty first of August, there will still be hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans who have not and brought out of the country, and then we haven't even begun to talk about the Afghans, who were who are still there, who are whose lives whose lives are directly at at risk, particularly since we gave them a hand. A dandy list of who they word where they live, all that- and so I think that there is a there- is a kind of colonel presumption that new cycles common new cycles go and that will the news I go, will change and they will they'll take their licks he'll be really hard and in the long run, like everything else, everything fades there is no reason to think that this will fade out tragically, sadly horribly, it's not going to fade and- and I

once we get all of our guys out right and all of our fellow Americans out. If we do that People really think that we're not going to be exposed in real time to the Taliban takeover of the country and its, need, I would say its actual need as up as a political movement to take account of and punish the Afghans who fought directly against them for twenty years, like surrounding the things you do when you, when you, when you find the civil war and then you take over us, you gotta you gotta me, sure that the people whose whose direct purpose it was to prevent you from doing what you just did that they are held to account. What we had hoped that we have some some reports that that's already happening. It's been happening since, since they got to cobble, I will say the other. The other thing that I think the deep

administration has a tell during covered debates happened during some some inflation debates that have come up. it's when they say: don't politicized this. This is too serious a thing to blow size, and this was what they did yesterday was John Saki during her breathing said it in a week a blue sizes, they are the ones who politicized this fight in a political decision, not a strategic one, because all of the people who know about strategic to say Making advised him to do something, different than what he chose to do yet motivation that time is elected official he's a politician. This is what politicians do, but to now, after this debacle of strategic, miss huge strategic messed up which costs Americans and many Afghans their lives has blown up in this Literally losses and to say how dare you criticise your politicizing unimportant, serious issue, but that's their tell they do it every time they reach a crisis moment on an issue that they have not handled strategically. Well,

there. The other Genseric yesterday was doing all this. We were talking about the guests. Are they talking about how every American who wants to get out we'll get out and those who don't want to get out now might stay there, suggesting that everybody whose thereafter I was started first, did so of their own volition? Now, that's that's a really calices sin of noxious talking point: that's gonna! Be proven purse wrong, the great effect one thousand two hundred and one midnight August. Thirty one we're going to be inundated with the people who are already screaming that they can't run this Taliban man's gauntlet. It's going to be proven alive. What long term strategic thinking are. There was the value in winning this new cycle with that message, if it's just going to become so much worse, for you in precise we're days I don't understand at all what their thinking was. Something else they start to say is we're going to get out as many as we can see, which is our whole lot different

From everyone, and by the way we ve, given the Taliban, the names of the American of Americans, who were there to not just of Afghans, So I wonder how nothing is going away at the story. I mean I want to talk about. You know we ve been doing these Saigon parallels and. People forget- I again have mentioned this before you know. We went up in a wee. Wee wee, basically threatened war in Africa. Nineteen o four, because there was a single American. Taken hostage by a warlord in North Africa and petty chorus. You know, should become a major issue in the in the in the presidential campaign of nineteen o four. We we had We are obviously the iranian hostage crisis and other things and here

the parallel. The parallel is that for fifteen years, hundreds of thousands of Americans, if not more believe with no evidence that we had left forty these sixty w and am I is behind in in Indo China, when we, when we left after the fall of Saigon in a knife in seventy five. And this was no small american issue an and it happened a populist bubbling, grew ass roots issue in the United States at a time when that was not easy to summon and create a grass roots movement, the entire our political career of Ross Perot was based in part on his Embrace of the p w am I a- missing guys in

louse, Cambodia, Vietnam There was never any evidence that any such number of people, existed and their number, even according to them, was minuscule compared to what we might be seeing now this idea that, again that the new cycle is gonna, make this fade He don't leave Americans behind. We are now have we now an administration embracing the prospect that we are going to leave Americans behind the political consequences of this. We know from American history can really really profound words to know what they'll be, how the express themselves and what the fall out will be, but it is, it you are binds friend Biden adviser by you would say, move Heaven and earth not to be

this position, not just because it is a moral stain on you that you would allow such a thing to happen or that you would be complicit in it, but because the whirlwind come for you if you do that, but it's I like this point that you make about how the peer review I may issue became. Would start with a bottom up thing, a populist thing, there's a sense in which, when I listen to the binding ministration and its supporters in the media and all these the jigsaw elements the Tony blink and talk about this issue. I keep coming back to that split that it started to occur in the in the late twentyth century. In his is, blossom now of this idea, that chronically have that we're all just global citizens right being an American is really less important like you can go work for an NGO in Kabul and you know you're a global citizen, and at the flip side That is what we are seeing now that attitude carries with it a

unwillingness to use the power of the of American America's military to extract you when you're at rest it sort of like well, that's the risk it up. You decided to go. Do that that there's a weird kind of with a hyper, individualism in this global citizen way of talking about people like that. Zog them of responsibility, or they are attempting to absolve themselves of any responsibility for these market. It doesnt matter why therein couple there there there endanger we need to help them. It's very simple and I think most Americans look at that situation. Go what are you talking Why are you telling me that you're dead son, but about these people? These are our people? I'd swear briefly talk about the Hunter Biden analogy. Biden brought up hunter exists. We not Hunter, I'm sorry Bo Biden, he brought up a binding to say my son did in Iraq and he was. He was impossible before that. As a lawyer. and then he came back and he got brain.

And sir, and he died and that death it. You know it punches a hole in your heart and there's a whole and its terrible, but you get through it. There is a difference between being afflicted with cancer and being killed by a terrorist. There is a difference, but We ve been a forty six year old man who served country honourably comes back and entirely unrelated way ends up sick from a deadly, you know, disease and and and dying from it using both military service to kind of make some point about how he understands families of of the american officers field. Is he also had a son die? These are not the same thing, morally, practically in any way shape or form every

but he has had a relative die on them in a trap horrible way and its heart. Breaking and all of that. That is not what happened here. What happened here was that thirteen Americans were blown up by a suicide bomber as a result A policy decision made by the president I did states, he is not. He did not set the bomb and he did not blow them up and he does not have any comparability for their deaths in that sense, but they would be alive. Had this policy not been inactive and getting a knock on the door, that's a very different thing than a cancer diagnosis. I agree, but I thought that he tried to tie both service to his cancer. It was hard to tell us who is. He was hard hearted understand him generally, but I thought you said something along the lines of, and then he came back from from serving and like so many others

there's had this brain cancer. Ah wise up the along those lines. I generally meandering in his presentation and just sits irrelevant. It sits somewhat. I understand why something it's tasteless to tease son as a human shield for this in part, because what he's using them for to justify what he says. They understand to be an imminent threat to more american lives that we'd. They really fully understand that this could happen again right now, as were according ass. Another bunker go off, there's no way to protect ourselves in the current posture that were maintaining and he insists that the Pentagon is really okay with the power of the posture that were maintaining go look at the images of where these bonds went off a day beforehand that I have it on my twitter feed good, Michael her fingers scroll down here,

yet what there that's crowd, control, what they're doing here in the middle, basically the middle of a sitting, this cobbled kevlar borders in the Middle EAST and it's easy to occupy a very easy to access, surrounded now by Taliban and at the american forces. There are really just up against a wall of a human wall. Trying to push back on these people and Joe Biden says that the Pentagon, his kosher with, is that they think this is a great posture to occupy and they can in fact they can affect this mission bs. I don't believe that for a second allow careerists, I guess and the Pentagon, we don't want to resign over the sort of thing that there really should, because I don't believe that for one second american lives are in danger, he doesn't want to do one goddamn. Think about it and he's using his son to justify that shameful. Ok, I just want to I want to say about the resignation. Point is a lot of whose resigning weren't you resigning people should be resigning.

I understand entirely why people who may end up resigning or not resigning right. Now you get I'm just saying like a it's important cause, there's a very performative resign. Everybody should resign mark, Milly should resign and Lloyd, Austin should resign and that Mckinney should resign, and all of that there in the middle of of hell. And we can't they can't just walk away. You know they in out there there they are part they are complicit in what happened here, and they me to be their twenty four seven to try to clean up the mess that they made at once that I will keep saying it really gonna be over, but one the immediate crisis at least moves slightly into the rearview mirror. Then we can hold them accountable for four and say: okay, if you're staying there, Europe

a word that I am you know, let's see what happens when you go, you know I'll, give a speech somewhere and see. You know who who stands up. You know like the you know like the woman in Jaws goes up and slaps Roy Scheider in the face, because he knew that there was a shark and he didn't do anything to stop the shark attack. that made. As I'm sorry, that's a terrible analogy to, but we're doing this very early in the morning in and out analogies enlist Jaws is a it's time like the about I'm just trying to think of what it's gonna be like for people who think that they can just blithely. Can new to go through life having Having done that's you now, the boy them yeah the best and the brightest to let us into Vietnam their lives. Trying to cope with the Public spawns to them wherever and whenever they went to end. That's gonna happen to these. People will try and just

one more point on that, because I think it is. It touches something that we were talking about with. Why why it was so unnerving an annoying to listen to two Biden. about his son service and because leadership should be about service, and if you look at the sum of the military leaders we ve had in the past their acts of service towards their troops doing what the troops have to do. Not just not just you know, created a strategy for the war but actually being by their sides and prosecuting it, there's a sense in which, in these moments of crisis that involve our members of our arms services, you want your, civilian leadership in the form of the president to be an emblem of that service him or herself. Now we haven't been electing people who served we. Been doing that for a long time- and perhaps that's part of the problem in my it is, but he's kind of trial to use his sons service, a cover for that. As a kind of you know, it's like a cost. He dawns when its appropriate to say look, I understand military service. Look! My son served also. My son died so there's some. You should have empathy for me: it doesn't

it for most American, certainly for Americans to a family members who serve it, doesn't it sends its not that's, not the kind of leadership we need right now. It's not empathy. it's not, you know, look I Santa Claus, my son served its leadership, He doesn't happen is not actually listening to the to the military figures who ve been telling him otherwise either so he's? U does seem address right now, right guys, not too downshift into something. You know a little less pointed, but Let me just tell you about our first: a sponsored today neutral fall because when it comes to thinning hair, you no longer have to choose between natural remedies and those that work. There's a holistic solution for men that promotes both healthier hair and whole body wellness without drugs or proscriptions, did you know that there are five rude com as a Fleming hair Neutral follows the hare supplement that goes beyond genetics. The target stress hormones, nutrition, metabolism, environmental factors that may be affecting

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we're ordinarily windows. But I guess I want. I want to deal with the response to it on Twitter, ok, here's. What I wrote as we mourn the losses of american service members say a couple: please keep this in mind. They wouldn't we dad if Joe Biden had not chosen to pull american forces out of Afghanistan. The number of dead, today in Afghanistan is greater than the entire number of Americans who died there in twenty twenty they mark. the first service Deston Afghanistan since February twenty twenty, the chair, share was deliberate and conscious decision to and a war on quote in which Americans were not suffering combat casualties. The status oh hell them and Joe Biden in between licks. It was ice cream cones. He sleep in vain, gloriously smashed it two bits he wants the bringer of peace. He is instead the bringer of chaos and we haven't seen anything yet. That's the entirety of my post minutes after it went up as Zack. It's either pronounced Jim or Beauchamp. I dont know which

the senior I see your corresponded Bach's, most famous for having having confidently explain that or could really easily be. You know a cup of functioning palestinian state on account of that bridge. That goes from God, to the West Bank not exactly tat. He was then, like the Chief Middle EAST corresponded vocs, so just to give you an idea of who the sky is. I hear responded to my post by saying the following: this is just insanely dishonest the reasons that there had been? No? U S, service deaths since for Re Twain, twenty that very specific data he chose meeting me is because the? U S had a deal with the Taliban, I bring this up only to say that them about an hour later, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, I think, probably working off of Xanax post here.

Spawned it. Also to my post by saying the following. This idea that we had we stayed in Afghanistan. The ceasefire with the Taliban would have magic The continued at no Americans would have died is a total com. Late lie that reputable publications keep reprinting. Now Thank you very much settler Murphy for referring to commentary as a reputable publication. That said, what on earth are these people talking about Abe? You went back damage through this. He went back and then you, U counted, the Italian up for in in response to this, the actual numbers of Americans killed in Afghanistan. I think, since twenty I haven't been, I haven't found me: please So where's was thirteen dead yesterday right in one

fell swoop right and I fear I fear, given the fact that their at you know hospitals in Kabul that more than you know that we may hear that that number may rise today or tomorrow, but go ahead so Russia there, there were nine dead in twenty twenty nine nine dead american combat debts. Two thousand and nineteen was larger. Twenty two two thousand and eighteen just going backwards in time. Two thousand and eighteen there were fifteen american combat deaths in Afghanistan, two thousand and seventeen. There were seventeen two thousand and sixteen there were four in twenty fifteen, there were twenty two and there were going back into the first decade of the century and they get a red, but from you know, twenty fifteen twenty sixteen to now, then

The number of deaths yesterday are all sort of in the neighbourhood at that that that number is kind of in the neighbourhood of the yearly totals for the past yeah, yeah. What what didn't we have in those years a cease fire with the Taliban which, by the way we didn't have as a result, the deal that palm pale and Trump struck with the Taliban. There was not a ceasefire. That is it that is there. No one ever described it as a ceasefire has been called the cease fire. I bring the up again, not because I want a like in a little gate, people criticising me. It goes to this very peculiar I peculiar framing of this, which is M M Biden did yesterday evening hadn't followed the Trump pull out deal the palm pale struck.

ah he would have had to send in thousands are tens of thousands of more Americans in its wake. Really, who said well at the Pentagon reportedly said: Hey if we did not declined to to renegotiate this withdrawal deal, and we should say that the Trump Arid deal was. It was a terrible deal. Remember writing about this. At the time it shouldn't have happened, but if it was scheduled initially for my first twenty twenty one and if they didn't renegotiate that deal with the Taliban would have executed an offensive in the spring like it does every spring, and it would have been something that we would have had to introduce two thousand two thousand three thousand six thousand more troops to augment american forces

to protecting the anything there, the Afghan National Army, but again based on the nightmare that we're dealing with now, that seems a preferable alternative this, and I can go up briefly on this talking point, which is this just flotsam in a shipwreck that their grasping onto this notion that double trump has saved everybody from from chaos. Here these this grand peacemaker they'll ask heseltine. First back last battle: Battleful casualties among Americans in Afghanistan was severe Wraith twenty twenty. The deal wasn't struck until February. Twenty. Ninth, twenty twenty, the next air strikes that the United States executed on television positions was March. Fourth, twenty twenty: when the Taliban began at solving border posts,

The deal survive the extent that it survived it all. Four grand total of four days the Afghan National Army was executing forward operations. With close you ass air support. All through that year, Biden maintained the tempo of those airstrikes all the way up until May of this year when he pulled air and logistical support from the Afghan national army. The Afghan national Army subsequently melted away. Joe Biden reluctantly agreed to resume airstrikes, with a total of grand total of two warplanes on in the outskirts of Kandahar, but actually had a significant delay. Effect on the Talibans advance in Kandahar, but by then it was too late to stop what is already happening, and the notion here that this is just an afghan condition. We also haven't had any combat debts in Iraq since March of twenty two with the notable absence of any Trump air apiece deals with militant groups. Why? Because they the operating because their various imposture in Iraq we are operating from behind basis, high walls using drones and air cover to support local forest

does that mean that below us to maintain a very tiny footprint in these places and execute our objectives with reasonable competence and very small commitment of? U S, forces, that's the best case scenario and we're sacrificing in favour of something so much worse. So this noxious talking point that they're just clinging to is. Is it all it is always just cover it's just but cover it. When I meet a convincing worse than noxious and cowardly, because what they did after by many reports and pulling that air support from the air force? Afghan airforce was the thing that that was the final you. If you play agenda, is the one that you did you pull out that block the whole thing collapses. They are ethical, irrespective of whether they burn these points, but there He turned around and blamed what happened because of that decision on the Afghans, own cowardice, when in fact it was our own, and I went out highly recommend to our listeners, a great peace and for diverse by Korea shake of the american enterprise taught me always very soggy method.

likely lays out all these justifications in arguments that that are now the basis for both the pr strategy messaging strategy and, quite frankly, the more ok so that by demonstrations, making for what's happened in Afghanistan and demolish is just point by very very clearly, and not is that's one of the things it She says that this claim that the mission in Afghanistan was unsustainable, warehouses. it points out. You know if you really believe then why was it that the Taliban itself, when it captured Kabul, is like while we never expected? We do this so quickly. Look it up ass. They were alone, they were sort of astonished at how easily it came to them, and that goes back to the decisions of the Bush administration made, most notably ditching. This tromp deal, which was a terrible deal. He could have done that in each chose, not to many deals? How many trump deals did he ditch? Ah, he it's the policy that remain in the remaining Mexico policy, for example on

Now I, when it comes to applying for asylum to the United States, and apparently did so illegally by the way, since the judge has ruled that tab there was. There was no statute, there was no sort of them process by it's that decision was was called so. The niceties here not avert not evolve much interest and, of course, that yeah, you know he's on buttons on record as having once you get quickly out of Afghanistan who, for tromp was president tended to you know so, there's no gas. This isn't like something. He fell into obligated to uphold this this. scrunched straight from him when there was a very peculiar afghan conflict, had run its course when you have recognised urgent with at present. I mean two things about his answers to questions during the press conference? The first is that he

went back into this analogy or that he drew in them. The first big speech on this, which is. Had had of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, been in Yemen and not in Afghanistan. Would we be in Afghanistan, of course, not so now Osama Bin Laden is not in Afghanistan. I'll cut is not in Afghanistan, so why? Why are we there at all will? First of all, I believe we now think that Al Qaeda his in Afghanistan, as a let let's, let's put that to one side since Osama Bin Laden is, you know, is it is blessedly dad this? This analogy makes absolutely no sense, because the reason that we were in Afghanistan was to prevent terrorist attacks on the United States. We Go there to get been Lawton that is mistake, we went to make two points, one of which is you attacked as we will hunt you down and we will kill you right.

So we went into Afghanistan and we you know, and then we then we made a terrible attacks. To call like we didn't go into the caves and tore bore him, hunt them down and kill them like, and so the London survived for another date and a half years until until seal team, six took him out, but we were also trying to explain to the world that there would be no safe harbour for terrorist groups. If you were a country that house them did not extra either allowed them to be there with your say so or you didn't do something to extirpate them. We would We would morally see no difference between you, the gout governing body that allow this to happen and the terrorist. themselves, and we he would. was the new doktor. This was an american new american doctrine, We would not allow a regime to survive that allowed terrorist groups attacking the United States.

to live in its in its in it. So you know in its precincts. It was more than that and there is quite a bit of revisionist history going on like, if only we had his neutralised, sound Bin Laden and October two thousand one. None of this would have happened, nonsense go back and reread or we watch. George W Bush is addressed to a joint session of Congress in the wake of the nine eleven attacks it. There was very few distinctions made between the world view, Al Qaeda and Taliban. There were one and the same, and it was a civilization all conflict that their conception of Social organisation was antithetical to our own. They were in conflict and one or the other would survive it. And that's that's what

the United States committed to and that's what everybody was on board with just about everybody. There were very few will of objectors too that sort of project, and that is why we win barked upon after a month after a very prolonged period in which the country was saying, why aren't we doing anything in Afghanistan? Didn't it took weeks before I gave in Afghanistan? took to the profound frustration with entry at the time now. The point is policy can change over time. You can even say well this that in the other The world is different. It's twenty years later, things have shifted right now the claim that is being made about the attacks on Americans yesterday is that it came. I'm a terrorist group hostile to the two. Alabama right there that that we now have a common enemy ISIS K like data, that the Taliban is like them and we don't like them and now, but The policy still holds, which is if this is a country that the two

a ban are going to run, they can't allow ISIS Kay, to be wandering around killing people now grant they they only just taken over the country. But the policy still stands. That's why the analogy the Biden drew is so the which is we do have an interest in in Afghanistan and keeping the Taliban out of power? Guess how we know that, because of what just happened, there. But that's the kind of thing. What is happening there now, but that's there can see they can see. Is that what I think more accurately reminds us of this, this civilization all challenge which of course, lead to backlash people claiming you know homophobia that there was a whole lot of interesting cultural things that came out of that claim that the claim itself was was objectively true, look at how this there is the Taliban are talking about, or ISIS are ok that they all do have they wanna Theo. Like fascist state women

Subjugated people are punished by death for very minor things, that its very they do share a worldview. They might not share specific policy recommendations with each other and that's where this concede that well we used to be in civilization, discord with the tell them, but now we understand their interests is so ridiculous and so damaging and and really kind of awful. But the problem with with buttons claim about this whole if I've been love, had attacked us from Yemen. We don't you there's a reason: Al Qaeda planted from Afghanistan that Afghanistan is hospitable to Al Qaeda for four verse. Particular reason: didn't Bin Laden is not from Afghanistan to you when he went there because they share worldview and work and wood and the people that run the country still share that worldview and we're leaving. So this is a time

global argument. It's not it's not like it was just happened, stance that that that's where that that's, where terrorists planned attacks from there's something that was with the Taliban and terrorism and this safety of the United States, the aid that is the most charitable interpretation of that weird refrain. That he's used a couple of times now, which I can't see as anything other than a non sequitur he's like well effective. If no up Osama Bin Laden had attacked us from Yemen, we would have gone to Afghanistan well yeah. What does that have to do with anything? What point is there? in making their beside the one that you have the divine somehow, which was not very, very clever on your part, but otherwise I can't see what he's trying to say there at all: let's get him play the string a little more so he's not in Afghanistan he's in Yemen. So we go into Yemen. We remove the government of Yemen,

we're probably still there and twenty twenty one so yeah you can shift the terms from Afghanistan to Yemen but if Yemen WAR, Afghanistan, we would still be in Yemen, because that's what happens when you are a country that goes into places, and you don't want, be an imperial occupying power and run things. You then start in with this. How highly controversial and everybody from the right to the left doesn't like determination building. But, let's, be clear on why nation building work, the policy in the first place. It's because we're not an imperialist power We nation build in order to create the conditions under which we can eventually either leave or in which we make the place that we had to go into better than it was

before, and I say this again because nobody is saying it: we made Afghanistan a better place than it was before it was a. There was a eight marriage, a disk, opium, mirror image world of the modern. Do you know of everything that we hold dear and we too out the regime that ran it and if you we'll see you know and the yes. The afghan people had to suffer through you know, a lot of barbarism in their own way and and and and and the destruction of civil war and terrorist bombings and a lot of corruption, and if you're tell me that the last twenty years of life and Afghanistan were worse, then You know what it is: seven or eight years that the tariffs five or six years, that the Taliban were in power. I D believe you believe that and if he blew believe that go read a book, because you are living in some other fantasy land and if we have

a commitment in Afghanistan. We ve had a commitment this year and last year in Afghanistan. That cost a trillion dollars a year, and we were their spending throwing money everywhere. Simply as a means of keeping ourselves there and preventing too then from coming, and it was really draining american coffers and it was really caustic american lives and all of that, then we could this argument. But we had a white cheap footprint that we removed and you know and end the end and, as I say, the dead, the dam has burst and end the and the flood is a light heart alone. Sheep footprint in a country with a religion popularly elected government that invited us to maintain that that footprint, that is daughter last year around the world. We are. We operate at the invitation of host governments, which is the opposite of what the word that these people like to use occupation

were they clearly have no idea what that would any that mean, suggest channeling, NEO colonial nonsense that they learned in the gender studies programme, but that is that is the truth of the matter is that we are gossiping nowhere. We operate at the at the behest of these host governments that invite us to do so, because it's in mute our mutual self interest, that the phrase that unless use a lot to justify our actions with the Taliban. Guys, if you are serious about cooking, you should invest in your kitchen tools, maidens cook wearing kitchen, where products are used by thousands of the world's best chefs, if an check out. May then this Cooper, kitchenware, where brand works with renown, chasin artisans to produce some of the world's best pots, pans, knives and wine glasses. They saw the finest materials to make premium rentals, available directly to you without the mark up maiden, products are made to last they offer a lifetime guarantee their cook were distributed evenly and can easily

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the end afforded fifty thousand kids in school in the email when school started last week or whatever, and there was testing. done of the kids and of the staff I don't really know how many staff there are, but let's say there are twenty five thousand staffers other, that's probably a little low, but test was that of students and staff, and I came back barber for rare one of our least favoured public health officials that healthcare the help, the public health person in L, a county announced the sobering fact that they came back with thirty one hundred positive cases of called it let's do the math everybody. What the percentage. What percentage of four hundred and fifty thousand is thirty one hundred

anybody know its point: six, seven percent point: six: seven percent tested positive for covered in the entire school district; about an end, we don't even know quite what the breakdown is between students and staff, that is good number, not a sobering number- that as a happy number, not a bad number, a bat when we were talking about covered in terms of locking things down and making people stay home, and all of that back last year, when there were no vaccines and nothing. We were talking three to five percent positive testing. That's doubt what that was the threshold like New York state, I think, was three point sent for restaurants to shut down. All of that because of the vaccine because of whatever its point, six, seven percent, the other a fact that they have now done some sort of survey, testing of the aftermath

of the Sturgis Motorcycle rally in in after Coda last month, where five hundred thousand people descended on Sturgis fewer, remember odds, all the ultimate super spreader event, blah blah blah blah best data suggests that a hundred there were a hundred and twenty one cases of covered. As a result of this we're just rally a hundred Twenty one out of five hundred thousand we're going into point, o o three percent, or something like that: yes, the delta variant is threatening and dangerous and is is, is is doing a terrible thing, but it is not doing a terrible thing to the accelerated and is not a terrible thing to children, and we are now getting actual hard. You know lot law. The total hard data to prove that this is the case and and yet

We are still seeing these stories like Emma Golfer, storing the New York Times today about how you know about he threw cases are rare, but when you get them they're really they can be really bad. story which is about two thousand words long features: five anecdotes, five different people in five places in America, that God breakthrough infections, and it was really bad for them. Five people. And the story contains no large scale data we are being fed. We are being fed a diet of covert panic and covert hysteria, as we are true in to get past this, and the only irony here is that Biden. It was Joe Biden who said I'm not going to shut the country down. I'm gonna shut the disease down while great work everybody you now you president since January Twentieth- and you know you

can blame trump voters and Republicans all you like from being vaccine resistant. And God knows I haven't. We ve talked about it here, but you know that rubber meets the road and if you need to get people vaccinated, having these having we're shovel, Lansky and Anthony found she and all these people wandering around who have lost the confidence of people who are vaccine hesitant being your message delivers and your water carriers that policy and you are going to suffer for it, and people are going to start blaming you for the polish is that are being enacted that are making Americans less free for no reason well, and honestly that the other thing that's that's being because very clear as schools, kids get back to school is how embolden the one of the most that none of the teachers unions are, who of course exert a huge amount of pressure and influence exercise influence over the bided ministration, both because of their donations and and how they lobbied successful market. The cities

the change guidance we ve seen em. It's interesting that all too, both major teachers, unions president's done lengthy, sit down interviews in the last week or so one within Our times that was Randy, Weingarten and Becky with the Atlantic and both refused to say that teachers should be is there should be a mandate for vaccination? They strongly encourage vaccination, but they want to give teachers who are putting kids, who can't be vaccinated at risk, the freedom to choose not to be vaccinated well, but also requiring all kids each of you to be masks the Inter our time there in school to protect the teachers who refuse vaccination so again if they're emboldened, to say that their reading the mood quite clearly witches kinda whenever we want and we can still exercise control over schools and whether they open her clothes and what kids have to wear all day without The acknowledgement of the fact that the science, as you see John, the science, doesn't doesnt support these draconian measures. It certainly is very mixed message about mask, because masking and with very young children. They have been doing it in Europe parent

to bring that up. Her call, you know, did say they want, Hell children, and what not but the man right now, forget certainly for kids in high school middle school or their only protect the vaccinated teachers, because the backside of kids are not. The risk is the understanding the teachers and staff one of the places that I turned all through last year for salient I was Some guidance and the charts on these matters was my friend David Bond Son of the bonds and group, and that he he added it was letter called coveted markets. He no longer has that. But if you subscribe to his daily news letter, the DC to data come at his equally newsletter dividend. Cafe that come. You will fall in David's writing on coded, as covert has as the delta variant has taken. Stage. He is he collating data he is making charts that are incredibly useful, incredibly helpful in in providing a you know

counter view. He has not Mandy Back Sir, he is actually his family's vaccinated, believes in the vaccinations, but he, but he bore He was that it, but he believes, based on hard research that there's a lot of nonsense going on, and if you want to see some of that, as well as some of the best analysis you will ever get on daily trends in the market and the fat and the interplay of government, and he came out and and and markets and on economic policy, you will go, the dividend cafe dot com today and subscribe to David's to newsletters Dividend CAFE the weekly one in the DC today, which is the daily one from the bonds and group the ETA to the intellectual spaghetti of thee. Financial services and management industry. So are we gotta go up Christine This group mentioned that there was one little light at the end of the tunnel of of daily NEWS, and that's the Supreme Court struck down the massive

chronic over each of the CDC attempt by demonstration CDC to extend the rent moratorium so that with actual glimmer of good news, come shocking, that the three liberal justice is thought. That was a perfectly reasonable use of better our oh you know statutorily. Basically what they said was if you want the eviction moratorium to continue. Congress has to pass a law making eviction moratorium continue, which we knew in August when our own exists. We not in August in July or whenever June, when somehow the house neglected to take up the eviction. Moratoria more, couldn't do it, and then it demanded insisted that the binding administration do so, of course,. slept on the steps of the capital. In some I mean what a noble gesture to sleep outside of a blonde chair with people. Taking your picture, you know in warm weather Biden has said that this thing was constitutionally couldn't do it

and he did it anyway to suck up to them or whatever, because it was a tat. We are constitutional, three liberal justices said it was ok and Stephen Briars descent features a prospective chart on the delta varied and what it could mean going forward. terms of really spread a lot which doesn't really answer the question: why can't people who have the delta variant pay their rent in a country. That has massive labour shortages and in which money is still flowing to them. Unemployed But money is still flying to them in many of the will contain a photo them in many of the blue states after the fact governments sub through hundred dollar weeks invention is over at the end of September.

I dont know why liberals want Stephen prior to retire hill, obviously say whatever the hell. They want them to say and You know- and I mean this is the most but take ITALY now- ITALY and in a patent Lee the law should be whatever is nice web? According to my dictates? Yes, really nice, where the enough forty million landlords in the United States, most of whom are people who have one piece of property like their basement, that they're trying to rent out and who have lost their power. Pretty rights, and are you know now being driven into economic hardship by this insane policy. If I was a democrat than this is probably why or not, but I would be furious at the justices

you're? Putting in such a lazy effort to counter as a statutorily air tight case against the eviction moratorium, one the president himself gave voice to which, as we remember from the trumpets were actually does matter when your intentions is so well defined publicly. That really does demonstrate clear intent was, and that can be considered by the justice has been put in such a manner that that short, you know so suggesting clover cases. Little with the argument against The second on the election moratorium is, don't you know, there's a pandemic which, yes, we do and that that has no bearing on the subject matter. You would expect them to at least make a face. Shilly compelling argument in favour of it in, in in terms of growth institution that enable the cutter you briefly. This is the story of his diminished, so far as that day, when Joe Biden has has lost an issue and has had a terrible weak, it's because he's led by the nose either.

his laughed more by his own, his left wing instinct. Seen one. Is this the presence the primary may not doing that when he's abandoned, that is locked himself into a policy, we're buzz off right anyway. So thanks very much for listening. Everybody have a great. We can't boldly back on Monday for aid received. No, I'm jump upwards, Keats Campbell Burning,