Today's podcast takes a long, hard, close, serious, and polemical look at Joe Biden's self-justifying address to the American people on the Afghan catastrophe. Give a listen.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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So Joe Biden made his speech about the end of the war in Afghanistan or the putative end of the war in Afghanistan
at the ignominious time of around
three hundred on Tuesday afternoon. A that's how you come at your commemorate the can
illusion of twenty years of conflict is too.
Say. You speak at one. Thirty, eventually speak at three, thirty and kind of.
daughter your way out at the about three forty
seven. Haven't you
No I'm commonly defensive Clare.
less ourselves,
defying self, dramatizing and and quite in and in many ways, conceptually horrifying speech. So what are we gonna? We tease apart
A strange he began his speech by talking about how magnificently extraction of Americans and and people that helped America with war effort from Afghanistan has been since the fall of of Kabul and and basically, you know, took effectively took credit for the magnificence of this operation and it does seem to have been with jestingly quite a remarkable achievement to have airlifted out a hundred thousand
Plus people in eleven or twelve or thirteen days or, however long was never addressing the fact that we only needed to airlift a hundred thousand people out of Afghanistan.
based on a series of choices that we made, including closing the barber mere base that necessitated this hysterical rush for the exits at a couple airport that had to be organised in the way
it was organised. So it's a little like you.
Oh you are- and I have put this is like
You burn your own house down, and then you give yourself credit for how effectively you handled the fire hose input,
out the fire or gave it it's a little worse than that, because he didn't just take credit for what is the withdrawal of Americans by our own military. He also took credit and congratulated his administration for the extremely
courageous efforts of private citizens which are ongoing to get people who
It had worked within Afghanistan, written about former Marines former army folks, who knew that,
her translators and ass. I be applicant Ellen
oh folks, are still trap there and a great risk here.
The credit for those missions to kind of padding himself on the back like aren't we great America, look we're getting these people out when, in fact, all of those missions have been launched because of the incompetence of the by ministrations withdrawal
and every major NATO in non NATO allies who executed these operations. Only the United States could have done. This will know. Actually we couldn't have because we didn't have the planet was engaged,
this, and there is still plenty of NATO allies that were left behind. Just like us,
we don't actually know allow many American evacuated. People are directly responsible where we were directly responsible for freedom.
have, that number is the Pentagon's aligning at the opening. The debate. Administration is aligning all all the relevant statistics here. Just a group
Everybody together in one month, salmon that teasing out who's. Who is american citizens whose nato citizens who is bring cardholders, whose, as IVF alone, decide the eligible and was not
we don't make actually now looks as if the point is the shovel people want to planes
They flew the planes out. The planes landed Ramstein than in the gutter and in our
wherever they landed at our attention,
just on Uzbekistan. God only knows where and they got off the plane and the plains lack and they shoves more people on the plains and day day
pull this off somehow moving lots of people in planes just to make this point:
and when the Taliban weren't attacking the plains,
really don't wanna be churlish, but you know it's an airport and so there's runways and so planes take off and then they landed planes take off and then they land you put people on the plains, and then they fly off and it's like
her tallying up? The number of people who flew out of the airport airport over
eleven thirteen days, maybe that's a huge number, relatively speaking, compared to what it would have been had this been. You know not a time when the Taliban took over couple in the end, the and the government fell, but
It's not you know, Dunkirk, I mean really isn't Dunkirk, unjust
thousands of boats, commercial fishing vessels that four did the english channel and they loaded people one three hundred and fifty thousand people onto these boats. That was like a logistical wonder, stroke of us of the sort that out
World has never seen before not apply,
I'm getting on a runway and taking off with people on it. You should be churlish it because
because while this was happening, people were trampled deaf. People were clinging to planes and dropping off. Americans were getting notification. Saint come to the airport. Wait, no, don't come
the airport? Ok come to the airport, no go home turn away right now it was all sorts of end of needless to say, the thirty Marines were killed. This were all sorts of horrors were going on simultaneous too. Yes, a bunch of planes.
Coming and going with a lot of people I can? I can I join in the job Joe Biden seen the theme of his speeches. If they're not grateful for this cornucopia, successes blame my predecessor, but he still is trying to say that this is the best case scenario, because if you were to evacuate begin evacuations earlier, it would cause a panic. It would have precipitated even their earlier collapse of this government, and we may never know in part because the binding ministries and opted to evacuate the military first, which is probably mistake,
number one. Do you think that the gas it would have caused a panic, but also the military's there? And yet
probably would require. I search. We also
The regulation also required a surge of no, I mean and that's the point which is it would have caused a panic. So guess what would they?
it caused a panic so saying we didn't do it that way in order not to cause a panic. So we did it this way and it caused a panic, is
we'll hit the farewell and it's not
I was just add answer that we now have information from from a kind of amazing story from Reuters that the whole time
I'm because put the other part of the speech we should talk about is how he was still suddenly blaming, not just the Afghans for what happened and taking responsibility for his and the America's role in that, but also blaming the p
the horse, the left behind by Saint we'll get out making primacy absolute. Cannot the villages we'll get people
who want to get out who choose not to stay. We now know from this Reuters report that well as well. The Taliban was marching across the country. He called a guy
The president, just before the collapse of Kabul and said yeah, you know
Your kind of african people out by saying the Talibans gonna gonna take cobbling just even if it's true, let's just happy, talk this. So this
dear that Americans than anyone else left in Afghanistan with getting any other signal except everything's. Fine here, no need to panic. Don't need to leave right away, was belied by this report to the whole time he's telling these people off its own. You, if you stay you, don't you shouldn't known. They absolutely should not have known, because the mixed messages coming from this administration ensured that they did not need to put it to a bare again, like it
I honestly don't wanna like be churlish hominem or whatever cause. This is too big an issue
and almost, but he said on the eighth of July that the Taliban were not take the country over.
He said it s.
it's not it's Bobby didn't do anything in this way. He said no,
they're not going to fall, and so therefore, whose making preparations to leave the
you living for the last ten years when the president
The thing is our estimation of the countries that good of all, therefore you'll have time to. If you figure
that one where the other you're gonna have to leave. You left output,
the fears and order you have time to have good by parties you'll have time to ship your stuff out. You will have time to do this and then,
breathing falls and in five minutes, and maybe they were foolish and they should have known better. Since you know
When did he said it in July? I figured that that they were
honour, and I don't know that much of what it's like on the ground. Nonetheless, he can't blame
anybody but himself, he said state. He said. Don't panic!
and then the government falls, and then he saying well, you didn't panic fast enough. As someone on Twitter put it the there's a shocking number of people who forgive him for having miscalculated having notion.
The urgency about leaving, while not forgetting the american citizens, who also didn't have the sense of urgency about leaving
I mean he said in his speech the Van
the majority of the people who are left our people, who, maybe you know of afghan origin and stayed behind
for their families or whatever, and that may be true, but I dont know what that means,
except to say that if he had said and if he hadn't done happy,
in July. Maybe they would have
to make provision for their families not taking a living in further you're consternation here, but apparently Joe Biden misspoke during that species said they got ninety percent out what a marriage with his hostess of Americans, american citizens
mortal that says the only people their counting which, by the way we ve never hear the end of it. If this was the Trump administration.
Deliberately alighting green cardholders and aside these from tally of appalling put Americans are getting out of here, would be his this historic racist scandal, but moving on, I said, ninety percent and the Englishman Outright Raw,
but they were the weight has meant to say, and they subsequently amended. The transcript of that speech to save it
that ninety eight percent out.
Now. Joe Biden also said in that speech that they had evacuated fifty five hundred american citizens, which means precisely one hundred and ten Americans, are left in Afghanistan.
Where are these numbers coming from? Where did they get these figures?
you're saying they have no accurate account of the Americans in Afghanistan, because the register they already
Ever we lose track of authoritarian country? You know, tracking you travel abroad will have your shirt reasonable so where these numbers coming from and why are they being so credulous Lee repeated by members of the press is in jeopardy.
Just its stretches, the brown bounds of credulity in a way that the media-
the embarrassed tourists risk repeat
as they are and they just don't seem all than interested in doing anything
checking will and the other point that was actually I found a shockingly insulting to the american people- was that
sting about this airlift out. You know. Oh, it's amazing, we'd, fudo, no one, but America could pull this off
He never mentions the salient facts, which is that, as a new alluded to an earlier time, it was only because we use Taliban for security, so this idea that twenty years after twenty years of this kind-
we are now taught. He'd never mentions the Taliban very much you talk till did even talk about terrorism, much a categorical exactly. He was too busy being overly Breton another. Yet over the horizon to talk about their pluralism. He said that
we succeeded in the railway is needed right in our mission. What we set out to do in Afghanistan over a decade ago, if possible-
That night I mean it's like
the third is trying, whatever lines they can to try to get them. Through this new cycle began, apparently we succeeded,
dead, demolishing terrorism in Afghanistan, the two
ISIS strikes on ISIS operatives killed, thirteen Americans, the
he earlier notwithstanding, I, as if successes measured by whether you can kumbaya hold hands with your former enemy and well fleeing in in dishonor from a country that you could easily have had a small presence at an end, kept that those terrorists at Bay. Ok, let's move on from the four themes praise of the airlift that he may be necessary, but John yeah got up, but we still have captured the tone of that part which was angry. He came out to argue with the american people. Everyone city was defiant, he was defensive and it has to be said.
He has missed the town every step of the way. On this day, when the when, when the the airless first started happening,
came out under help was almost too easily came
made a speech that was totally heart
us. Blaming the Afghans have
zero sympathy for that. For the Afghans, it would be left behind
and then he went back in and then the tv the evacuation proceeded. Then there was the horrible
Facts on american rains came at that time and he was sleepy and sad when everyone was angry. Miss the moment again goes back in now. The evaluation is supposed to be over. He comes out and he's yelling at us. He is hectoring us scolding us for not realising what a great thing he did
and that was- I thought I couldn't believe- the vague the gap that he has consistently widened between himself and the american people across the length of this budget should not Sherman check Solomons National Security adviser Roger jumped, on which I have a right after the speech, including those water, and the first question was on what tapir described as a quote, defiant tone
that was struck during this speech, which I wouldn't the grass and say is. Is it was good to have a sense when recourse correction was trying to project resolved but more in sorrowing mournfully, and it was just discordant many ways.
I just told you, when the entire opposite direction still missed the mark way, overshot the mark and hence relevant said. Why would you took issue with defiance? Because what the White House one project, apparently was passion was coming
meant so Joe Biden. Passion is like the pattern of the rainbow together like shaking his head. I guess it's bad actor, he's acting. Ok, let's go through further.
through the streets, okay, so operation, allied rescue, was an extraordinary success and you suck, if you think otherwise, right
one of the biggest airlift in history, more largely hasn't people evacuated safety by one quite justified
we go on. That number is more than double what most experts thought were possible.
No nation, no nation, has ever done anything like it and all of history, a yes.
Other nations have done airlift, Israel
in nineteen fifty Israel practice, airlifted eight hundred thousand people have doesn't juice from women in our son.
because I can't remember what in nineteen fifty
We had done prior people away after in nineteen, anyone to the Withan close two hundred
yeah I mean, but with the collaboration of the government
We have to cooperate with the other two apparently right right so anyway. So
it's, not you, that's mine, so so he took a nice trompe indebtedness trump in this.
The most amazing thing in history, as I say, Yolanda playing the plane flies off. That's not under.
anti aircraft fire. It's not that impressive. I'm sorry, but ok, the extraordinary success. This mission do incredible skill, bravery and selfless curbs the as its military, nor diplomats
tells you professionals and did they deserve all the
it's possible for whatever it was, they had to do logistically, they risk their lives erupt in twenty four hours a day and night, and we all do them a debt of gratitude and we thank them. But ok, so
The story according to him is this that
leaving August. Thirty first is not due to an arbitrary deadline. It was designed to save american lives. My predecessor signed it.
With the Taliban, to remove you s troops by May. First, just months after I was inaugurated, it included.
Requirements of Taliban work out a cooperative governing arranged with the afghan government, but it did
as far as the release of five thousand prisoners last year, including some of the Talibans top work commanders
The time I came to office to tell them was the strongest military position since two thousand one controlling or contesting nearly half of the country. There are always an interesting phrase controlling are contesting
big as there is a big difference between controlling and contesting testing is like, maybe we're gonna attack, or maybe we're not the previous administration.
Green said that if we had stopped the mate first deadline, the dance I mentally by the Taliban wouldn't attacking the american forest.
But if we stayed all bets are off, so we were left with a simple to resume either follow through on the commitment made by the last
illustration or say we weren't leaving and commit another tens of thousands more troops,
back toward that was the choice, the real choice between leaving or escalator. That's just a why,
Maybe it's not a lie exactly because, maybe over the course of time, troops would have to be brief.
In an out and out different moments. If we had not made this decision to withdraw all our forces by date, certain, but it might have required- and as far as we know from the reporting and might have required a contingency when a many that we have been dealing with a less ever weeks, that would involve the insertion of a few thousand troops more than our presence. Wasn't it
I'm roughly twenty five hundred, so maybe five thousand, maybe six thousand, which is what we introduced into the country in order to execute this operation.
Monitoring is avoided if we afford bases if we have secure facilities and all of that we can
send six thousand guys in and take them out and the men take them up. The whole point is
It is like saying that army
Terry, you know the tat day. The town,
when wooden attack an american forces, but if we stayed all bets are off. Well, I'm sorry, but
Is he just saying that american forces sit there to be sitting ducks as this Beirut, nineteen? Eighty three that which was that there was to sit there and they could get attacked the tell then what
in the wind and the habit of like going and directly its backing american forces in Afghanistan. For one thing we weren't engaging with them and they work
engaging with us, they work that was the afghan army and the
again military that was fighting this?
or we were providing logistical training and air support.
Right, that's why ably
Tell this! I put it Mccall contained in Europe was that's why, from twenty
sixteen onward, the number of casualties fatalities in Afghanistan was in the
incredibly low single digits
the highest year ethic, which was twenty eighteen, was twenty two like we were not engaged in combat with the two
What can we spend a minute talking about what I, when I feel, was like some texts of what he was saying that I personally found quite offensive that I think the
he mainstream media is gonna, completely ignore and that's how he had it begins with how you said it did. He was he portraying
military sitting ducks
there was a wholesome tax in his speech, which, while self congratulatory about his leadership as as president was also painting,
A portion of our military as kind of sad right, pathetic, like oh they're, gonna, come home at all. You know commit suicide, you know it so terrible they just hate
it is terrible that they were even there it's terrible when they come home. It's all just terrible their terrible, and I know he thought
He was being sympathetic towards the needs of those who have sir
at an end and come back with some sort of post traumatic stress and have to deal with it.
but it came across as if he was painting with a very broad brush people who give their lives for their country, willingly
if a volunteer army who go to serve, who come back were proud and should be proud of their service, and I just
held. There was a real disconnected as apes and about his tone in general between what he thought he was doing when talking about military service and what he actually said. They are women
said was that this is enough. Suicides among veterans are extremely high, suggesting that you know that the conditions that we put them in that they put themselves and, as you said, a volunteer and know that they're gonna be in the ship, so to speak,
and that that's you know its psychological dramatic. It's basically abusive what we as a country due to our military, our men and women, and uniform and subject to ask them to do their jobs that they sign up for is irresponsible of the leader on which
has profound implications. Well beyond Afghanistan. They knew him
I'm states military, does offensive operations very well, but we don't do very well. Are crowd control operations in an indefensible position in an airport around the city that surrounded by terrorists were years even trying to deal with a sea of humanity and suicide bomber creeps up on you. That's all we don't do really well. Ok! I wanted. I wanna go more deeply into this.
Part of the speech about the veterans, but first let me talk to you about a new advertiser today of the trouser cited to have them with us. What
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good commentary at the eighty are a Zizi, a dot com, slash commentary. So let us go to the text of the speech where he talks about veterans,
ok, we ve been a nation to long war if you're twenty years old today, you have never known in America at peace. So when I hear
we could have should have considered the so called no great efforts in Afghanistan at low restore service members at low cost. I dont think enough. People understand how much we have asked of the one percent of this country who put that uniform, unwilling to put their lives on line in defence of
a nation, a lot of our veterans and their families have gone through hell deployment. After deplore
Months and years away from their families, Miss birthdays, anniversaries, empty chairs of holidays, financial support,
divorces, loss of limbs, traumatic, brain injury, post, traumatic stress, we
see it in the struggles many have when they come home. We see the strain on their families and caregivers. We
the strain of their families. When they're not there, we see them grief borne by their survivors, the cost of war. They will carry with them their whole lives most
Tragically, we see it in the shocking and stunning statistic that to get past, anyone who things work can ever be low grade, low risk or low cost. Eighteen veterans, Annette
who die by suicide every single day in America not far off place, but right here in Amerika,
I'm sorry this is a disgraceful way to talk about the people who have spent,
the last generation fighting for this country portraying them as it did tormented troubled scarred broke
having having damage their own families because of their service. Having missed all of the important lifecycle events that day that they have missed and so psychically scarred that they take their own lives, I do see very little difference between them.
Kind of cultural portrait of the american military after nine eleven and the way our popular culture in the nineteen seventies used a really disgusting and disgraceful cultural portrait of the day.
image Vietnam, that you know the crazy Vietnam that who came home then go get, it goes on and on a killer rampage
Television shows,
up shows movies like rolling thunder all of this, the Derange Vietnam WAR, that was a was aches cultural staple at a particularly low some moment in american pop culture. History,
and here the president of the United States pathologies easing, and so
the ties in arms
the Terry. I mean how many
People have been in our military since nine eleven, how many people it's not by the way that they just they they volunteer right, it's a volunteer
they volunteer. They they re unless they they sign up again. They do multiple tours they're, not doing multiple tours
we are forcing them to their
to multiple tours, because we are you know they have
no other options. That's it. That's proposed
tourists and insane enter and to talk about
sacrifice and service this way to characterize it.
Such a negative fashion while attend
didn't sound as though you are wonderfully carrying and compassionate is. I just think it's
Parliament did now. Can I can I just add to that the debt? I think he thought when he was saying all that that he was speaking to what we know. I mean, if you know anyone who serve they did this last few weeks has been really tough, especially if they served in Afghanistan and know and have fun
locally there who they relied on the translators, all the people who who helped us. While we were there there it's,
absolutely
It has raised these traumas again for them, because, but not because
they aren't resilient people who are doing a job that they feel it is. It is an active service that they want to do for their country. It's because,
the debacle that was created by the Bye demonstrations choices, so they're saying a look at these people in your abandoning these people. This is like we fought for that weak we'd make promises to them that we can't keep because your tying our hands so when he says that is almost worse, because that
veterans who have served their want there, Sir
was to have meant something and it did and now
the binding registration is trying to re write their story in real time after making hugely stupid policy choices are getting really wound up because it really angers me when I hear that tone and that that kind of rhetoric coming from our president, I need a new who heard this like the kind of the apologists David Roth coffin, Jim fellows of others. Talking about how soberly serious. Finally, a precedent is taking note of the tour of the tragic you know. Consequences of of of war are on.
people and all that you know so once again what he is doing as he is deploying the fact of the kinds of
echo faces in the most extreme fashion that that there have been. You know that have been suffered by arc of noble defenders,
as it is. It is as a tool in a shield from the cost
Quences of his own decision here, the line that being trotted out by people like rough coffin sender, Brian shots, is that it took
you know Joe Biden had the guts to. Finally it nor ever
nobody around him and do what no precedent, since nine eleven has done, which is deliberately lose a war, get took a lotta guts for this precedent.
to to abandon the war on terror. Won't you,
We tried and why should be so lucky that we have residents without that much guts by the way it did
got in the sense that I don't think he meant to do. He thought there wasn't gonna believe
This, since we know that's what he said on July, eighth right here
it was gonna, be like this, so I don't know how we get to take get. You know he had a gun
to do it right. I mean he only have the guts to
and if he would have, if they said, look, it's gonna be really ugly getting out of here
so. Here's the choices can be ugly. Getting attitudes can be ugly to stay. If you think, on balance that it's ugly
stay than to get out and you get out and you you're gonna have to you're gonna have to deal with the consequences of people. Saying bad things about you and in the long run, you'll be proved right. That's what take Scots if he believed on July eight that this was going to be a cake, walk and that that government, which we could get out, and there would because some kind of a decent interval before the Taliban took over the country. Then there would be no
spectacle like the spectacle that we saw this month. Then it took no got it all. It just means that he's a full one, that's too to AIDS earlier point about his tone in and that he it. This is why his constant refrain of I take them
responsibility comes off as flippant and hollow when he says it. He acts. What's you taking responsibility for cause? I haven't heard him taking much responsibility. He says the words, but his action
then the rest of his words. Don't back up that statement
and on this point about guts? Look, I'm no one knows what's in someone else's mine, but if I had to bet my life one way or the other, if someone had shown him a vision of the last two weeks beforehand, we never would have withdrawn right. Well, I mean it.
that's you know the end, that's what the buck stops with the president means have been one we're another. The whole thing about saying the buck stops with me is not anything about which he needs
pride or not, you know we're like, or you know, was showing real. I mean it's just the fact of it. Ultimately, there's a decision that was made was made of the presidential level,
if it was the right or wise decision, he will benefit from it. He will benefit from a politically will benefit from the american people, and history will record that he did something right when other people were short,
side of your foolish and if he makes the decision and things go wrong.
There's no way to hide, and what this
The beach showed was a desperate,
desire
to hide. I mean
this whole section about how it's all trumps fault was very
trusting. If this was the right decision wizened he praising Trump
negotiation. He said
Don't blame me. Look Trump heated this. He didn't say that
Alabama had to have a reconciliation with the afghan government, he let them release five thousand prisoners
and he said we'd be out by May first, which gave us no time because then our troops would be sitting.
Tax. I don't blame me, but according to him trump
made the right call. So what is the attacking trump for?
according to him, used when he was just he just neither the cat,
The extra months after trumped, the kind of like get all the ducks in a row trouble.
and it was a little day. I was a little precipitous, but his hot
It was certainly in the right place according to trumpet
get up. I've wanted to get out. What's he what's? He like saying? Don't look at me, look at that guy because he was not talking to us. He was not talking to serve like he was talking.
To the Amazon BC audience or something it's like. As long as you can say, Trump did it than their legal trumpeted. Ok, without exactly at the audience. For this speech was an US was unpersuadable voters in the metal. It was the man he Democrats according to pure pulling less than
of Democrats. You will support this operation now they wanted to get out. They want they like Biden. They want to support this White House, but they can't support this, and Joe Biden was just throwing everything he could at the wall to give them as much rhetorical ammunition is possible to argue with their family members that this is really.
The debacle that your eyes suggested is. But their argument is a paradox. I mean, as I tweeted vague,
decide whether or not this is a trump engineered debacle or abiden led triumph. It can't be both right because a camp
tribes and advice. Not I mean that if you're trying to be logical and consistent here, but that's not what any of this is about its their greasing themselves up
squeezing out whatever bad new cycle they can get out even at the expense of the next new cycle. Even if it means disparaging earth
voters, even if it means blaming the Americans we left behind, even if it means contradicting herself in the same sentence. It doesn't matter it's just about getting out of a rough spot.
He doesn't think that he's disparaging our soldiers, which is also part of a larger question, about what we're talking about in terms of the protection projection purposes and moral frame of american power. I think the idea here is that in projecting american power, these soldiers and our military have are not elevated by their service and sacrificed to larger principles,
just love of country and protection of the homeland and all that but liberty, freedom
opposition to totalitarianism, to islamist tyranny too, in a radical Islam and all of that instead, it's all about what how they ve been hurt, what what hurt them and so he's a purse
of compassion cause he's like look how injured you are look. How look look how shattered you are? Look? How shattered your face
These are look how shattered everything is and
says: hey! You want to talk to people who have spent the last two decades
their life in service to their country to talk about how their country broke them and ruin them and shattered them that that does AIDS condescending its
credibly condescending vile, like nauseatingly, condescending
they know who they are? They know what they're doing there there, there adults and there s a lot of somewhere in the thirties and fortys and our lifetime members of the military from families
lifelong military families,
to be told that everything that they did was aside from the house
I have a presence in most of what you did was valueless, certainly for the last ten years, because look we
they're all done ten years ago. So whatever the hell you doing their work,
they help we're even doing there. What were you doing there? Like? That's one of the dishonourable parts about this, which is even if he believes that there was no purpose
and he is the commander in chief of the U S military and there are hundreds of thousands of people
you're his you know direction. Maybe he doesn't want to cry.
All over what they ve been doing, but for the last ten years-
even if he thinks that what they ve been doing funding,
mentally did not advance the advance american interests. But
then the condescension about the military was actually that that there was a broader condescending tone that that kept creeping into his speech.
There are all these phrases like will. You might not realise when he's talking to the american people that we had to get out or you know there would be firefights in the streets of couple you
not know this idea again the kind of elite, a sense of I know what's best, and he said I think I did what was best. That's fine, but the tone of some of his defensive,
remarks about his policy. Definitely had this extremely condescending sort of you don't really understand the way that we do and the problem with. That is that that might be true, I'm sure, there's a lot of stuff going on that intelligent gathers, have told him about the situation that the average American doesn't
Joe and won't know, but he d
communicate any of that with the american people throughout this,
tire course of events. So we can't
because he's been saying one thing and doing another and, as you said, promising, it's gonna be fine, beginning of July and then shrugging and blaming trump when everything collapses. So it's
did the messaging actually matters, and he can
I come out now this late in the game and say you don't really understand you just have to trust us. We don't well, he can- and I think, also monthly. This is
and get into the philosophical bases of the buck stops here. Right, obviously,
Harry Truman, the least philosophical presidents when he said that he wasn't being philosophical. Won't means is what
what'll it be is what will be he made this
voice. He did not reverse course. He committed
after the fall. He committed to sort of like doing whatever
it's a bug out as many people as possible. There are some people left there
there? Is there some Americans left there there's way, many more Afghans left there at at at at threat from the Taliban and what will be as well
b, he can say whatever he wants and whatever crap that he wants to come out of his mouth is gonna come out of his mouth
and he is now subject to the exigencies of conditions over which he surrendered control.
He is now his presidency, his moral standing and his place in the US.
Books is now entirely in the hands of the Taliban.
Entirely in the hands of the Taliban, and that is what he has done and that's where the buck the buck stops when he said
I'm getting out of here and the Taliban took over
you didn't say mere, maybe I shouldn't get out of here so quickly or so. So that's it like this is like you know,.
It's it's as though we know Hurricane IDA is going to be. The judge is present. This is nothing that he can. I
one. One remark that I made on Twitter than I've been getting a lot of crap forth from another, the Biden supporters. Are they found something latch onto us
over the course of the speech when he was attempting to justify his content contention that this was wasted operation wasted mission, as he said, for a decade or more
does he tried to scandalize us over the cost of the operation. He say said the dropping of the three hundred million dollars per day. This operation costs and heat any thing great offence over the wasted us taxpayer dollars that we're just new flushed down the drain, and Afghanistan
three hundred million dollars. She said at who is a president who is currently pushing a three point: five
billion dollar revision to the entire american social contract in one fell swoop, and the notion here that he has any sort of regard for wasted taxpayer
dollars here is is shocking and it was- and you know people were like all these are competing value proposition. The first
its leaders in and we can argue over there over the necessity of one one expenditure over another trinity, very sophisticated about it. Ass though he was
I'm being emotionally manipulative, and that moment, ok, I think we also have to get to the point. The speech actually feature the binding doctrine. Member.
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so Biden basically said we're done, trying to remake the world or remake other countries, maybe not to remain the world. We're done,
right. How many times in the history of this country
from the very outset, as the president said, we're done trying to make the world you know, maybe a little modesty in
in in in announcing the now we ve already been through a presidency in which the President said that he pulled it wasn't interested in trying to make the world, and now we have a second that's interesting. I kind of like continuity here between Trumpet Biden, just like the policy of pulling out of Afghanistan,
But what but at the same time he says, will continue to speak out for the basic rights of the afghan people, especially women and girls, who speak out for women and girls.
Around the globe, so we're we're gonna talk, work, organise we're gonna, do a lot of nice talking, but we're not gonna put any force behind or our words or something like that Abe. Where do you think this goes well, but first I just wanna say we ve had four presence. I think the passport gradual who came into office right now not interested in remaking well, including
George W Bush, he didn't write, he didn't set out two. We make the world that wasn't and and and then we got a tiny size, maybe five, because I think that listens to renege on the right right data. So so
This is what will we do then, when we then, which brings us to wear this goes from here.
Look. I don't want to be two negative and hysterical, but we end up doing things that look like we're trying to remake the world in response to threats in response to getting attacked
and, as I have said before, when Jihad is ascendant, the world gets palpably more dangerous and we have to do things and at what we do them
with the support of the american people on these horrible occasions. When things went when things to happen to us, we have to do things that bring us back out into the world engaged in and committed in a very serious way, so in a vacuum. Sure would be great if we didn't, if we didn't have to do anything more difficult in in failed states ever again
while its history simply does not work that way in the board that when the future, well, it's like the nineties or back again right, I mean that's. The thing that was missing from the speech is beyond a kind of you know, nod to our over this. The now imminent peril
over the horizon capabilities. He didn't reassure the american people that
Afghanistan becoming a hotbed for terrorist networks is, is something we shouldn't worry about. What our plan is for that, and I think so friend, Eli Legate Bloomberg Use, has an excellent column on this today, where he talks about. You know, o cruising.
Diplomacy that worked really well at the lead up to nine eleven and when we got to a point where we needed
to intervene. Important reactors, as you say, because we thought
this idea of target.
the bombings here and there were enough to keep the homeland safe to say nothing of the kind of aggressive threats
rest of the world. So he read:
he didn't offer much reassurance because he is in a kind of buying. He either has to say the Talibans going to continue to be our nice partners or,
he's gotta acknowledge that with the Taliban is already doing going house to house killing its enemies. Keeping women locked down in Hamburg is not allowed to be educated anymore. I mean he has
to acknowledge who they are. You can't do that to maintain this narrative. It was apparent from the start of this thing that the by the administrations, political bet, domestic political bed- is that
Americans really one out of Afghanistan. They don't care how it happens and that you
something along the lines of this from None NBC News, secular capper, who puts experts? Will Afghanistan matter to voters is the question you fundamentally poet poses an expert suggest now, because american voters don't care about foreign policy. It is true, but to describe this as just another foreign policy. New cycle is indicative of how they have approached this crisis from the beginning and how
fundamentally misjudged the american people. In my view, they are betting that you don't care that America, America, as a global superpowers, finished that you will welcome our decline, that you will endure and absorb defeat and surrender, because anything,
else disrupt your comp. And would you care about dinner? You Americans do care about terrorism, even if we don't care about the details of born bouncy and Americans. Don't care about foreign policy as a general theoretical proposition. Are we rail polity eager or we interventionist? Are we isolation or would they don't care about the terminology and they
care about that serves the larger sorts of things that those
who are interested in this argue about whether what's the basis what's the history, how does it work? What what examples from history can we take? They don't care about geopolitical grand strategy? Do they care
out the consequences that flow,
from a failed foreign policy. Of course,
they do because the consequences all have to do with
questions of safety, questions of whether Americans travelling abroad? Not soldiers, not you know, spies
whether Americans travelling abroad feel safer unsafe, whether our businesses, whether we function in a world in an atmosphere in the world in which trade routes and and and true
the practices and all that are stable and are unmolested they care if they stop
feeling threatened by North Korea, which of course is
Now Sabre rattling again now that they are now the day when
Jargon has lost a lot of weight and seems now to be getting into fighting trim tab that they care about the kinds of things that happen when America
strength was see it's even simpler than that. Americans don't care about foreign engagements until it begins producing Bobby's or profound humiliations for the country a brought this did both
I ever have. We have every historic indication that this is the sort of thing that emit that snaps Americans at other complacency when it comes to the world beyond our short at book,
and his whole line about how well we have no interest in Afghanistan Beyond, haven't gotten to Bin Laden right if it if it was
you ve been landed, planet attack of Yemen. We never would have gotten Afghanistan. We had all interest in Afghanistan.
who in America would have thought that we had an interest in Afghanistan,
tween, the Soviets leaving their and our being attacked on nine eleven. No one
and they would have all been wrong. We have already heard it requires your trust in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Charlie Wilson, the Texas congressmen, who was the advocate, the forceful advocate in the nineteen eighty four american support for the movie. I had the in fighting soviet.
Afghanistan famously said, as that
as the mujahideen, as the as the Taliban took over as the country fell to the bad forces
he said we did what we could do with a laugh.
The good and then we asked up the endgame had we had. We done something to help in Afghanistan. The help
so that the Taliban did not come to power in nineteen nineties I'll cut,
would not have had a safe haven from which the strike us in two thousand one
So the ancillary consequences, that's exactly what aid is talking about here and that's why you can't know what the consequences of its not just what happens in Kabul that could
a horrific beyond belief enough or maybe it what it is. We
Ten or fifteen other countries are going to do
the knowledge that they have gained gleaned over the last couple of weeks and the words of the president of the United States, saying we're done,
interfering with you. Oh great you're done interfering with me. I'm just gonna go in
this entire minority population in my country,
causing me trouble I'll, just committal genocide, see how you like it now see
are you like Rwanda now, because that's what
and when we say I'm sorry were washing our hands clean, I wish it didn't. I wish I were.
This burden was on somebody else, maybe, but it
and there is nobody else and we did it up the endgame back
nowhere near as much as we have that the end game this time,
we didn't, we didn't, we didn't put in power a uniquely strong
a ban and a uniquely week. You were
and give em all our weapons just leave behind all that equipment. Belize, legally distrustful, United States,
with an announcement that we
we are. We are no longer interested in fighting you. You went not much more to say so we'll reconvene tomorrow for a pristine, and now I'm done
words.
Transcript generated on 2021-09-22.