Taliban fighters take control of the presidential palace after President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan fled the country on Sunday. Credit Zabi Karimi/Associated Press
Bret Stephens, New York Times: Disaster in Afghanistan Will Follow Us Home
What on earth was Joe Biden thinking — if, that is, he was thinking?
On July 8, the president defended his decision to withdraw all remaining U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
After assuring Americans that “the drawdown is proceeding in a secure and orderly way” and that “U.S. support for the people of Afghanistan will endure,” he took some questions. Here are excerpts from the White House transcript.
Q: Is a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan now inevitable?
The president: No, it is not.
Q: Why? The president: Because you — the Afghan troops have 300,000 well-equipped — as well equipped as any army in the world — and an air force against something like 75,000 Taliban. It is not inevitable. …
Q: Do you see any parallels between this withdrawal and what happened in Vietnam, with some people feeling ——
The president: None whatsoever. Zero … The Taliban is not the South — the North Vietnamese Army. They’re not — they’re not remotely comparable in terms of capability. There’s going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy. …
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WNU Editor: Bret Stephens' analysis is spot on. Afghanistan is President Biden’s fiasco and the world will be reaping the consequences of his disaster for years to come.
