White House Afghanistan withdrawal memo responds to pending Republican report

| August 15, 2022

A member of “Team Biden” wrote a memorandum defending Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. The memo presents points made criticizing the Afghanistan withdrawal, along with an explanation responding to each point. They dismissed the Republican report as being “cherry picked” with “false claims”.

From the memorandum:

* This partisan report is riddled with inaccurate characterizations, cherry-picked information, and false claims. It advocates for endless war and for sending even more American troops to Afghanistan. And it ignores the impacts of the flawed deal that former President Trump struck with the Taliban.

* When President Biden took office, he was faced with a choice: ramp up the war and put even more American troops at risk, or finally end the United States’ longest war after two decades of American presidents sending U.S. troops to fight and die in Afghanistan and $2 trillion spent. The President refused to send another generation of Americans to fight a war that should have ended long ago — and we fundamentally disagree with those who advocated for miring the United States’ fighting men and women in an indefinite war with no exit strategy.

* Bringing our troops home strengthened our national security by better positioning us to confront the challenges of the future and put the United States in a stronger place to lead the world. It freed up critical military, intelligence, and other resources to ensure we are better poised to respond to today’s threats to international peace and stability — whether that be Russia’s brutal and unprovoked assault on Ukraine, China’s increasingly assertive moves in the Indo-Pacific and around the world, or a persistent terrorist threat that’s gone global and not constrained to Afghanistan.

* The United States does not need a permanent troop presence on the ground in harm’s way to remain vigilant against terrorism threats or to remove the world’s most wanted terrorist from the battlefield. We just demonstrated unequivocally in the recent Zawahiri strike to take out the leader of Al Qaeda.

Fox News has the article, and memorandum, at this link.

Category: Afghanistan, Biden, Democrats, Dumbass Bullshit

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KoB

More spin than an old school 78 rpm record player. “Never underestimate Joe’s ability to f*ck things up.” BHO

Not debating that we shoulda GTFO of “The Graveyard of Empires” loooong before this. The entire fiasco of the withdrawal is on prezzy sniffy creepy and his minions/handlers.

Devildoc

A pack of drunken Cub Scouts could have planned a better OP. A pair of drunken LCPLs would have looked like Chesty Puller at the Chosin in comparison.

A Terminal Lance Coolie

The first two points literally make the same claim twice: that Republicans were promoting endless war.

If I’m not mistaken, that push for extra troops wasn’t to extend the war; it was to get all our hardware and people out safely. America, as a whole, is tired of sending our boys and girls overseas, regardless of political persuasion, and especially for a war that had no goals.

Al Qaeda is a shattered husk of its former glory. Killing Zawahiri, while important for keeping them from regaining strength, isn’t terribly impressive, nor does it have anything at all to do with what boots on the ground represent.

This memo is a joke. Their spin doctor seems to be stuck on repeat. Maybe some percussion maintenance will fix that.

Deckie

Diego Garcia literally has a fleet anchored in its lagoon — a class of ships that can each handle 8 football fields worth of cargo. If they wanted to get out hardware out the equipment with which to do it was right nearby.

No effort made, no thought given. Biden and his handlers own the full weight of this entire mess including the civilian and military deaths.

Last edited 1 year ago by Deckie
timactual

I think those ships are already loaded with AF and Army cargo.

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship//sealift-lps.htm

Deckie

They could have probably discharged elsewhere in advance and returned empty for emergency relief (sealift.)

Or they could have turbo-activated RRF vessels from the west coast.

timactual

Also, Afghanistan has no access to the sea. Everything was either flown in or transported by road through Pakistan or maybe by rail through one of the other ‘stans.

Deckie

Checked in with some buddies in the gray fleet and they said the last massive turbo activation went pretty poorly anyway in terms of meeting the rapid manning requirements and getting vessels ready to put to sea.

That’s always reassuring.

26Limabeans

We all know who’s fault it was.

SFC D

The dumbasses are too busy defending this clusterfuck to realize that’s it’s the method of withdrawal that people are pissed about.

Av8or33

I don’t know about how we should have extricated ourselves from Afghanistan, but I’m pretty sure we fucked it up badly. We gave it back to the same medieval scumbags that where terrorizing the population and threatening the western world. We gave people especially women and girls a sense of hope and optimism and then left them to become slaves treated worse than livestock Where is all the progressive and feminist outrage? Seriously no pussy hat and stupid ass costumes, no performance art protest!! I don’t think I can ever take the woman’s movement seriously again. The people in power talk about American values and yet don’t seem to mind fucking over an entire country of women. I won’t even get into leaving billions of dollars of equipment that will make its way to places all around the world supporting the worst people in the world. Oh and by the way nice job winning the Iran Iraq war for Iran. WTF we have screwed every ally since south Vietnam and then wonder why no one trusts us.

timactual

We gave the Afghans 20 years of american blood and money to enable them to get their shit together. They didn’t. Not our fault.

5JC

I’m confused yet again.

It was Trump’s idea to leave Afghanistan, not Brandon’s. The fallacy that Brandon had a false choice to ramp up the war or leave is just that, a lie…

Brandon said it was OK to leave because AlQueda wasn’t coming back. But then he proved this wasn’t a problem by killing an old AQ leader in Afghanistan?

Team Brandon says that they needed the troops to counter Russia. But Brandon said it was OK to invade the Ukraine in a limited way, which is exactly what happened. Also to counter China. So who went from Afghanistan to the South China Sea to counter China?

Av8or33

It’s ridiculously convoluted. Trump’s withdrawal had benchmarks to be met. Biden said everyone out and against our own allies wishes and that of his own military leadership created a situation akin to abandoning a sinking ship without talking to damage control or even making sure the life boats were adequate. No one expected us to stay forever but what did we accomplish? Nothing. The Taliban is back to killing anyone who they want, enslaving women and girls, and aiding international Islamic terrorism. Between this and the Iraq mess plus the new progressive woke military they can’t make recruiting goals, and apparently standards and training are in the shitter. Now we are going to deal with China? Please, we are going to get more kids killed in a shorter time than anything we’ve seen in quite a while. Well this ain’t WW2 and not worth American kids lives, besides we’ll just quit when the politicians lose interest.

timactual

Biden only finished what Trump started. The Doha Accords, created in Feb., 2020,had a deadline of May, 2021 for total US withdrawal.Biden delayed it by a couple of months. The military and State Department had over a year to make plans and notify everyone who needed to be notified. Obviously they didn’t. It was not Biden who chose the airfield at Kabul, within walking distance of 4 million potential refugees, as the sole point of evacuation and didn’t adequately secure it. It was the generals. You know, the guys who told us for over a decade that we were winning and the Taliban/Al Qaeda were beaten and the Afghan Army could hold its own.

timactual

“The agreement called for our having another airbase for continued use beyond US pullout date”

Show me.

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Agreement-For-Bringing-Peace-to-Afghanistan-02.29.20.pdf

“pulled defeat out of the jaws of victory in Afghanistan.”

You actually think the Taliban et al. were losing?

timactual

“…the first decade of the war”

I think that says it all.

timactual

Whoever gets to sit in the chair when the music stops wins. The rest is smoke and mirrors.

timactual

“That’s not the definition of victory.”

That may not be YOUR definition, bu I ill go along with Merriam-Webster;
“Definition of victory1 : the overcoming of an enemy or antagonist
2 : achievement of mastery or success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties ”

“that implied their fighters pushing the US military out, th…”

No, it didn’t. It stated clearly that the winner is the one in power at the end of the war. Wiggle all you want, the Taliban won.

“your definition of victory argues…”

No, it doesn’t. The discussion is about Afghanistan, and that is where the Taliban won.
But, if you want to discuss ultimate objectives, I would agree that the Islamists are winning.

timactual

I see your 40+ years and raise you 20.

“The Taliban did not overcome the United States Military.”

True, but irrelevant.

timactual

Speaking of process, you confuse process with product. Military action is only a process, one of several tools used to produce a product–political objective(s). The Taliban achieved their objective, the US did not. Brag about your process all you want, the prize went to the Taliban.

timactual

“you’re arguing that they won in direct military confrontation against the United States”

Now that is complete Bullshit. I never said or implied any such thing; that is YOUR strawman, not my opinion.

“Definition of discussion1 : consideration of a question in open and usually informal debate a heated political discussion ”
Merriam-Webster again.

I also suggest you look up the word “synonym” or the list of synonyms that accompany many definitions in a dictionary.

timactual

No, the discussion doesn’t “have to be” from some alleged viewpoint that you define. You seem to want to define every word and concept, and even *my* opinions*,according to your own idiosyncratic definitions.

Homey don’t play dat. End of discussion.

timactual

Part 263Z

Lay on, Macduff…

timactual

“we won every major battle in Afghanistan,”

Jeez, that old BS again? Who is in charge in Kabul? And who is crying in their beer making excuses and looking for someone to blame?

Av8or33

This war wasn’t lost by our military personnel fighting and supporting the mission, it was lost by our political leadership. Joe pulled out with a time table and no plan. Our senior military leadership that are basically politicians anyway made a few minor protestations and just went along. Our country has a history of abandoning people that throw in with us, and also not finishing what we start. Bottom line neither Afghanistan or Iraq are better off now than when we got there and it’s our leadership’s fault not the people who sacrificed years, limbs, and lives for American values which our leadership could care less about.

timactual

“This war wasn’t lost by our military personnel”

Who said it was? First, define “military personnel”.

“and no plan”

The President does not make the plans to carry out his orders; that is the function of the military and state department. Why do you think we have a Pentagon, JCS, etc?

“Our country has a history of abandoning people that throw in with us,”

I believe we were throwing in with them. It was/is their fight, not ours.

Av8or33

There wasn’t much of a fight until we came in Taliban ruled the country pretty much unopposed, we invaded and organized the tribes, we gave them hope for a better future, we abandoned them with no regard, we knew their army was incompetent. Stop being an apologist for the dip shit that ordered a complete pull out knowing full well what was going to happen. The immediate pullout against military advice and the wishes of our coalition partners was completely on Biden and sorry as Truman said” the buck stops here”. The man in charge is responsible. No but, but, Trump, get over the TDS us and the world was better off with him.

SFC D

They didn’t have to win. They just had to wait. Our long term strategies are maybe a decade. Theirs are millennia.

timactual

“that we had to stay and fight”

You don’t win that kind of war with military action alone. For one thing, Ranger school or the SEALs do not teach counter-insurgency or ideological warfare. Nor will military action confine the danger to the Middle East.

Communism was NOT defeated by military action, and “militant Islam” won’t be either.

timactual

“…do I say that we only do this with military action alone?”

The only thing you talk about is military action; that seems to be your stock reply; ex. “The fact of the matter is that we won every major battle in Afghanistan, and the majority of the battles that mattered”

To which I have repeatedly replied–IRRELEVANT.

timactual

“Either we prevail against them over there, or they prevail over us in the United States and elsewhere that’s not currently majority Muslim.”

So how is that military action against Jihad going in Europe? Or Africa? Or even here in the US? I’d say that “prevail against them over there” part has already failed.

timactual

Yep. Call it “waiting” if you want. That’s why they won. They achieved their objectives, we failed to achieve ours (whatever they were).

SFC D

The Taliban is still there, we are not. Yep. They won.

timactual

“They just had to wait”

It requires something a little more active than passively waiting.

Old tanker

Stupid to announce ahead of time a “hard date” to leave. More stupid to hold to said date when indications of issues with ORDERLY withdrawal reared up. Even more stupid to allow it to descend to a total cluster F and leave friends, citizens and billions of dollars in weapons behind rather than say the date is being extended. Oh and lets not forget dropping all means of securing the area so that a bomb could kill troops and civilians.

Last edited 1 year ago by Old tanker
Av8or33

Gross incompetence. There is no way I can tell a kid join the military. We are not engaged in some great fight between good and evil and in case no one has noticed the same people talking about fighting for freedom are stealing ours.

timactual

You think we were somehow going to suddenly sneak out?

SFC D

No. But I’m pretty certain we could’ve done much better.

timactual

That’s a pretty low bar.

SFC D

Higher than what was executed.

timactual

Heh!