Staff Reports
Tuesday was a missed opportunity for the Biden administration to acknowledge the two-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul, as President Biden instead chose to travel to Milwaukee to talk about climate and his economic agenda. This failure to recognize the end of America’s longest war did not go unnoticed by Biden’s Republican opponents. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, a contender in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, criticized Biden for not taking responsibility for the botched withdrawal and called for strong American leadership. The Republican National Committee also condemned Biden’s handling of the withdrawal, stating that it was an insult to the families of the fallen service members.
Tuesday came and went, and with it, an opportunity for the Biden White House to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul ahead of the completed U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Instead, President Joe Biden traveled to Milwaukee tohttps://t.co/23XPRtcH15
— Conservative News Daily (@ConservNewsDly) August 17, 2023
When asked why Biden did not release a statement on the anniversary, White House officials suggested that the end of the month marked the completion of the withdrawal. They defended Biden’s decision to end the war, saying that it made the nation stronger and allowed for a redirection of resources to future challenges. However, they did not provide any information on plans to commemorate the two-year anniversary at the end of August.
An after-action report released by the administration earlier this summer revealed shortcomings in both the Biden and Trump administrations’ planning for worst-case scenarios and communication failures between the Pentagon and State Department. Biden defended his decision to work with the Taliban, despite the report’s findings, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of holding the Taliban accountable for fulfilling their commitments.
Politically, Biden’s silence on the anniversary is not surprising given the negative impact the Afghan withdrawal had on his polling numbers. As he focuses on his reelection effort, Biden aims to emphasize economic issues, particularly with the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Editorial Opinion: The Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal has been a disaster from start to finish. The failure to acknowledge the anniversary of the fall of Kabul is a further testament to their incompetence and lack of accountability. The families of the fallen service members deserve answers and accountability, but instead, they are met with silence and empty rhetoric. It is clear that Biden prioritizes his own agenda over the well-being and security of the American people. This level of incompetence and disregard for the lives lost is unacceptable, and it is a stark reminder of why strong, conservative leadership is needed in our country.
