Staff Reports
House Republicans have taken a stand against the Biden administration’s calamitous exit from Afghanistan, scheduling a vote that may have no legal significance but certainly sends a strong political message ahead of the upcoming elections. The resolution, which received overwhelming support from all Republicans and a handful of defecting Democrats, passed with a tally of 219 to 194. In a show of camaraderie, the GOP has united to call out the blunders that led to not only a hasty retreat but also the tragic loss of 13 brave American service members during the chaotic final days of the evacuation.
The resolution specifically points the finger at President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their team for a series of “decision-making and execution failures” that turned a complex situation into an absolute mess. It’s hard to look at what’s happened in Afghanistan, complete with suicidal bombers wandering into U.S. military zones, and not see it as a prime example of how not to handle international relations. While Biden made the final call, many in the GOP are eager to remind voters that Harris was right alongside him, possibly holding the map that led to the disastrous exit.
House approves GOP resolution condemning Biden and Harris over Afghanistan withdrawalhttps://t.co/Br2sTEqC0s pic.twitter.com/hinOYSghFr
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) September 26, 2024
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been vocal about who he holds responsible for the chaos. In particular, he has consistently zeroed in on Harris, accusing her of failing to ensure that the withdrawal went smoothly when she was supposed to be a key player. Meanwhile, Harris has attempted to deflect the blame back onto Trump, saying that the framework he set up was to blame—because nothing says “I’m managing this well” like an excellent game of political hot potato.
While it’s clear there’s bipartisan agreement that this withdrawal was botched, the hair-splitting arguments surface as different factions seek to cast blame on each other. Some Democrats have asserted that the Republicans are merely trying to score political points by rushing the resolution to the floor, which is rich coming from a party that’s mastered the skill of politicizing every national crisis from COVID-19 to climate change.
Interestingly, the House Foreign Affairs Committee has been digging deep into this mess, and it seems they couldn’t find any definitive evidence that Harris directly impacted the flawed decision-making process. A government watchdog has pointed out that Trump’s deal with the Taliban in 2020 played a significant role in setting the stage for the disaster, while Biden’s subsequent decision to go along with it only accelerated the decline.
It seems the blame game will continue as both parties prepare for the November elections, with Republicans eager to shine a spotlight on the failures of the Biden administration while Democrats scramble to protect their credibility. The only certainty is that the stakes are high, and both sides will be sharpening their talking points as they enter the final stretch.
