All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[The Cool Thatguy]

What should Obama, Trump and Biden have done to make this outcome different. After Bush invaded, how what did the other Pres. do that they deserve blame.
Especially Biden, who is undoing our involvement there. Are you saying they should have sent more troops? Escalated the war their?
You obviously have a notion of the right way this should have been handled.

The right way would have not to pull our resources from Afghanistan by invading Iraq. But that ship sailed early

[babyblob]

The right way would have not to pull our resources from Afghanistan by invading Iraq. But that ship sailed early

That was on Bush. Everyone after was trying to clean up that mess.

[The Cool Thatguy]

That was on Bush. Everyone after was trying to clean up that mess.

Yeah, but time oughta count for something. The Afghan people had 20 years to get their act together, to form a workable government. If it falls now, how is it not their fault?

[Tami]

Agreed. If the Afghans weren't prepared for the Taliban's inevitable return (and everyone knew that was coming), that's not our fault. If the locals thought the U.S. was going to stay in Afghanistan forever to cover their asses, they were sadly mistaken. And Qpublicans DAMN well better not pin this evolving catastrophe on Biden since it was Trump who started the ball rolling on removing troops from the country.

I still believe that Biden and others in his Admin could have handled this much better. So much so that I can't watch the news reports on Afghanistan without getting upset and frustrated.

[Kirby101]

I still believe that Biden and others in his Admin could have handled this much better. So much so that I can't watch the news reports on Afghanistan without getting upset and frustrated.

How, we either stay and continue to prop up an Afghanistan government and army that can't stand on it's own, or we leave. What should we have done. Considering what will inevitably happen, it is not wrong to say we needed to stay, I can see both sides of this.

[Kirby101]

One other thing is obvious, Trump negotiating a "peace deal" with the Taliban they were never going to honor, and having hundreds of hard core Taliban prisoners released was a big mistake.

[InformationGeek]

There's no easy answers here. It's just a disaster to see unfold. I can't help but feel this is almost like the end of the Vietnam War. There's just going to be something like that final shot of the helicopter evacuating at the end of this.

[Tendrin]

One other thing is obvious, Trump negotiating a "peace deal" with the Taliban they were never going to honor, and having hundreds of hard core Taliban prisoners released was a big mistake.

You have to think the entire point of that was to be able to hand off the disaster to the next democratic administration they could then blame.

[shooshoomanjoe]

The right way would have not to pull our resources from Afghanistan by invading Iraq. But that ship sailed early

I don't think there is a right way. Most US led wars end up in disasters.

[Kirby101]

You have to think the entire point of that was to be able to hand off the disaster to the next democratic administration they could then blame.

Except he never intended there to be a next Democratic administration. No, he just want a bogus "accomplishment" and the real results didn't matter. That is what he did for everything.

[babyblob]

Yeah, but time oughta count for something. The Afghan people had 20 years to get their act together, to form a workable government. If it falls now, how is it not their fault?

I do agree with this. We spent Billions and billions of dollars there. We bought them an army and were training their forces. And every area we pulled back from the last few months the Afgan Army threw up their hands and got out of town at the sight of some guys with machine guns on the back of pick up trucks.

I dont know what we could have done better to help but it has been 20 years. We cant stay there forever to protect them. The whole thing has just been one giant waste.

America is never going to be able to solve the problems in Afghanistan, Iron, Iraq, Israel. it is damn foolish and Arrogantl to think we can or ever will.

[Tendrin]

Except he never intended there to be a next Democratic administration. No, he just want a bogus "accomplishment" and the real results didn't matter. That is what he did for everything.

Yeah, that is of course more likely, but the GOP has done numerous political gambits like this before.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

How, we either stay and continue to prop up an Afghanistan government and army that can't stand on it's own, or we leave. What should we have done. Considering what will inevitably happen, it is not wrong to say we needed to stay, I can see both sides of this.

Same here. The Taliban were playing the long game, willing to wait as long as it took until the U.S. finally tired of flushing billions of dollars and hundreds of lives down the toilet on a feckless government and decided to book. One decade, two decades, it didn't matter to the Taliban, time was on their side, and they knew it. I could be wrong, but sometimes I think the Afghans really believed we would stay forever and provide the skirts for them to hide behind.

[babyblob]

Same here. The Taliban were playing the long game, willing to wait as long as it took until the U.S. finally tired of flushing billions of dollars and hundreds of lives down the toilet on a feckless government and decided to book. One decade, two decades, it didn't matter to the Taliban, time was on their side, and they knew it. I could be wrong, but sometimes I think the Afghans really believed we would stay forever and provide the skirts for them to hide behind.

To be honest I get why they thought that. People in the USA have been talking for years about getting out of there and no one has come close to even making a move until recently. And it was a huge thing the war on terror and what not.

To me I am sure they had no intention of fighting the Taliban if and when the USa left. it is clear just seeing how fast they gave up. Some say it is because the Afgan government is crooked and wont pay the soldiers or we selling the equipment the Americans gave them to the Taliban or what ever. But there was never going to be a real attempt to fight the Taliban. I think it may have been NBC news that did an interview with an Afgan army officer and they asked him what they were doing to get ready for the American withdraw. he answered something to the effect of packing are bags and getting ready to leave the city. The reporter asked not fighting the Taliban if they come back. the officer just laughed and the interview ended.

[Jack Dracula]

I still believe that Biden and others in his Admin could have handled this much better. So much so that I can't watch the news reports on Afghanistan without getting upset and frustrated.

I suppose we could’ve tried to relocate the citizens who wanted to leave before the Taliban took control again but good luck making it happen with half our government ready to gin up islamophobia at the drop of a hat.
One positive that arose from this is that an entire generation of Afghans grew up without the Taliban and were able to experience freedom for whatever that’s worth.
The US will still maintain an embassy there and I’m certain the CIA will continue to foment rebellion under Taliban rule.