” When I came to office, I inherited a deal cut by my predecessor — which he invited the Taliban to discuss at Camp David on the eve of 9/11 of 2019 — that left the Taliban in the strongest position militarily since 2001 and imposed a May 1, 2021 deadline on US forces. Shortly before he left office , he also drew US forces down to a bare minimum of 2,500. Therefore, when I became President, I faced a choice — follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our forces and our allies’ forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more American troops to fight once again in another country’s civil conflict. I was the fourth President to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan – two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.” President Joe Biden
As a Gold Star member who lost my brother who was my best friend in Vietnam, I’ll be damned before I stand by and watch one more family suffer the death of their son or daughter for a mistake.
Amen.
If anything, speed at which the entire Afghan army folded as the Taliban took over without any significant fight is proof that we should have left many years ago. Another year, or another twenty years would not change that.
I enthusiastically agree with you.
The only action that was ever appropriate, going all the way back to September 12, 2001, was to bring the Saudi enablers of 9/11 to justice.
Our entire “war on terror” has never been anything except a massively successful recruiting campaign for terrorists.
If there is a lesson to be learned from this catastrophe, it is that we ignore the American Taliban — today’s GOP — at our extreme peril.
“ I will be damned before I stand by silently and allow one more family to suffer the loss of their son or daughter in this lost cause.”
This is welcome now but would have been more meaningful back in say, 2009 or earlier. Twelve years of standing by silently–and you hope to avoid damnation now?
Are you seriously suggesting that Fred — of all people here on BMG — stood by silently? Fred? Silent?
I enthusiastically agree with you that the catastrophe unfolding now was the unavoidable outcome of twenty years of immoral and evil American policy.
I’m also quite sure that Fred agrees with us.
A year ago Fred was demanding that Trump “do something” about a supposed Taliban-Putin link. Before that, I don’t recall him saying that he objected to that war. Certainly not in the terms he’s using now.
I suppose the proof is in the archives. Can you find any instance where he either supported the Trump drawdown in Afghanistan or demanded that Trump finish the job and get us out? More to the point can you find and condemnation from Fred for the Obama surge? Or any demands that Obama get us out?
President Biden got 30,000 people out of Afghanistan last week without the loss of one American life. Not that the media complex reported on it.
For as long as you’ve been here, you’ve bashed and attacked — often rudely — every utterance of Fred and others. You bash him now. It doesn’t matter what he writes now, just as it hasn’t mattered what he wrote then.
In the time that he has been a participant at BMG, Fred has personally and successfully managed the campaign of any number of up-and-coming progressive Democrats. He has shared his participation in those campaigns here.
I invite you to search the archives and offer even one comment where you mention ANY actual action you have taken in support of any candidate.
Speaking of archives, here is a piece and photo of Fred with then-candidate Elizabeth Warren in Stoneham in 2012: https://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20120222/NEWS11/120229917.
I invite you to search your archives and offer any instance where you appeared with any Democratic candidate — never mind managed their campaign, served as delegate, or participated in a local party caucus.
I wonder if I am the only one weary of your relentless hostility and bitter logic-free attacks on any and all who pique your ire on any given day.
This site provides a diversity of views, including yours. Your commentary would be far more valuable if it was not so personally and viciously hostile.
In other words, Tom, you have no answer to the questions I asked and you want to change the subject.
Let me be more explicit.
The little “Admin” badge next to my handle means that I can remove this or any other comment that violates the terms of service of this site.
Consider yourself warned.
Wondered how long that would take. Can you please delete my profile, I wasn’t able to.
I guess I should be grateful that you only have the power to delete comments and not to invalidate medical coverage.
Eww, your comment is more disgusting than even I thought you degraded enough to use. Gross, just gross, the SomervileTom version of open discourse.
Thanks for commenting