Welcome to Thunderdome

If only we could build a big glass dome around them and not let them infect the rest of the world.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday that the Biden administration and President Joe Biden “stands by” the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, and complained that the breakdown of security “unfolded at unexpected speed.”

Biden is also on vacation and won't speak on the issue for a few days. An entire country/government fell faster than it'll take him to address it. That's damn good presidenting right there.

No idea where VP Harris is in all this? She's trending on Twitter now with people openly questioning why she skipped a press briefing today saying she is "focused on Haiti".

Other countries like Austria and Germany have stepped up in the absence of US leadership to try and get help for the Afghan people desperate to escape.

Interestingly, Biden's press secretary is also on vacation and won't take questions about it. I wonder if she saw the shitstorm coming and decided to take a few days off. I wouldn't blame her.

Meanwhile, #25thAmendment is trending on Twitter and the D/R cultists there are blaming each other's president for this mess. (In this case, it doesn't matter what Trump said, and he absolutely advocated the withdraw, because Biden is the guy giving the orders now. Proving yet again that for two presidential election cycles in a row the Ds and Rs gave us terrible options.)

In a bit of better news, the Biden admin is boosting food stamp benefits. People need this with the pandemic and rising food prices.

Leisher wrote: ↑Mon Aug 16, 2021 10:39 am Other countries like Austria and Germany have stepped up in the absence of US leadership to try and get help for the Afghan people desperate to escape.

Where have they been the past 20 years?

Leisher wrote: ↑Mon Aug 16, 2021 10:39 am In this case, it doesn't matter what Trump said, and he absolutely advocated the withdraw,

He didn't just advocate, he SIGNED THE AGREEMENT, negotiated the withdrawal, etc. He got the ball rolling, pulled a bunch of troops, and Biden just finished the job. They are both to blame.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Mon Aug 16, 2021 10:57 am He didn't just advocate, he SIGNED THE AGREEMENT, negotiated the withdrawal, etc. He got the ball rolling, pulled a bunch of troops, and Biden just finished the job. They are both to blame.

You mean the agreement that the Taliban weren't living up to and that Biden threw out? Funny how much credit Biden was getting in the spring and how little Trump was, yet now peeps are trying to say this is mostly or just as much Trump's fault. Anyone remember Kamala saying she played a key role in BIDEN'S DECISION TO WITHDRAW from Afghanistan?

This isn't defending Trump's dumb ass. If he was the president this same shit would have happened in May instead of now and instead of right wing people calling for the 25th amendment on Twitter it'd be left wingers. And let's be honest, he wasn't ending the war in Afghanistan for any reason other than to try and win votes.

However the Biden administration and the MSM made it quite clear that they weren't going to hold themselves to a deal Trump's admin worked out with the Taliban, and have been taking ALL the credit for it. Now that it's crumbling they want to divert blame and have completely disappeared from the public eye. This is absolutely terrible leadership, no matter who is at fault for Afghanistan.

I absolutely hate being the one to defend Trump when the people who hate him go overboard.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Sun Aug 15, 2021 10:14 pm

It's apparently getting harder for democrats to pretend Biden isn't responsible.

CNN still going after Biden.

Even pointing out his failings in the eyes of our allies.

Biden's approval ratings have plummeted, which is to be expected when you abandon people who are so desperate that they cling to planes eventually falling to their deaths.

Plus, there's this:

Biden says troop withdrawal from Afghanistan couldn't have been handled better and chaos was inevitable

Wrong on both counts sir. Unequivocally wrong on the first count. That ties directly into the second. Also, you had just told the country that Afghanistan wouldn't fall anytime soon.

Do you think the Ds or Rs will ever give us anyone worth a damn again?

Afghanistan didn't want to stand up to the Taliban. We tried, they failed, and we were just propping them up the whole time. Trump recognized this and only negotiated with the Taliban last year, not the Afghan government.

$2T we blew. Hope our kids enjoying paying for that forever.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:08 am Trump recognized this and only negotiated with the Taliban last year, not the Afghan government.

One of his rare correct decisions, although I have no doubt he would have botched the withdrawal as well.

Afghanistan, and most Middle East countries, should be approached in the same way we changed Japan's culture. You can't beat people with nothing whose entire belief system makes them think they are superior in every way and if they die fighting you, they get rewarded eternally. So break that culture with TV, pizza, and tits.

Leisher wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:50 am

TheCatt wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:08 am Trump recognized this and only negotiated with the Taliban last year, not the Afghan government.

One of his rare correct decisions, although I have no doubt he would have botched the withdrawal as well.

Afghanistan, and most Middle East countries, should be approached in the same way we changed Japan's culture. You can't beat people with nothing whose entire belief system makes them think they are superior in every way and if they die fighting you, they get rewarded eternally. So break that culture with TV, pizza, and tits.

Hear me out: Maybe they're already controlled by someone who figured this out (TV, pizza, + tits) But that person is greedy, so he wants young men to kill themselves in war or suicide bombings, to minimize competition.

Heard and I think you're probably more correct than we want to know. Although the "someone" would be corporations.

I'm quite certain Afghanistan was getting fleeced of its natural resources by someone while we were there. That someone would NOT want TV, pizza, and tits to gain steam there because then so would the desire to make profit among the Afghan people. That desire would mean those free or uber cheap resources would start to cost a lot more.

Leisher wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 1:01 pm I'm quite certain Afghanistan was getting fleeced of its natural resources by someone while we were there.

Does Afghanistan have any natural resources? I mean... really? does it?

According to a joint study by The Pentagon and the United States Geological Survey, Afghanistan has an estimated US$1 trillion[5] of untapped minerals.

We blew 2x that.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 1:04 pm Does Afghanistan have any natural resources? I mean... really? does it?

Yes.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 1:04 pmWe blew 2x that.

The taxpayers did, yes. However, did the corporations that we profiting off the situation? No.

Leisher wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 1:18 pmYes.

Same #, but a lot of those minerals are useless or non-economic according to wikipedia.

TheCatt wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 1:27 pm

Leisher wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 1:18 pmYes.

Same #, but a lot of those minerals are useless or non-economic according to wikipedia.

But what about the opium?

Biden admin cancelling $5.8B in student debt for permanently disabled people.

Considering such people might have issues getting good paying regular work, I approve. However, if anyone's permanent disability is being overweight (and not because of a legit medical reason), then I disapprove.

What about having a lung removed because they were a smoker? Legit or not?