Afghan lives matter

[Hunk]

Just caught the end of Biden’s presser. It was painful listening

[flammableBen]

If discussions were more about showing solidarity to those worst off, in all walks of life. What we can do to make everybodys lives better in the future, instead of a why do I care its not my problem attitude. Then we wouldn't all be cunts.

[4D]

Try telling that to the brainwashed terrorist twats. Seem to just want to destroy. What a shit legacy.

[Samdy Gray]

The States is a mess. Dark agendas are influencing things and certainly at force.

And your man Trump is largely responsible.

The fucking irony of your post.

[Bogus Dave]

Agree with you. CNN were a complete joke in the build up to the election. It was ridiculous.

Trump certainly wouldn't have bowed down to any Taliban deadline. They'd have known full well the place would have been carpet bombed had they tried any of the shenanigans currently taking place in Afghanistan.

Whether Trump made America great again is very debatable but Biden is certainly making them soft. China and Russia will be loving it.

Not sure how you can be of the opinion that trump wouldn’t have bowed down to a taliban deadline when the agreement to withdraw was signed by the trump administration

Bidens followed through with what the previous administration had agreed, and with what was generally a popular decision domestically.

[horlock07]

Not sure how you can be of the opinion that trump wouldn’t have bowed down to a taliban deadline when the agreement to withdraw was signed by the trump administration

Bidens followed through with what the previous administration had agreed, and with what was generally a popular decision domestically.

This is it, I am intrigued to know what Biden (a guy who was extremely well known for being very anti US boots on ground overseas when he was VP) was supposed to do with a treaty signed by the Trump administration, pretty universally popular in the US and well under way to delivery before he came to power. If he had refused to follow it through the Trump fan boys would be as excited as they are now.

Its not like the status quo could have been maintained/returned to once the Trump administration had signed and set in motion, the treaty had already led to the release of shit loads of jailed Taliban hard-line fighters (at the direct request of the US government, without even consulting the afghan govt) including those in Pakistan and also gave them a timetable to get their ducks in a row knowing they would get their chance at x date to take back control.

Its undoubtedly a tragic shit show which will change the world for years to come*, but to try and hang it all on Biden is up there with Labour claiming the boom of 2000/2008 was down to them and the Tories claiming the subsequent financial crash was down to Labour in the rewriting history to suit your political echo chamber stakes.

* From a UK point of view exposing us as a pretty small player on the world stage (FWIW, similarly not sure what our govt could do once the US went there was little we could do as our armed forces have been cut to the bone so we don't have the capacity to do much without US support and logistics) with few friends and little influence.

[Flashheart]

I think the main criticism is the handling of the withdrawal, not the withdrawal itself.

But, yeah. 'Trump wouldn't bow down' is a bit of an odd comment considering it was his administration that signed the withdrawal.

And 'the place would have been carpet-bombed?' Because that works? Carpet bombing and whatnot is part of the reason we're in this mess in the first place.

[horlock07]

I think the main criticism is the handling of the withdrawal, not the withdrawal itself.

I don't disagree however again, not sure what could have been done differently. Trump committed to a withdrawal date of May, which for reasons I don't know Biden changed to end August, Ok Biden appears to have delayed the inevitable for 3 months, but even if he had gone in May that still gave the Taliban 12+ months post signing to prepare for takeover whilst the US were committed to releasing all their men to provide 'confidence'. It was not just a case of keeping the US troops in, it was a case of sending shit loads of them back again!

This guy who is a former US Ambassador to Nato probably knows better than 95% of people commenting, and even dare I say some people on a two bit football forum.  

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1430296057083318273.html

[Flashheart]

not sure what could have been done differently.

Not leaving evacuations to the last minute?

but even if he had gone in May that still gave the Taliban 12+ months post signing to prepare for takeover whilst the US were committed to releasing all their men to provide 'confidence'. It was not just a case of keeping the US troops in, it was a case of sending shit loads of them back again!

I don't see what this has to do with what's going on at the airport. (Which is where I am being critical)

[jayohaitchenn]

two bit football forum.  

Now listen here you little shit...!

[horlock07]

Not leaving evacuations to the last minute?

I don't see what this has to do with what's going on at the airport. (Which is where I am being critical)

Way beyond my pay grade as I have not taken a great deal of interest until it all kicked off the other week. Have the US left it to the last minute, I see France and Germany have been evacuating since May, not sure what the US have been doing?

[Flashheart]

Have the US left it to the last minute, I see France and Germany have been evacuating since May,

Yes, they have.

You only need to look at the airport to see they've left it late. They've known for months that this was coming; they - literally - signed a deal with the Taliban with a deadline. Yet their own deadline has somehow taken them by surprise.

[4D]

I dare say the yanks have a hell of a lot more stuff to shift than anyone else. They'd also have to leave a lot in place to provide cover for all the other countries with less on the ground whilst they are packing up.

[Flashheart]

“The evacuation of thousands of people from Kabul is going to be hard and painful no matter when it started, when we began,” the president said during a press conference at the White House. He said that “our hope is that we will not have to extend” the deadline."

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/22/biden-afghanistan-evacuation-us-has-long-way-to-go.html

And here is making *pathetic* excuses for it.

Yes, Joe, it would have been difficult regardless. But it would have been a bit easier if everybody wasn't trying to leave at once, dontcha think?

[Super Hans]

Not sure how you can be of the opinion that trump wouldn’t have bowed down to a taliban deadline when the agreement to withdraw was signed by the trump administration

Bidens followed through with what the previous administration had agreed, and with what was generally a popular decision domestically.

Would have done it a totally different way which didn't include leaving 85 billion dollars worth of equipment behind or trying to squeeze hundreds of thousands of people out of Afghanistan in a few days.

Biden has no issue undoing anything else Trump put in place previously - this mess on his watch.