Did you consider the idea of pulling out based or the actual way we did it? Cause these two things have very different answers.
Fair question. I lean on the earlier comment by charmflash as well—there was no way to get out well. This was what the US in Afghanistan was— a mess, and Americans only getting to see it honestly when the media was trying to keep us there. The equipment/personal mistakes are largely largely overstated. (Equipment unusable w/o American technical secrets, personnel lift out was a tremendous undertaking Biden largely succeeded in)
Most important to me was how Biden handled the situation. It was like grandpa woke up, barked out, and showed he still had a spine, still had convictions, and was going to not only own the decision but see it through even if ALL the powers to be weren’t going to have it. He still got his way, and ended a 20 year war.
Based. Fucking based.
Until Afghanistan I thought the President was much more of a figurehead and Biden completely unable to take the helm. Afghanistan totally changed my expectations of what might be possible for President Joe Biden. Now he’s just looking too tired, too old, too set in his ways to make a working agenda, but in that moment I thought that he might have the guts to do what it would take to make Build Back Better happen as well.
As to why Biden isn’t showing an interest in other wars— he has. Or rather there’s been murmurs/rumors of an interest by Biden behind the scenes on Iraq, but given how the public was too stupid to not realize they should be cheering the Afghan withdrawal— Biden moved mountains to get this done while commanding a military/State organization completely opposed to it, and for that he was ripped apart by every part of the media and not even Bernie/Progressives inside or outside Congress jumped to back him.
Completely thankless. Of course he’s not interested in doing more.
Me personally I voted Green 2020, but I’m Ridin’ Biden in 2024 no matter what else happens after solely b/c Afghanistan.
Definitely a hot take here— but maybe progressives should have backed Biden on that one even if it meant taking a public hit to their approval if it meant building the political gratitude/good will from Biden to get him to really twist the arms that needed twisting to pass Build Back Better. Maybe if Bernie, Jayapal, Khanna, AoC and all progressive media space went total full-throated Biden-Stan in Joe’s biggest public flogging where he stood for strong convictions doing something progressives had soooo long wanted……. :/ ……. Maybe just maybe Joe’d have been ready to fly to West Virginia and Arizona to publicly drag Manchinema and threaten to put Manchin’s daughter in jail behind the scenes and played hard ball. Probably not, but who knows. Too late now.
But let’s not get it twisted— despite the Saudi weapons deal, despite his fielty to Israel, from the perspective of “Not causing harm—“
Joe Biden’s not bailing out Wallstreet, or eliminating GlassSteagall. And he has pulled off good vaccine programs and the initial stimulus bills and made much more progressive signals overall (and signals do matter— they steer public opinion/expectation). He’s definitely better than Obama, which means that sleepy Joe is the best President of my lifetime and I’d honestly trust him more with it than any of the 2020 primary Dems except Bernie.
That said it’s a pitiful state we’re in because the best Dem for the job in this critically important historical junction is woefully inadequate.