I will say it again: What we are watching in Afghanistan is the greatest dereliction of duty by an American leader of my lifetime. It is now beyond obvious that this White House is not up to the moment; they have no plan in place to facilitate the evacuation after Biden’s arbitrary August 31 deadline. President Biden has caved to the demands of the Taliban and showcased on the global stage that we are weak and untrustworthy.
The Biden administration has botched our withdrawal every step of the way. Deserting Bagram Airbase, a stronghold for us to evacuate our citizens and allies, was a strategic blunder. Pulling air support for Afghan soldiers allowed the Taliban to sweep across the country, taking back territory after territory at a rate faster than we were told to expect. And worst off, completely ceding the country to the Taliban and withdrawing back to the Kabul airport before we had evacuated every U.S. citizen and our Afghan allies.
The Biden administration is responsible for directly arming the Taliban with billions of dollars of U.S. weapons, humvees, drones and advanced technologies. The Taliban has become emboldened; going as far as to issue a threat to the United States not to extend our exit timeline beyond the end of the month. The President has capitulated to the Taliban and refuses to adjust his timeline. Mr. President, America does not take marching orders from terrorists.
President Biden’s failure as commander-in-chief has forced our American service members, contractors, and aid workers into a desperate situation as their window for rescue rapidly closes. As I wrote last weekend, we are in the midst of the largest hostage situation in American history. This administration has abandoned those on the ground and left them at the mercy of a jihadist militia. If our withdrawal was handled in this way by President Trump, there would already be an effort to invoke the Twenty-Fifth Amendment or start another sham impeachment trial. I should also mention that this wouldn’t have happened under Trump – when they violated the terms of the deal, there would have been hell to pay.
If you haven’t already, this manufactured debacle should make the people of the Fifth District of Alabama and across the United States question the Biden administration’s ability to lead. This is not about politics. It is about honoring our commitment to our fellow men and women to protect them. Every single U.S. citizen must come home and by whatever means it takes. We cannot leave one American behind. We also owe it to our Afghan allies who have been loyal, who we can fully vet and trust, to get them out.
As I witness what is happening in Afghanistan, I can not help but think of the many Gold Star families and all they must be enduring as they watch these avoidable scenes unfold. I vividly remember in high school when a family friend’s son was killed during the War in Afghanistan. I stood on the tarmac at Huntsville International Airport for the Honor Ceremony and witnessed the devastation of family and friends as their fallen hero was wheeled off the plane. My prayers are with our veterans and military families during this time. I can’t imagine the range of emotions our veterans are feeling as this all plays out.
The sacrifice and selflessness of a generation of brave Americans was not in vain and can never be forgotten. They saved lives and kept us safe. Once again – the boots on the ground did their job. And once again – the politicians couldn’t do theirs. This is a total failure. A failure by the President and Vice President, a failure by intelligence leaders, a failure by career bureaucrats. There must be a cost for this failure. It is incumbent on everyone responsible to put politics aside and right these wrongs now.
President Biden has proven he cannot carry out his duty, and this is another example of why he is unfit for the presidency.
John Roberts is a Republican candidate for Congress in Alabama’s fifth congressional district
