As the Biden administration faces yet another self-imposed crisis, they are once again falling on their favorite talking point: blame anyone but us.
It’s become a common refrain from the Biden administration. And one that usually has very little truth behind it. But here, when facing one of the worst international crises in years, those words are particularly pathetic and painful.
It’s been almost seven months since President Biden took office. In that time, he made quick work of reversing dozens of President Trump ’s policies and positions, including Remain in Mexico, the asylum cooperation agreements with Central American countries, the Paris climate deal, and the Iran nuclear deal.
Yet he claimed to have no choice but to move forward with the withdrawal outlined in the U.S.-Taliban agreement despite the severely deteriorating situation on the ground. Despite the fact that the agreement was conditions-based - for a reason - and the Taliban had completely failed to hold up their side of the bargain.
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Now, after four months of wasted time, President Biden expects the American people to somehow believe the blame lies with President Trump.
The American people aren’t fooled. They know the president is attempting to shift the blame to anyone besides himself, including by blaming the very Afghans they abandoned.
At this moment, thousands of Americans are trapped in Afghanistan, while the Biden administration begs the Taliban to allow us to continue to evacuate our people. Their deaths or the deaths of any SIV applicants who were unable to safely get out of the country because of the president’s failure to plan will be squarely on his shoulders.
This is a shameful moment in American history and the images of desperate Afghans climbing onto U.S. military planes, risking their lives to get out of the country, will be burned into the brains of our allies around the world. Trust in the United States as a partner has been deeply shaken - at least under President Biden.
Read the full op-ed here.
