President Biden has officially abandoned his sacred duty as the commander-in-chief to protect the American people after he abandoned thousands of U.S. citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies this week. His catastrophic departure from Afghanistan ended in national shame as school children, pregnant women, journalists and others watched the gates to Hamid Karzai International airport close and the final C-17 flight leave the runway without them as passengers.
Leading up to the final departure, Americans were turned back by Taliban fighters after being repeatedly told by State and Defense Department officials to "go to the airport." They were beaten along the way and ultimately left for good. For days, spokespersons for the Biden administration, including White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, generalized the number of Americans still in the country in order to evade responsibility for leaving them behind.
But while those at home watched with horror and disapproval of Biden's actions, he doubled down and called the disastrous exit an "extraordinary success." He then blamed Americans who didn't make it home for his desertion.
"We believe that about 100 to 200 Americans remain in Afghanistan with some intention to leave," Biden angrily yelled 24-hours after the war in Afghanistan officially ended, an announcement he deferred to the Pentagon and an emailed statement rather than a proper Oval Office address. "The bottom line: 90 percent of Americans in Afghanistan who wanted to leave were able to."
Pay no attention to the fact that Biden told the American people in July, including those in Afghanistan, it was unlikely the Taliban would take over the country. They were told there was no way Kabul would fall.
"The likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely," Biden said on July 8.
One month later, the Taliban was wearing U.S. equipment, flying Blackhawk helicopters and doing security for the U.S. military at the airport, resulting in the murder of 13 U.S. service members.
In the aftermath, the Pentagon followed Biden's lead. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley each made statements about the so-called success of the drawdown mission and evacuation. After 20 years of war, they took just three questions from reporters.
Since when does the United States of America find it acceptable to leave any American behind? Biden set that new precedent and has moved the American promise from "leave no man behind" to "it's your own fault if you got stranded behind enemy lines."
Given Biden's experience, the decision is revealing. During his time as vice president, he worked with President Barack Obama and then-National Security Advisor Susan Rice to free Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban after deserting his unit in 2009. Five years later, Biden didn't object to exchanging five high-profile Taliban fighters, who are now back on the battlefield, to get him back.
While Bergdahl betrayed his fellow soldiers and his country, Biden got him out. The Americans clamoring at the gates of the airport to escape the Taliban and ISIS-K were left behind. It's unforgivable.
