Perhaps one of the most noteworthy takes on this Afghanistan disaster comes from Eric Lutz over with Vanity Fair. The title alone says it, with how "Republicans Are Weaponizing Afghanistan Chaos to Get Ahead in 2022." Lutz claims in his subheadline that "Republicans are sensing an opening to land a punch on the consistently popular president."
Joe Biden is preparing to leave Americans behind in Afghanistan after the most disastrous foreign policy failure in history and the story is Republicans “weaponizing” it.
— Bongino Report (@BonginoReport) August 25, 2021
The media are unreal. pic.twitter.com/WU0a3inGDS
Following the sensational headline, which acknowledges the "criticism Biden has faced is well-deserved" and the administration has had to "scramble," Lutz claims that "some of the political attacks from the GOP have been dishonest, unfairly laying blame for the chaotic conclusion to the 20-year war on Biden while ignoring the role his predecessors—including Republicans Trump and George W. Bush—played in getting us there."
Lutz points to how Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who is a firm critic of the former president, has pointed to the Trump administration's failures. What Lutz does not mention is how Rep. Kinzinger criticized Biden's response as well.
The President, on zoom from camp David, alone in a room while millions of Afghans desperate to live, evac of embassy, admitting they didn’t see this coming, while Taliban in presidential palace? Ya not a good look. https://t.co/InomwYXLK9
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) August 15, 2021
From one weak president, to another. America deserves better leadership than we’ve had. https://t.co/FIH6n2NRLe
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) August 25, 2021
5) and Biden (who has ignored many Trump deals) executed the worst military operation since Iran hostage rescue failure, and now owns this moment. But both own the failure. Not the military who fought bravely and never lost, but the civilians who ignored military advice…
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) August 22, 2021
Perhaps most absurd is Lutz's conclusion. While he admits that Biden has taken a hit in polls, he points to Biden's handling of the Wuhan coronavirus, which he also blames Republicans for:
But his overall dip in support could be more of a reflection of the resurgent COVID crisis at home—due in no small part to right-wing vaccine holdouts—than the foreign policy debacle playing out in Afghanistan. The withdrawal has been a mess, but voters may see the chaos that’s come with it as an inevitability. Opponents “will use anything for political leverage,” Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger, whose reelection campaign in Virginia’s 7th district may serve as a measuring stick for the attacks’ effectiveness, told Axios. “They’ll use the fact that I drink a decaf as opposed to a caffeinated coffee, but even the most engaged or disengaged voter recognizes that this is a complicated issue.”
Quoting Rep. Spanberger, and with such a tone deaf response isn't necessarily good for Lutz's main argument. The Axios piece he cites may actually be detrimental to Rep. Spanberger's position, with Sarah Mucha reporting for the outlet that "Democrat brushes off Kabul fallout," with Spanberger being that Democrat in question.
The results of a USA Today/Suffolk Poll have since been published, which shows that Biden is down to an approval rating of just 41 percent. According to that poll, just 26 percent approved of Biden's withdrawal.
While the results of such a poll may have been released after Lutz's piece was published, other poll results contradicting Lutz's claims had already been out.
According to a CBS/YouGov poll, just 47 percent approved of how Biden handled the troop withdrawal. And a plurality, at 44 percent say it went "very badly."