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You keep calling Trump's deal a "treaty", but was it ever ratified by the Senate? If not, I'd avoid the "T" word and stick with "deal". And given that it was not Senate-ratified, it's not clear to me why (other than wanting to cut and run) Biden couldn't "tear up" that deal the same way Trump bailed out of Obama's Iran deal.

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Aug 16, 2021Liked by Chris J. Karr, David Thornton

To hear stories of brave and noble Afghan citizens whom the Taliban found out that assisted Western forces getting slaughtered, among other things, is very difficult to hear about. As you mentioned David, many more will be killed mercilessly by Taliban forces. Also women's rights will take a huge hit backwards, along with a general loss of individual freedom these Afghan citizens have enjoyed to this point. I can't think of this as anything but a betrayal of the very Afghan people who have placed their hopes and trust in the United States. Seeing what is unfolding in Afghanistan is just very painful to watch. To call this an American policy debacle would be quite the understatement.

Notwithstanding what happened in Afghanistan, I hope the members of our military know that their service to our country will always have our gratitude, and that we will never forget their sacrifices and valor. What is happening in Afghanistan is not their fault. The blame goes to the men and women in suits, not the men and women in boots.

Even if one believed that pulling out of Afghanistan was the right decision, the manner of the pullout was poorly executed to say the least. It was atrocious. And that is on Pres. Biden. He and his administration deserve much of the harsh criticism headed his way. He can't blame Trump or anyone else but himself, especially when he made that decision early in April(I think). On the flip side, Trump and his sycophants really have no moral authority to blame Biden given what they did. To negotiate with the Taliban in a one sided peace deal while throwing the Afghan government under the bus, minus meaningful conditions and enforcement mechanisms, is flat out idiotic. That the Trump administration considered them partners for peace defies imagination. Like Biden, they also deserve a lot of blame for this.

While bipartisan consensus can and is often a force for good in terms of policy, it can sometimes not be the case. Our cutting and running from Afghanistan is sadly an example of the latter. While the effects of this extremely short sighted decision to leave won't be immediately felt, it will unfortunately have long term consequences. This is not one of America's finer moments, might I add.

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Aug 16, 2021Liked by Chris J. Karr, David Thornton

I think Tom Nichols nails it: each of Bush/Obama/Trump/Biden has blame to take in this debacle.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/afghanistan-your-fault/619769/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

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