Joe Biden fails at just about everything he touches, but there is one thing he’s wildly successful at: projecting weakness.
The lack of strength was glaring obvious this week when Biden announced he would give in to Taliban demands to withdrawal all remaining U.S. troops by the original Aug 31 deadline regardless if American citizens were still trapped in the country.
Biden chose to honor the self-imposed timeline after the Taliban threatened the United States with “consequences” for potentially extending it. Biden’s decision ran counter to numerous calls from U.S. lawmakers and Western leaders to stay in Afghanistan until all evacuation operations are completed.
The fledgling commander in chief spurred a wave of backlash, mainly from Republicans, after announcing his decision to follow Taliban orders.
Ben Shapiro – leading conservative intellectual and political commentator – expressed his dismay that “…the Taliban are dictating terms to the President of the United States…”
So glad the adults are back in charge.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 24, 2021
Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw — a U.S. war veteran — blasted Biden, saying, “The world just witnessed the President of the United States take orders from a band of barbaric terrorists…”
The world just witnessed the President of the United States take orders from a band of barbaric terrorists while ignoring the pleas of our international allies and American citizens he will leave behind.
Joe Biden is a coward. https://t.co/f07NHHR3Bn
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) August 24, 2021
Top GOP Senator Ted Cruz kept it succinct in his condemnation of Biden’s decision to follow Taliban orders:
Completely unacceptable.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris never had a plan to get all Americans out, and they need to formulate one immediately.
Leaving behind Americans is NOT an option. https://t.co/pOri67TlvT
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 24, 2021
Biden decided against the extension after meeting with the leaders of several U.S. allies at an emergency G7 summit. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the meeting in part to lobby Biden to extend the deadline. Currently, the U.S. controls Kabul’s airport that is facilitating the evacuation plans for numerous countries.
Biden rebuffed U.S. allies and instead kept to the deadline, heading warnings from the Pentagon that staying in the country past August 31 could spark violence after the Taliban’s threats.
The Taliban threatened Biden against moving the deadline over the weekend after the president suggested that he may leave U.S. forces in Kabul to continue evacuating American citizens and allies from Afghanistan.
"The foreign military withdrawal should be complete by 31st August" @suhailshaheen1 spokesperson for the Taliban says the group do not want any delays and if international forces extend their stay in Afghanistan, there will be consequences pic.twitter.com/NtvQPRSA5W
— Yalda Hakim (@SkyYaldaHakim) August 23, 2021
Author: Sebastian Hayworth
