Biden Lends Support To School Leaders Who Bucked Statewide Mask Mandate Bans | Talking Points Memo

[playitagainrowlf]

@mattinpa

Just read that this is happening with nearly zero resistance because the Taliban simply bribed everyone to stand aside. Absolute, thoroughgoing corruption.

Hey, sounds like we taught them all there is to know about capitalism - the Free Market at its finest!

[26degreesrising]

And they won’t give a hoot about Afghan corruption and the poppy trade. They’ll let it proceed while they forge the economic ties they want.

[lastroth]

@geographyjones

The “known unknown” now is whether the Taliban leadership can hold on to this coalition in the face of the glaring “known known” that the country is heavily armed with experienced militias.

@osprey

There has to be something in it for the individual tribes - probably peace plus a cut of whatever economic prosperity the Taliban is offering. If all they’re offering is brutality and religion, the Taliban will face the same fate as all the previous usurpers. It is interesting to watch these practically prehistoric political entities try to operate in the modern world. It makes me wonder how much longer the people will put up with it.

So aren’t the Afghani warlords in the drug trade? And I would assume that the Taliban is “just say no to drugs” kind of people. But the money the warlords can use to bribe the Taliban to look the other way will be a factor.
It seems that everybody but the US were there for the pickings and not the people. The Taliban aren’t going to govern but rule.
But then the Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship will go on the fritz. What’s the relationship between Iran and Afghanistan, or Afghanistan and the other stans going to be like with the Taliban in charge?

[Akimbo]

As you said, he would have had to surge troops back into the country. In the end the surge might have held Kabul. And we’d still have 10-20k troops in country.

Biden was against the surge during Obama and ran on getting the US out. I can hear the same military experts telling him…again: “we’re turning the corner on this…just another year” and I could see him sighing and saying to himself “not again”. I don’t blame him, they seemed to have been lying about this for a long time.

Could they have planned the pullout better. Absolutely. That angers me. The Visas needed to be executed MUCH faster and I’m sure they all assured Biden there would be no helicopter pull out scenes. Were they lying or did they fail at that…again? I hope they find out.

[lastroth]

So step one is is to make everyone in the US government from the Executive branch and legislative branch be mandated to watch

and be quizzed afterwards?

[brian512]

@arrendis

@lastroth

I have to wonder why the Kurds with all their troubles consistently seem to stand and fight.

Because the Kurds are used to being shit on, and used to protecting themselves from the nation-states they supposedly belong to.

I believe they even have a saying: “The Kurds have no friends but the mountains.”

[geographyjones]

Iran is Shiite. The Afghans are Sunni except for a small minority of Shiites in the central highlands.

[lastroth]

So the answer is put up an electric fence surrounding Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Sort of cage match situation.

[zandru]

@castor_troy

I’d rather more like to hear more from him on how Afghanistan isn’t a total failure from us, and why almost nobody in the Intel community predicted this rapid of a fail.

You think that neither the intelligence nor military knew that the Afghan forces would fold like a cheap umbrella in a windstorm? They knew. Most of these folks “lean right” and have been salivating at the chance to paiint Biden as clueless.

(note: this is just my analysis, and I can’t cite any proof, or similar pundit eval)

[geographyjones]

My favorite movie!
My favorite L of A joke:
That was awesome CGI when they blew up the train!

[zandru]

@maximus

“What about the children, doesn’t anyone care about the children?”

Hey, once they’re born, they’re on their own, the dirty little sinners. This is the Republico-Protestant POV.

[lastroth]

Now I’m wondering if the Kurds in Turkey get along with the Kurds in Syria or Iraq? Or has living or trying to live in each one of these countries created factions.

[lastroth]

@zandru

You think that neither the intelligence nor military knew that the Afghan forces would fold like a cheap umbrella in a windstorm? They knew. Most of these folks “lean right” and have been salivating at the chance to paiint Biden as clueless.

Well first off I don’t think they particularly targeted Biden, any Dem would do. And then what was the scuttlebutt when Trump was negotiating with the Taliban? NI or Military couldn’t have been too keen on this.

[castor_troy]

@zandru

Most of these folks “lean right” and have been salivating at the chance to paiint Biden as clueless.

Nonsense. Careers will be lost over this, the military and Intel communities will face a strong, if not very public, reckoning over how this plays out.

Nobody sabotaged this and put American lives at risk just to score political points. They simply failed to predict and push the accurate analysis out there, that’s what needs to be delved into.

[19tibekius6]

If I could move myself and everyone I love to NZ, I just might do it.

[zandru]

@castor_troy

Afghanistan was a Just War, and anything less after such a horrific attack on our soil would have been wrong.

Nonsense. It wasn’t “Afghanistan” that hit the US in its glass jaw on 9/11/01, it was a relatively small band of Saudis, al-Qaeda and its charismatic leader, Osama bin Ladin. Running these folks to ground and bringing them to justice was a POLICE action, and the international community of law enforcement stood ready to help the United States.

Making war on all of Afghanistan was overreach and overkill, a disproportionate response. Rather than reveling in an unnecessary, ratings-enhancing “war”, a responsible president would have explained the more limited actions to Americans and done the smart, responsible thing, targeting bin Ladin and his organization.

Although what this is supposed to have to do with small children wearing masks, I have no idea.

[mattinpa]

@19tibekius6

If I could move myself and everyone I love to NZ, I just might do it.

You know, I’ve never said anything but I’ve always been very fond of you.

[castor_troy]

They do, that’s why turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran are all very vested in making sure no Kurdish State is established in any one of their territories, as they fear that would become the base to expand to the rest of the natural territory.

[castor_troy]

And it wasn’t the Japanese who attacked us at Pearl Harbor, it was their military and leadership. Never should have punished their people for a few wayward individuals.

The Taliban was sponsoring Al Qaeda, they had to go.

And need to be eliminated from the face of the planet. May as well nuke the whole place once we finish evacuating.

[Anarchy_Bunker]

Who is going to play DeInsanity in the Movie?