In an interview with Glenn Beck, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) offered a brutal assessment of President Biden and the administration’s actions in Afghanistan.”This wasn’t just predictable. It was predicted,” Cotton said when asked how the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated so rapidly. He noted reports that the intelligence and military assessment had warned against the approach Biden ended up taking, from closing the Bagram Air Base to withdrawing during what is traditionally known as the “fighting season” in the region.
Cotton asserts that Biden received warnings about these issues. The intelligence community also warned about the possibility of Kabul falling to the Taliban quickly. He called what is happening shameful, embarrassing, and completely preventable. Cotton laid the blame squarely on Biden.
Related: PM Justin Trudeau Abandons Kabul Evacuation Operation, Leaves Canadians Stranded
He reminded listeners of the comments made by former Obama Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. In his memoir, Gates said, “I think he [Biden] has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” During the 2020 campaign, Gates stood by the statement about Biden’s foreign policy instincts but said he felt Biden had integrity and character.
Perhaps we should ask the nearly 1,800 foreign U.S. embassy workers who hold visas and are reportedly not getting evacuated. Imagine how they feel about our commander-in-chief’s integrity and character right now. Cotton said Biden has now demonstrated 50 years of bad judgment, but his impact was limited when he was a senator and vice president. Now that he is president, it’s catastrophic.
Instead of taking responsibility, Biden’s response shows his true colors, in Cotton’s opinion—Biden’s demeanor is spiteful, prideful, and bitter. Disturbing reports coming out of the State Department also concern him as the State Department is reportedly blocking the transport of evacuees to amenable countries such as Macedonia. Cotton said there are also reports that the State Department prevented the U.K. from transporting their Afghan allies to Britain. He is demanding answers about all the reports his office is receiving.
Biden’s well-documented contentious relationship with senior military leaders goes back years. Barack Obama noted that Biden often cautioned him not to put too much faith in the counsel of military leaders. Cotton said this attitude would challenge any president in making appropriate military decisions.
Cotton feels the way the administration is handling the crisis is a mistake. He said their approach is treating this as a destructive news cycle in a campaign. They are hunkering down and trying to divert. Cotton described Biden’s speeches as disconnected from reality going as far back as July. He notes that Speaker Pelosi attempting to divert attention to the reckless $3.5 trillion budget is part of the same pattern.
Americans and our allies stranded in a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is not merely a bad headline. It will be a stark reality, according to Cotton, that will reverberate for decades, and the anger of our closest allies and skepticism from regional partners will impact the safety and security of Americans around the world.
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