Published on Fox News on August 31, 2021
The last U.S. troops left Afghanistan on Monday. For 20 years, the brave men and women of the U.S. armed forces, along with countless allies in Afghanistan and across the globe, have fought to secure global security and U.S. interests by keeping terrorists in the Middle East at bay and off our doorstep.
Our troops have been successful in their mission and deserve our deepest gratitude for the sacrifices they have made for this country.
Along the way, many of them formed strong relationships with the Afghan people who stood by our side, and they feel a deep sense of responsibility for those who showed courage in standing up against the Taliban to fight alongside U.S. forces.
While it may be time for the conflict in Afghanistan to come to a close, President Joe Biden’s incompetence and lack of a withdrawal strategy betray both our allies and the men and women who fought. Biden not only made the decision to recklessly abandon our Afghan allies, but left American citizens, without protection, stranded as the Taliban took the country. While getting out of Afghanistan is indeed in America’s interest, Biden has once again created a humanitarian crisis that could have been avoided.
Former Obama Defense Secretary Robert Gates previously said Biden has been "wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades," highlighting exactly how dangerous a Biden presidency would be to our national security. Unfortunately for the American people, he has been proven correct.
Biden seems completely oblivious to his own failures. Instead of showing leadership and owning the situation before him, Biden refuses to take responsibility for yet another crisis he created.
Biden was wrong when he said it was "highly unlikely" that the Taliban would overrun Afghanistan.
In April, Biden lied to the American people by saying, "We will not conduct a hasty rush to the exit. We’ll do it responsibly, deliberately and safely." He not only had our troops run for the exits, he had them do so in the middle of the night.
Once again, Biden was wrong in saying there would be “no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy” in Afghanistan. I am disappointed by the actions of this administration and saddened by what it means for the people who are suffering.
Worse is the fact that Biden seems completely oblivious to his own failures. Instead of showing leadership and owning the situation before him, Biden refuses to take responsibility for yet another crisis he created. Even former Obama adviser David Axelrod said Biden "needs to own" the failure in Afghanistan, yet it fell on deaf ears.
In his address to the nation, Biden’s "the buck stops with me" quip was drowned out by his finger-pointing and blame that extended in every direction. Blaming the former administration, the Afghan government and even the Afghan people who were left behind is beneath the great responsibility he holds as president of the United States.
The bottom line is that when Americans were in harm’s way, he left them behind.
This situation presents itself among a myriad of other crises directly caused by this administration.
Democrats must begin holding this administration accountable. Otherwise, the world will continue to watch America prove itself weaker and weaker in the international arena.
This crisis sits squarely on Joe Biden’s shoulders. Our military personnel, our partners in Afghanistan and our allies across the world deserve better, and Americans will not forget the damage he caused.