It is one o'clock p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Aug. 26, 2021, and news of 13 American slaughtered servicemen and perhaps over 150 civilian casualties in Kabul, Afghanistan, flood the airways.
This happened five hours ago and America still awaits a comment of compassion or direction from Joe Biden or any other elected Democrat in leadership. Apparently, two separate suicide bombers did the deed, making this day the most Americans killed in this war in almost a decade -- all this while people are fleeing for their lives from the country totally abandoned by the Biden/Harris Administration.
The day before the bombings, Biden's approval rating was 41%. By the time this column is in print, it is destined to descend into the 30s because of these deaths. No U.S. presidential administration has been so inept, and America is seeing it in real-time. One example of ineptitude was the Secretary of State presenting the Taliban with a list naming those the State Department wanted the Taliban to allow passage through their barriers to escape Afghanistan -- in effect a kill list. The Taliban now know who helped America. These the Taliban could murder, torture or hold for ransom. We betrayed those who assisted us.
The middle of the night abandonment of Bagram Air Base, one of the most secure airports in the world, guaranteed the subsequent fall of Afghanistan. This mistake was amplified by our not first pulling out all American civilians, then Afghans who assisted America, then our military equipment, and last our American troops. Instead, Biden had the military leave first. Democrats alone are responsible for these four apparent treasonist decisions. And those voting for the Biden/Harris presidency bear responsibility. None of this would have happened under Trump.
Leaving $90 billion of our weapons in enemy hands put the Taliban terrorists on steroids. It potentially made them one of the best-equipped military powers in the world and, undoubtedly, these same weapons could be used against us in the future. Perhaps the most troubling of the new power we bestowed on the Taliban terrorists were the 16,000 pairs of night-vision goggles. Previously, we alone had the power to fight in the dark. This was a devastating blow to our special forces. The most troubling technology left behind for the Afghan citizens is the 7,000 biometric scanners that are now used to hunt down those who helped us; virtually everyone who worked with the Afghan government for the past 20 years. This is a crime against humanity.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, III, on Aug. 26, informed America that, "the evacuation operation continues in Kabul, Afghanistan. Yesterday, Aug. 24th, 19,000 more personnel were evacuated, bringing the totals to 82,900 since the end of July." The day after, we learned that "over 4,400 Americans have now been evacuated from Afghanistan" (Pentagon, Lucas Tomlinson@LocasFoxNews, Aug. 25, 2021).
So the Pentagon admitted that out of 82,900 they boarded on planes and removed from harms' way in Afghanistan, the vast majority were Afghans -- only 4,400 Americans were rescued as of Aug. 25. Why weren't these numbers reversed and Americans evacuated from the country first? Of course, these numbers changed daily to Aug. 29, when the last planes, on Biden's order, exited Kabul two days earlier than Biden's own deadline of Aug. 31, 2021. But the proportion of Americans to Afghans did not and many American citizens may remain trapped, betrayed and abandoned behind enemy lines. Not a single American was on the last five jets to leave Kabul airport because they could not get to the airport and Biden offered no other plan for their evacuation.
All the above is terrifying to most Americans, but it gets worse. We have subsequently learned that the Taliban gave Biden the choice of having Americans or the Taliban control Kabul prior to Taliban occupancy on Aug. 31. Biden chose the Taliban.
When it became obvious that our military, under Biden, had no plans to rescue Americans other than those who could make it to the Kabul airport before Aug. 31, despite Taliban resistance, and none for Americans scattered throughout the country, embarrassed and irate retired American military personnel began forming to assist. They were confounded when the State Department refused permission and blocked their every effort. Volunteer vets began assisting without permission. One such group called "Pineapple Express" rescued close to 700 Americans by Aug. 30 in secret missions and intend to continue.
"We promised these people," they said, and they invited anyone to contact them, www.operationrecovery.org, should they wish to assist.
Nonmilitary American religious and humanitarian groups, also embarrassed and irate, reached deep into their pockets and collectively donated millions of dollars to assist.
Prominent among these was the Nazarene Fund founded by Glenn Beck and David Barton. They focused on Afghan Christians who would be killed under the Taliban, rescuing over 5,000 thus far (contact the Nazarene Fund to see if you wish to help).
Once again "the U.S. State Department blocked every effort, at one time canceling seven flights of passengers already loaded and seated in the planes ready for take-off. The State Department even called ahead to friendly nations advising them not to let these refugee planes land in their countries," reported David Barton. Thereafter, the group no longer sought permission but landed with their people notifying the State Department only after landing. Such groups, military and non-military, have been ordered to "cease and desist all operations." They refuse.
Biden will never survive this politically. The only thing slowing his removal from office, which will result from this via impeachment, the 25 Amendment, or his demise, is that Kamala Harris is viewed as also inept given her southern border fiasco with a previously secure border.
Once again, those voters who put Biden into office bear some degree of responsibility for Biden's Afghanistan debacle.
Harold W. Pease, Ph.D., is an expert on the United States Consitution and a syndicated columnist. He dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He taught history and political science from this perspective for more than 30 years. To read more of his weekly articles, visit www.LibertyUnderFire.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.