I don’t regret my vote for Joe Biden, for surely the alternative was to abandon democracy in this country in my lifetime; I regret that any American President was faced with a no-win decision such as Afghanistan, in which there are no perfect solutions.
Twenty years ago, when we first deployed to Afghanistan, we could have foretold the outcome we’ll witness in the coming weeks. We foolishly did just as the Russians did before us, and painted ourselves into a proverbial corner, over two decades and under the guidance of five administrations, until finally, we simply ran out of moves.
So, let’s not be suddenly surprised or feign disappointment at the outcome. The rent’s come due and it’s time to pay for our mistakes. From our first day on Afghan soil, we had no idea what our mission was, no clearly defined objectives.
And it now appears that we’ll all rush in to blame Joe Biden for everything. We’ve become so “tribal” that we’ll sacrifice one of our own, rather than respond as one country, united, and unapologetic for having meant well in our efforts to support the Afghan people in their desire for better lives, while also taking some mis-steps along the way.
For all the world watching this drama unfold in Afghanistan, are we really going to cannibalize our leaders in the media and serve each other up as a way of venting our petty political differences, or are we going to emerge from this week of courageous efforts to save our embattled allies, proud as Americans, a people who have always stood for the rights and freedoms of our neighbors around the globe, wherever human rights were being violated? Are we really going to trample on this moment of sublime heroism by so many of our folks, just to score a day’s worth of political headlines?
I want the world to see the America in which I grew up, the same one my father fought for, the same one I wish for my grandchildren, an America that’s united, indomitable, dedicated to freedom, indivisible, and always, a symbol of hope eternal.