Antony Blinken’s 10 Words

 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spent two days testifying before Congress and the most important takeaway is summarized in just ten words he spoke.  When asked by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) what plans for a future Afghanistan evacuation had been passed along to the administration from its predecessor, Blinken replied:

“We inherited a deadline, we did not inherit a plan.”

So, as Obama liked to say, “to be clear” Blinken confirmed that the idea of leaving Afghanistan, popular with upwards of 70% of Americans, was inherited from the Trump administration. The botched exit plan was entirely of the Biden administration’s design and execution.

Remember that in 2022 and 2024.

Published in General
This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the recommendation of Ricochet members. Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 27 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. Mark Camp Member
    Mark Camp
    @MarkCamp

    Benevolus: So, as Obama liked to say, “to be clear” Blinken confirmed that the idea of leaving Afghanistan, popular with upwards of 70% of Americans, was inherited from the Trump administration.

    Benevolus,

    There is a difference between a “deadline” and an “idea”. 

    You didn’t read what he said. 

    He said they inherited a “deadline“.

    • #1
  2. BDB Inactive
    BDB
    @BDB

    The deadline was so amazingly NOT top secret that it was all over the press even before the coup.

    How could there not have been a plan?  The military *literally* lives and dies by plans!

    Here’s a possibility:  They never planned, because they never believed, because they knew that either the coup would be successful, or that Afghanistan would be the least of their concerns.

    I’ve been saying (mostly other places, sorry, I wasn’t here) that the military is absolutely sold to / in bed with the deep state.  As individuals, no.  But as an arm of our goernment — Hell yes.

    • #2
  3. Mark Camp Member
    Mark Camp
    @MarkCamp

    BDB (View Comment):

    The deadline was so amazingly NOT top secret that it was all over the press even before the coup.

    How could there not have been a plan? The military *literally* lives and dies by plans!

    Here’s a possibility: They never planned, because they never believed, because they knew that either the coup would be successful, or that Afghanistan would be the least of their concerns.

    I’ve been saying (mostly other places, sorry, I wasn’t here) that the military is absolutely sold to / in bed with the deep state. As individuals, no. But as an arm of our goernment — Hell yes.

    When Bagram was abandoned in the middle of the night without notice to our allies, with hundreds or thousands of Americans, and tens of thousands of SIVs and other supporters, still behind enemy lines and subject to repression, confinement in Afghanistan, up to and including being hunted down as we speak in house to house searches, torture, and murder of themselves and their wives and children, it could not possibly have been caused by the military’s, and Joe Biden’s surprise over the speed of the enemy’s victory, as Sec’y Blinken tonight repeated.

    That would imply that when Bagram was abandoned, Joe Biden did not know that our military had been defeated.

    But everyone knew, including Joe Biden and his military advisors.

    • #3
  4. Retail Lawyer Member
    Retail Lawyer
    @RetailLawyer

    Often, an inheriting son must make his own way in the world.  And, rarely, a son can refuse his inheritance. 

    • #4
  5. BDB Inactive
    BDB
    @BDB

    Mark Camp (View Comment):

    BDB (View Comment):

    The deadline was so amazingly NOT top secret that it was all over the press even before the coup.

    How could there not have been a plan? The military *literally* lives and dies by plans!

    Here’s a possibility: They never planned, because they never believed, because they knew that either the coup would be successful, or that Afghanistan would be the least of their concerns.

    I’ve been saying (mostly other places, sorry, I wasn’t here) that the military is absolutely sold to / in bed with the deep state. As individuals, no. But as an arm of our goernment — Hell yes.

    When Bagram was abandoned in the middle of the night without notice to our allies, with hundreds or thousands of Americans, and tens of thousands of SIVs and other supporters, still behind enemy lines and subject to repression, confinement in Afghanistan, up to and including being hunted down as we speak in house to house searches, torture, and murder of themselves and their wives and children, it could not possibly have been caused by the military’s, and Joe Biden’s surprise over the speed of the enemy’s victory, as Sec’y Blinken tonight repeated.

    That would imply that when Bagram was abandoned, Joe Biden did not know that our military had been defeated.

    But everyone knew, including Joe Biden and his military advisors.

    I have no idea what you are talking about.

    • #5
  6. BDB Inactive
    BDB
    @BDB

    Retail Lawyer (View Comment):

    Often, an inheriting son must make his own way in the world. And, rarely, a son can refuse his inheritance.

    “No son of mine!”  :-)

    • #6
  7. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    Mark Camp (View Comment):

    Benevolus: So, as Obama liked to say, “to be clear” Blinken confirmed that the idea of leaving Afghanistan, popular with upwards of 70% of Americans, was inherited from the Trump administration.

    Benevolus,

    There is a difference between a “deadline” and an “idea”.

    You didn’t read what he said.

    He said they inherited a “deadline“.

    The so-called inherited deadline was discarded.  A new and firm deadline was set (Sept. 11 and changed to Aug. 31),  And the Biden administration had 7 months to formulate a plan.  I say, they formulated a plan, followed their plan, and that plan included 64 million dollars toward the Taliban after the withdrawal.  This did not happen by an unexpected weather event. It took months to organize.

    • #7
  8. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Several pundits have pointed out the Biden administration has already changed everything Trump did, so why do they insist “We inherited a deadline”?

    The truth is too easy – even if you don’t have a plan, suspend the deadline until you make a plan, then change the deadline as necessary.

    • #8
  9. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    In fairness, the sun was in Joe’s eyes. 

    • #9
  10. JosePluma, Local Man of Mystery Coolidge
    JosePluma, Local Man of Mystery
    @JosePluma

    So the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump didn’t have a plan?  What was he dong, playing pinochle?  Who was that idiot?  Oh. . .

    • #10
  11. Kozak Member
    Kozak
    @Kozak

    I have zero problem with Trumps negotiated deadline for withdrawal.   It was far past time to remove ourselves from that cr@phole.

    The Biden admin had  8 months to prepare for that.

    Their failure was of epic proportions.  It’s all on them.

    • #11
  12. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    JosePluma, Local Man of Mystery (View Comment):

    So the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump didn’t have a plan? What was he dong, playing pinochle? Who was that idiot? Oh. . .

    He was too busy playing with his ribbons . . .

    • #12
  13. DrewInWisconsin, Oaf Member
    DrewInWisconsin, Oaf
    @DrewInWisconsin

    They inherited a deadline, and then they moved that deadline.

    Then had no plan.

    • #13
  14. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Excuse me, but the withdrawal was not a failure in the administration’s eyes.  It was one more point on their way to diminishing and humiliating America, the country they hate.  They wanted this.

    • #14
  15. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    TBA (View Comment):

    In fairness, the sun was in Joe’s eyes.

    Or maybe brain-freeze from all the ice cream.

    • #15
  16. Gazpacho Grande' Coolidge
    Gazpacho Grande'
    @ChrisCampion

    Blinken’s just covering his *ss, or trying to.

    Once the keys get handed over, it’s on you.

    Secondly – the administration immediately started undoing the plans of the prior administration, in the form of policies, and trumpeted that fact during the campaign and as it was happening.

    So:  Tell me more about your administration’s needs to have the prior administration provide you with plans for how to do the work your campaign wanted more than anything in the world to do, because you yourselves can’t make your own plans?

    Yeesh.  Following in Barry’s footsteps, any bad outcome can easily be blamed on prior administrations, and the press won’t push back on it much, if at all.

    Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.

    • #16
  17. Old Bathos Member
    Old Bathos
    @OldBathos

    Funny that a non-binding target date was the only Trump policy that Team Biden chose to keep. Claiming that Trump’s target date was the cause of the fiasco might even be the single biggest lie in a large collection of Biden/Blinken lies about Afghanistan. It is so lame, so silly that most adults would be too ashamed to offer such an excuse.  I couldn’t do my homework because the kid who sat in this desk last year often didn’t do his.

    • #17
  18. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    This would never have happened if Joe Biden was President.

    • #18
  19. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    Old Bathos (View Comment): It is so lame, so silly that most adults would be too ashamed to offer such an excuse.

    Yes, if they were intellectually serious about it. But they are not.

    This is all performance art as scripted for the megaphones in the press to repeat endlessly for the intellectually feeble and willing to be led around by the nose masses…those who know current events and history only by the officially sanctioned narrative. That is how you get comments like this:

    Trump’s behavior after the election was clearly so erratic, that it was prudent for Milley to intervene.

    and this:

    I was terrified that Trump would try to declare martial law or would start a war between the election and January 20th, especially after the capitol riot on January 6th.

    [Emphasis added]

    The “actors” know exactly what they are doing. The questions from that side of the aisle are planted and they perform the response as planned. Those without the capability of critical, rational thoughts of their own just gobble it up…then puke it back out into our neighborhood comment sections.

    • #19
  20. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    philo (View Comment):

    Old Bathos (View Comment): It is so lame, so silly that most adults would be too ashamed to offer such an excuse.

    Yes, if they were intellectually serious about it. But they are not.

    This is all performance art as scripted for the megaphones in the press to repeat endlessly for the intellectually feeble and willing to be led around by the nose masses…those who know current events and history only by the officially sanctioned narrative. That is how you get comments like this:

    Trump’s behavior after the election was clearly so erratic, that it was prudent for Milley to intervene.

    and this:

    I was terrified that Trump would try to declare martial law or would start a war between the election and January 20th, especially after the capitol riot on January 6th.

    [Emphasis added]

    The “actors” know exactly what they are doing. The questions from that side of the aisle are planted and they perform the response as planned. Those without the capability of critical, rational thoughts of their own just gobble it up…then puke it back out into our neighborhood comment sections.

    These are sort of such nonsensical, emotionally hysterical quotes that they’re unbelievable.  Do you have a link?

    • #20
  21. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    Flicker (View Comment): These are sort of such nonsensical, emotionally hysterical quotes that they’re unbelievable.

    FIFY. 

    The quotes are real, I assure you. Both made here on R> within the last 48 hours. Taken at face value they are exactly as you describe. And, as you know, we are forced into that conclusion because to think otherwise would be against the Code of Conduct (i.e. it would violate the mandated presumption of members conversing in good faith).

    Flicker (View Comment): Do you have a link?

    I do but will not supply it here. This is not about the patient person, it is about the phenomenon. 

    • #21
  22. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    philo (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment): These are sort of such nonsensical, emotionally hysterical quotes that they’re unbelievable.

    FIFY.

    The quotes are real, I assure you. Both made here on R> within the last 48 hours. Taken at face value they are exactly as you describe. And, as you know, we are forced into that conclusion because to think otherwise would be against the Code of Conduct (i.e. it would violate the mandated presumption of members conversing in good faith).

    Flicker (View Comment): Do you have a link?

    I do but will not supply it here. This is not about the patient person, it is about the phenomenon.

    I believe it is a commonly acknowledged custom of the CoC to provide links to quotes upon request.  I will have to flag this comment.  I would say I’m sorry, but it’s the law.

    • #22
  23. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    Flicker (View Comment):

    philo (View Comment):

    Flicker (View Comment): These are sort of such nonsensical, emotionally hysterical quotes that they’re unbelievable.

    FIFY.

    The quotes are real, I assure you. Both made here on R> within the last 48 hours. Taken at face value they are exactly as you describe. And, as you know, we are forced into that conclusion because to think otherwise would be against the Code of Conduct (i.e. it would violate the mandated presumption of members conversing in good faith).

    Flicker (View Comment): Do you have a link?

    I do but will not supply it here. This is not about the patient person, it is about the phenomenon.

    I believe it is a commonly acknowledged custom of the CoC to provide links to quotes upon request. I will have to flag this comment. I would say I’m sorry, but it’s the law.

    Most of my legal advisors tell me that you are likely correct but I have decided to continue to withhold the links anyway. By the time this works its way through the kangaroo court process this post will have passed off of the first page and out of everyone’s memory. (A risky strategy, I know, for someone with two R> strikes already but that’s the kind of guy I am.)

    • #23
  24. She Member
    She
    @She

    BDB (View Comment):
    I’ve been saying (mostly other places, sorry, I wasn’t here) that the military is absolutely sold to / in bed with the deep state.  As individuals, no.  But as an arm of our goernment — Hell yes.

    I’ve always thought that the term “deep state” included the military in its definition, and that that’s been commonly implied ever since it came into parlance in the US shortly after Trump’s election in 2016.  Not, as you say, as individuals.  But because it’s become just another governmental behemoth with its own political agenda.  I believe the term dates back several more decades–to Turkey, IINM.

    • #24
  25. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    She (View Comment):

    BDB (View Comment):
    I’ve been saying (mostly other places, sorry, I wasn’t here) that the military is absolutely sold to / in bed with the deep state. As individuals, no. But as an arm of our goernment — Hell yes.

    I’ve always thought that the term “deep state” included the military in its definition, and that that’s been commonly implied ever since it came into parlance in the US shortly after Trump’s election in 2016. Not, as you say, as individuals. But because it’s become just another governmental behemoth with its own political agenda. I believe the term dates back several more decades–to Turkey, IINM.

    The military used to be insulated from the Deep State but they have disease-ridden bedfellows now. 

    • #25
  26. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    More than likely they didn’t want to follow Trump’s plan, because it had conditions.

    “We don’t need no stinkin’ conditions!”

    • #26
  27. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    She (View Comment):

    BDB (View Comment):
    I’ve been saying (mostly other places, sorry, I wasn’t here) that the military is absolutely sold to / in bed with the deep state. As individuals, no. But as an arm of our goernment — Hell yes.

    I’ve always thought that the term “deep state” included the military in its definition, and that that’s been commonly implied ever since it came into parlance in the US shortly after Trump’s election in 2016. Not, as you say, as individuals. But because it’s become just another governmental behemoth with its own political agenda. I believe the term dates back several more decades–to Turkey, IINM.

    Deep State was originally the OSS/CIA coordinating with backdoor, existing power structures, including local bureaucrats, the mafia and gangs.

    • #27
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.