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What can we say? Frustration has a way of concentrating the mind, and this week we've got one word: Afghanistan. Victor Davis Hanson joins us to talk about our absurd administration and its pathetic priorities. Then national security correspondent Eli Lake joins us to speak on the Taliban, Biden's "return to normal" on the world stage and his moral illiteracy. The fellas also have a chance to muse on the tug-of-war of nation-building versus our security interests, along with the question of what America's choice will be regarding its role as the leader of the free world. We'd be interested in what Ricochet members think. Let us know in the comments!
Music from this week's podcast: Bad Decisions by The Strokes
James Lileks
Peter Robinson
Rob Long
Eli Lake
Discussion (51)
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Wow, no wonder they always try to show Biden facing forward. He's got a "bald spot" bigger than my whole head!
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I have another answer to Peter's last question to VDH about whether Biden's utter failure to carry out a coherent, coordinated and planned withdrawal from Afghanistan and instead surrendering the country in such a rapid way to the Taliban has more global ramifications, much more so than Jimmy Carter's ineptness with the Iranian hostage failure.
Yes, it has more dire ramifications particularly with the security and stability of nations in the Pacific theater - specifically Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, etc.
Today Japan and Taiwan announced first-ever talks to discuss their joint-security.
This clearly is a result of Japan and Taiwan watching the chaos enfolding in Kabul over the last week that was a direct result from Biden's reckless actions and inactions, especially shutting down Bagram Air Base, withdrawing air support from Afghan's Security Forces, curtailing surveillance of Taliban advances in the southern and eastern provinces, and essentially gifting billions of dollars of taxpayer-funded American military equipment to the Taliban - Blackhawk helicopters, Humvees, weaponry, munitions, sophisticated communications and targeting systems, drones, etc.
Biden's failure, as well as, the cowardice on display from the Secretary of Defense Austin, General Milley, and other generals - not to act as proper soldiers but to cower to the cognitively-challenged Joe Biden and not demand that Bagram stay open and that military assets remain secure, etc. have just made the world a much more dangerous place. One should assume that Putin and his military high command are dusting off and re-examining their various scenarios on moving into Ukraine and possibly even testing the borders on the Baltic States.
Update: My sense is that this is what Peter was trying to tease out of VDH when he asked the question, since Peter is no slouch when it comes to world affairs and the historical threats from our adversaries.
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Hey, @PeterRobinson ?
All that stuff the left assured us about Biden and how he'd be surrounded by professionals, etc?
they were lying.
I hope you're not "shocked" again.
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Oh, and Peter, the MSM's "Iraq didn't have WMD" narrative has been debunked too, not counting those they sent out to Iran, Syria, etc, before the invasion.
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That's True. But it's also easy to miss even though it's been well documented.
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