This is one of the gravest disasters but not the worst. We still have almost three and a half years of incompetent and weak leadership for the worst to be realized. That event being when China, because of the weakness signaled by the President (and our Joint Chiefs Chairman along with our Secretary of State), decides it can retake Taiwan with little or no consequence. It is going to be a foreign policy crisis first and foremost but then also an economic crisis. Most likely it will be a black swan event for the stock market, followed shortly by a recession. God help us all if it becomes an actual war.
I’m in tears at this story and overwhelmed at how heroic and brave humans can be. Ms Weiss, THANK YOU for leaving your prestigious NYT post… you’ve brought to light these stories, true journalism. I hope and pray you know the blessing of your own courage.
Biased comment .....after a 20 year war bringing democracy to a 5th century Country. All Media along R and D both pushed this failure. No finger pointing though until they get their Golden Parachute. We have a government (national and local) that can't solve even simple problems like clean water and air problems. Corruption (pay to Play) is our cancer. Shame hangs over us
I agree that corruption is a problem and Uniparty shares the blame. However, Uniparty and Biden supporters allowed illegitimate regime to ascend to power - and we are paying the price. President Trump would not allow these atrocities to happen - he is not perfect, but he does love America and have common sense. Current regime lacks both.
True tragedy! I beg for anyone who can help to do so. I’m amazed at how the true leaders emerge and just Get It Done quietly and with no acclaim or credit while the self righteous “leaders” fiddle while Rome burns. Ms Esther Joy King: you’re a perfect example !
Biden et al have already started “polishing the turd” and the MSM will get to work in their echo chambers programming the masses that he did something great.
It was a clumsy, botched execution of an exit that cost precious lives. Even IF the decision to exit from Afghanistan had received honest, open debate and decision making, it’s execution was moronic. I suspect that after the stupid fumbles at the front end Joe was told to let the military salvage the operation as best they could and told “Joe, just read our numbers out each day. You can claim that you engineered it but just leave us to do our job”.
The only way to make this debacle worse would be for the voters to let the revisionists and spin doctors make them forget or lose sight of this bloody stain in the 2022 & 2024 elections.
As a first generation immigrant who naturalized many years ago, I found this administration's behavior appalling and terrifying. In the past, holding a US passport meant our government got our backs. (Recall how Trump flew people back from China at the beginning of Covid.) In this case, our government abandoned our own citizens, along with our allies! Who will ever work with us again? How can I feel safe visiting a non-NATO country as a US citizen?
Bari you are right...where you were born and who you knew could change your life. My own life was forever changed for the better because of these factors, and I am grateful. I want to vote for the people who want Americans to be safe.
Sorry to be harsh, but every Biden voter who voted for him because of their hatred of Trump has blood on their hands. It was you who put this person unfit for duty on the seat, and I am afraid this is only the beginning.
Joe Biden has blood on his hands and we must never forget or forgive. The blood is also on the hands of his minions in the military, NSA and state departments and the DNC media who enabled this fiasco. It’s on the hands of the republicans that voted to confirm his appointments like Blinken and AA Austin. And it’s on the hands of anybody who voted for Biden. Everyone knew what he was like, that he was senile and mean spirited and not that bright and racist and yet they couldn’t handle mean tweets. Shame.
The "mean tweets" concern seems especially stupid if you actually compare the tweets that emanate from public figures on the Left and the Right. The Left has always been meaner, especially when you consider that Twitter censors anything from the Right that compares to the meanness of left-wing tweets that are often amplified.
Agree with everything except the "anybody who voted for Biden". I'm going to guess that 90% of them are aghast at this and really did not think this could happen.
I knew he was all of those things, and arrogant to boot. But I know good people who voted for him.
Yes. I know good people who voted for Biden. I deeply disagreed with them but could say very little. Why ? Because it was downright fashionable, virtuous to rail about how horrible Orange Man was, but publicly unforgivable to criticize Biden who was clearly into early dementia.
And even when I had a few times that loved ones would want to understand why I supported Trump -warts and all- as the least objectionable choice they truly didn’t know what I was talking about.
ALL of their info came from Facebook, CNN, etc. they never heard of Hunter Biden, Burisma, laptop, how so many strings of accusations against Trump had been disproven (Mueller Report…). The truth had been all hidden from them and they could only look at me quizzically.
So that’s what you get from a dishonest media with almost total control over information and an agenda. Good people will make bad decisions when fed bad information (and especially when that’s fed to them in their echo chamber).
If you’re having a hard time understanding me now please take one tiny sample (of many hundreds) and go look up what Trump ACTUALLY said at Charlottesville. Don’t watch a CNN or YouTube clip (they were edited). Read the actual statement with an open mind.
Reminds me: Thank You Bari, and the actual journalists who want to breathe life back into journalism.
My condolences for the loss of your father. He would be proud though of how you think for yourself and have open eyes about what this country was built on. If more people would really learn how much of the world’s history the country’s founders had studied and worked out and negotiated amongst each other, respecting many different points of view, they would see why diverse thinking is so critical.
We’re at a critical point where Big Brother Tech is trying to achieve a total lock on information and declaring Thought Crimes. This site is a key front for helping ensure that you and I can vote and elect Government that truly represents us.
I know good people who voted for him - but good people do sin. We all do. Sins have consequences. Arrogant good people risk ending up with blood on their hands.
What about W and his "Chicken Hawk" Admin sending Humvees without armor ? 5 dollar IEDs maimed and killed our kids...No basic Military preparation or understanding facts on the ground. The Troops were welding steel plates themselves .......F'ed Up from Day one. Like Reagan did in Lebanon we needed to turn around ASAP. Shame on Us
I'm still trying to get a family of 7 out. I've lost hope with the state department. I've called in every hail Mary I have. without question they qualify for the special parole visa (but not SIV) if anyone sees this and can help. They are being hunted.
Why didn’t they use Bagram? Why didn’t they expand a secured perimeter around the Kabul airport? Why did they treat our NATO partners with such contempt? Why did they leave Americans and Afghani allies behind? Why did they leave so many armaments behind?
Why didn’t they plan at all?
Anthony Blinken just announced that Afghanistan is beginning “a new chapter.” While he was saying these words there was a video trending of the Taliban hanging an Afghani by the neck from an American helicopter as it hovered over Kabul.
The current state department has no spine or accountability. They consistently make the wrong and counter-intuitive decisions. It's simply awful to watch.
This is just devastating and heartbreaking to read. I can’t imagine the desperation so many people we suddenly abandoned are now experiencing. The U.S. exit was irresponsible beyond words. I am so embarrassed for our country. As they say, “Salaam Allekoum” - may God be with them all.
“I think that what we’re seeing now, is Joe and the administration are essentially finishing the job. And I think it’ll be an interesting test. Ninety percent of the folks who were there in my administration, they are continuing and building on the policies we talked about”
It is Barack Obama.
(quote is Obama from NYT interview with Ezra Klein)
Bari, my wife and I were discussing the MS St Louis the other night as we watched some of the news about the people of Afghanistan who wanted to come to America SIMPLY TO STAY ALIVE. That is the analogy that best fits the past two weeks. Thanks for pointing it out.
I just went to Afghan Evac via the link in the article and it links to a bunch of organizations where one can donate. I am pretty sure that some are doing more than others in this specific crisis. Can you please vet these for us and make one or two recommendations? I do not want to support a bureaucracy that sounds good but is ineffective.
<i>“ I’ve been thinking a lot these past two weeks about luck. The luck of where we are born. The luck of the parents we are born to. And, right now, the luck of who we know.”</i>
This is a bewildering thought process to me; I simply don’t understand. I don’t feel lucky for having great parents but grateful. I don’t feel lucky for being born in the US but grateful. I don’t feel lucky for getting a solid education but grateful.
These are radically different views and I simply don’t understand the one based on “lucky”.
I had no control over my conception. I had no control over where I was born. I had no control over who my parents were. Luck assumes I could have been born in the Amazon but that is a lie. I could ONLY have been born from my parents at a specified date, time and place. Any other combination would not have been me but someone else.
I can ONLY feel grateful for my situation of having great parents, a good upbringing and a solid education. Not lucky.
Uhm, I don’t know how solid your logic is and I sure can’t argue with you about how you feel. I call it lucky if I’m not excluded from making a good life for myself, and grateful afterwards if I DID get that benefit. But I’ll bet if you were born somewhere like Afghanistan, worked hard all your life to scratch out a life for yourself and maybe a small family, followed what your “leaders” (like say -Hamid Karzai) told you, and then watched them fold like a cheap tent leaving you or your loved ones in fear for their lives (as in the recording in the article) that you’d feel mighty UNlucky. Maybe you can interpret “Lucky” from that.
For me, I feel mighty lucky that I was born here. We have our own faults but they pale in comparison to a lot of the rest of the world and history. And to be protected by people who will give life and limb to preserve our freedom is downright lucky in my book. THANK YOU to those who have served !
This is one of the gravest disasters in our history. But the worst of it is how little the leftist virtue signallers really care.
This is one of the gravest disasters but not the worst. We still have almost three and a half years of incompetent and weak leadership for the worst to be realized. That event being when China, because of the weakness signaled by the President (and our Joint Chiefs Chairman along with our Secretary of State), decides it can retake Taiwan with little or no consequence. It is going to be a foreign policy crisis first and foremost but then also an economic crisis. Most likely it will be a black swan event for the stock market, followed shortly by a recession. God help us all if it becomes an actual war.
"We are not the Cops of the World" Especially when the Bad Actors have nukes.
I’m in tears at this story and overwhelmed at how heroic and brave humans can be. Ms Weiss, THANK YOU for leaving your prestigious NYT post… you’ve brought to light these stories, true journalism. I hope and pray you know the blessing of your own courage.
Yes!
Melissa Chen - thank you and the others involved in rescue efforts.
All I can say - #BidenMustResign . He, his regime, and frankly his voters have blood on their hands.
Biased comment .....after a 20 year war bringing democracy to a 5th century Country. All Media along R and D both pushed this failure. No finger pointing though until they get their Golden Parachute. We have a government (national and local) that can't solve even simple problems like clean water and air problems. Corruption (pay to Play) is our cancer. Shame hangs over us
I agree that corruption is a problem and Uniparty shares the blame. However, Uniparty and Biden supporters allowed illegitimate regime to ascend to power - and we are paying the price. President Trump would not allow these atrocities to happen - he is not perfect, but he does love America and have common sense. Current regime lacks both.
True tragedy! I beg for anyone who can help to do so. I’m amazed at how the true leaders emerge and just Get It Done quietly and with no acclaim or credit while the self righteous “leaders” fiddle while Rome burns. Ms Esther Joy King: you’re a perfect example !
Biden et al have already started “polishing the turd” and the MSM will get to work in their echo chambers programming the masses that he did something great.
It was a clumsy, botched execution of an exit that cost precious lives. Even IF the decision to exit from Afghanistan had received honest, open debate and decision making, it’s execution was moronic. I suspect that after the stupid fumbles at the front end Joe was told to let the military salvage the operation as best they could and told “Joe, just read our numbers out each day. You can claim that you engineered it but just leave us to do our job”.
The only way to make this debacle worse would be for the voters to let the revisionists and spin doctors make them forget or lose sight of this bloody stain in the 2022 & 2024 elections.
As a first generation immigrant who naturalized many years ago, I found this administration's behavior appalling and terrifying. In the past, holding a US passport meant our government got our backs. (Recall how Trump flew people back from China at the beginning of Covid.) In this case, our government abandoned our own citizens, along with our allies! Who will ever work with us again? How can I feel safe visiting a non-NATO country as a US citizen?
Bari you are right...where you were born and who you knew could change your life. My own life was forever changed for the better because of these factors, and I am grateful. I want to vote for the people who want Americans to be safe.
Sorry to be harsh, but every Biden voter who voted for him because of their hatred of Trump has blood on their hands. It was you who put this person unfit for duty on the seat, and I am afraid this is only the beginning.
May God bless us all.
Impressive response from individuals and organizations. Amazing what free people are doing vice our bloated corrupt government.
Joe Biden has blood on his hands and we must never forget or forgive. The blood is also on the hands of his minions in the military, NSA and state departments and the DNC media who enabled this fiasco. It’s on the hands of the republicans that voted to confirm his appointments like Blinken and AA Austin. And it’s on the hands of anybody who voted for Biden. Everyone knew what he was like, that he was senile and mean spirited and not that bright and racist and yet they couldn’t handle mean tweets. Shame.
The "mean tweets" concern seems especially stupid if you actually compare the tweets that emanate from public figures on the Left and the Right. The Left has always been meaner, especially when you consider that Twitter censors anything from the Right that compares to the meanness of left-wing tweets that are often amplified.
The left and the dnc media, but I repeat myself, have always been in the business of gaslighting and propaganda. I don’t believe a word they ever say.
Agree with everything except the "anybody who voted for Biden". I'm going to guess that 90% of them are aghast at this and really did not think this could happen.
I knew he was all of those things, and arrogant to boot. But I know good people who voted for him.
Yes. I know good people who voted for Biden. I deeply disagreed with them but could say very little. Why ? Because it was downright fashionable, virtuous to rail about how horrible Orange Man was, but publicly unforgivable to criticize Biden who was clearly into early dementia.
And even when I had a few times that loved ones would want to understand why I supported Trump -warts and all- as the least objectionable choice they truly didn’t know what I was talking about.
ALL of their info came from Facebook, CNN, etc. they never heard of Hunter Biden, Burisma, laptop, how so many strings of accusations against Trump had been disproven (Mueller Report…). The truth had been all hidden from them and they could only look at me quizzically.
So that’s what you get from a dishonest media with almost total control over information and an agenda. Good people will make bad decisions when fed bad information (and especially when that’s fed to them in their echo chamber).
If you’re having a hard time understanding me now please take one tiny sample (of many hundreds) and go look up what Trump ACTUALLY said at Charlottesville. Don’t watch a CNN or YouTube clip (they were edited). Read the actual statement with an open mind.
Reminds me: Thank You Bari, and the actual journalists who want to breathe life back into journalism.
I guess our definition of good people is different. Mine includes being informed.
My condolences for the loss of your father. He would be proud though of how you think for yourself and have open eyes about what this country was built on. If more people would really learn how much of the world’s history the country’s founders had studied and worked out and negotiated amongst each other, respecting many different points of view, they would see why diverse thinking is so critical.
We’re at a critical point where Big Brother Tech is trying to achieve a total lock on information and declaring Thought Crimes. This site is a key front for helping ensure that you and I can vote and elect Government that truly represents us.
Sorry. “Good people” voted for a senile, mean spirited, not that bright racist? I can’t call them good people. And I don’t see 90% speaking out
I know good people who voted for him - but good people do sin. We all do. Sins have consequences. Arrogant good people risk ending up with blood on their hands.
What about W and his "Chicken Hawk" Admin sending Humvees without armor ? 5 dollar IEDs maimed and killed our kids...No basic Military preparation or understanding facts on the ground. The Troops were welding steel plates themselves .......F'ed Up from Day one. Like Reagan did in Lebanon we needed to turn around ASAP. Shame on Us
Ah the dread whataboutism. I agree we should not have been in afghanistan. But we were and blood on his hands Biden needs to be held accountable.
Defeated by IEDs.....is my point. Military and Generals are a national disgrace.
I'm still trying to get a family of 7 out. I've lost hope with the state department. I've called in every hail Mary I have. without question they qualify for the special parole visa (but not SIV) if anyone sees this and can help. They are being hunted.
Why didn’t they use Bagram? Why didn’t they expand a secured perimeter around the Kabul airport? Why did they treat our NATO partners with such contempt? Why did they leave Americans and Afghani allies behind? Why did they leave so many armaments behind?
Why didn’t they plan at all?
Anthony Blinken just announced that Afghanistan is beginning “a new chapter.” While he was saying these words there was a video trending of the Taliban hanging an Afghani by the neck from an American helicopter as it hovered over Kabul.
The current state department has no spine or accountability. They consistently make the wrong and counter-intuitive decisions. It's simply awful to watch.
We left four C130 transport planes behind. Those are the big ones. They have a range of 2300 miles.
Don’t worry, the people who planned the withdrawal have a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive plan to shoot them down if necessary.
This is just devastating and heartbreaking to read. I can’t imagine the desperation so many people we suddenly abandoned are now experiencing. The U.S. exit was irresponsible beyond words. I am so embarrassed for our country. As they say, “Salaam Allekoum” - may God be with them all.
Don't be embarrassed for our country: Half of the country didn't vote for Biden. Even if it was Obama he wouldn't have done this so poorly.
If it was Obama??
“I think that what we’re seeing now, is Joe and the administration are essentially finishing the job. And I think it’ll be an interesting test. Ninety percent of the folks who were there in my administration, they are continuing and building on the policies we talked about”
It is Barack Obama.
(quote is Obama from NYT interview with Ezra Klein)
Bari, my wife and I were discussing the MS St Louis the other night as we watched some of the news about the people of Afghanistan who wanted to come to America SIMPLY TO STAY ALIVE. That is the analogy that best fits the past two weeks. Thanks for pointing it out.
I just went to Afghan Evac via the link in the article and it links to a bunch of organizations where one can donate. I am pretty sure that some are doing more than others in this specific crisis. Can you please vet these for us and make one or two recommendations? I do not want to support a bureaucracy that sounds good but is ineffective.
Great request, Susan.
That ship was turned around by Franklin Delano Roosevelt democrat. Not our country, him.
<i>“ I’ve been thinking a lot these past two weeks about luck. The luck of where we are born. The luck of the parents we are born to. And, right now, the luck of who we know.”</i>
This is a bewildering thought process to me; I simply don’t understand. I don’t feel lucky for having great parents but grateful. I don’t feel lucky for being born in the US but grateful. I don’t feel lucky for getting a solid education but grateful.
These are radically different views and I simply don’t understand the one based on “lucky”.
I had no control over my conception. I had no control over where I was born. I had no control over who my parents were. Luck assumes I could have been born in the Amazon but that is a lie. I could ONLY have been born from my parents at a specified date, time and place. Any other combination would not have been me but someone else.
I can ONLY feel grateful for my situation of having great parents, a good upbringing and a solid education. Not lucky.
Uhm, I don’t know how solid your logic is and I sure can’t argue with you about how you feel. I call it lucky if I’m not excluded from making a good life for myself, and grateful afterwards if I DID get that benefit. But I’ll bet if you were born somewhere like Afghanistan, worked hard all your life to scratch out a life for yourself and maybe a small family, followed what your “leaders” (like say -Hamid Karzai) told you, and then watched them fold like a cheap tent leaving you or your loved ones in fear for their lives (as in the recording in the article) that you’d feel mighty UNlucky. Maybe you can interpret “Lucky” from that.
For me, I feel mighty lucky that I was born here. We have our own faults but they pale in comparison to a lot of the rest of the world and history. And to be protected by people who will give life and limb to preserve our freedom is downright lucky in my book. THANK YOU to those who have served !