If you can overlook the total indifference to the vast majority of the lives at stake, the obsession with U.S. lives (but avoidance of fact that most U.S. military deaths are suicides, often after withdrawal from a war), and the pretense of innocently stumbling into a civil war, this is basically right. It also gives Trump a good deal of credit for locking Biden into partially getting out of Afghanistan, just as Bush forced Obama to partially get out of Iraq.
Biden then moves on to admitting that the war on terrorism has been the opposite of the success he claimed:
"Today, the terrorist threat has metastasized beyond Afghanistan. So, we are repositioning our resources and adapting our counterterrorism posture to meet the threats where they are now significantly higher: in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa."
In the same breath he makes clear that the withdrawal from Afghanistan is only partial:
"But make no mistake: Our military and intelligence leaders are confident they have the capabilities to protect the homeland and our interests from any resurgent terrorist challenge emerging or emanating from Afghanistan. We are developing a counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability that will allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on any direct threats to the United States in the region, and act quickly and decisively if needed."
Here we have the pretense that the wars follow the spontaneous generation of terrorism, rather than stimulating it. This is followed quickly by an expression of eagerness for other wars elsewhere despite the absence of any terrorism:
"And we also need to focus on shoring up America's core strengths to meet the strategic competition with China and other nations that is really going to determine determine our future."
Biden closes by repeately thanking the troops for the "service" of wrecking Afghanistan, pretending Native Americans are not people and the wars on them not real and the war on Afghanistan the United States' longest, and asking God to bless and protect and so on.
What could make such a presidential speech look good? The revolting reporters who ask questions aftrwards, of course! Here are some of their questions:
"Do you trust the Taliban, Mr. President? Do you trust the Taliban, sir?"
"Your own intelligence community has assessed that the Afghan government will likely collapse."
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