Biden Uses Speech To Try to Regain Command of Afghanistan Narrative
President appeared to take more command of situation, but this is the "biggest crisis of his presidency and it’s not over yet.”
President Biden once again spoke to the American people from the White House Friday on the events unfolding in Afghanistan, hoping to convince that progress is being made and that US citizens are being evacuated in something resembling a safe and orderly way.
It was the second time in a week Biden had addressed the nation in such a manner on the events in Afghanistan.
He had begun to come under blistering criticism, by the end of week, from both Democrats and Republicans over his handling of the fast disintegration of conditions in Afghanistan after brutal and oppressive Taliban fighters completed their sweep of conquest by taking the country's capital city of Kabul.
The president had to send thousands of US troops back into Afghanistan just weeks after American forces completed their withdrawal after nearly 20 years of occupying the country.
Americans have been bombarded all week with heart-wrenching scenes of desperate Afghan nationals trying to escape.
“Since I spoke to you on Monday, we’ve made significant progress. We have secured the airport, enabling flights to resume. Not just military flights, but civilian charters and other — from other countries and the NGOs taking out civilians and vulnerable Afghans,” Biden said.
The United States has almost 6,000 troops on the ground, including the 82nd Airborne providing runway security, the Army 10th Mountain Division guarding the area around the Kabul airport, and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit assisting the civilian departure, Biden said.
“This is one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history. And the only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision is the United States of America,” he said.
The US government has already evacuated more than 18,000 people since July and approximately 13,000 since its military airlift began on August 14. Thousands more have been evacuated on private charter flights facilitated by the US government, Biden said.
Those numbers include American citizens, permanent residents, their families — as well as those Afghans who have worked and served with US troops and diplomats, such as translators and interpreters.
“The United States stands by its commitment that we’ve made to these people, and it includes other vulnerable Afghans, such as women leaders and journalists,” the president said.
Included in the evacuees this week were all 204 employees of the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, via U.S. military aircraft, he added.
“More in command”
And Biden seemed to accomplish at least much of what he was hoping to accomplish with the address from the East Room, according to CNN's chief national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny.
“Victor, I think there is no question that President Biden was more in command of this chaos in Afghanistan than we have seen him really for more than a week publicly,” Zeleny said. “He said very clearly, any American who wants to come home will be able to come home and then authorized — saying he will use any resources necessary, and left the door open to the possibility of staying beyond his self-imposed deadline, and actually left several other spaces open for command decisions on the ground there … so perhaps more has been going on than the military leaders have left us to believe.
“But, from the president’s point of view, one goal, I have been told by White House officials, was to try and get off his heels, if you will, to try and get on offense and show that they are indeed in control of this,” Zeleny added. “But he also said at the outset that this is still a very dangerous operation. He made that very clear, and with an uncertain ending. So, without question, this was a president that we have really not seen for the last several days. He’s refused a couple different times to take questions on this. So, again, trying to at least reset the conversation.
“And he did say there will be time for a second-guessing later. And, of course, there will be. But by standing there in the East Room with, of course, his vice president, but as well his top Pentagon commander, Secretary Lloyd Austin, as well as the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, making clear that he does have their full confidence and their support,” he said. “So that was all by design to show that this president is indeed in charge of this, also canceling his trip today. He was supposed to be on a plane right now to Wilmington to spend an August weekend there. He’s staying here at the White House to manage this, because, no question about it, this is still the biggest crisis of his presidency and it’s not over yet.”
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