Joe Biden appeared resolute and defiant while addressing the fall of Kabul. During his much-awaited address on Monday night, the President stood “squarely behind” his decision to withdraw forces from Afghanistan.
With a confident demeanor and a brisk stride, Biden was quick to blame the events of Afghanistan on the idiocy of former President Donald Trump, and the unwillingness of Afghan troops to wage war against the Taliban.
However, his one-sided stance didn’t sit too well with U.S media houses who took the opportunity to call out the President for his tone-deaf views. A Wall Street Journal editorial repudiated the views of Biden by saying he conveniently declined to play any role in the “botched withdrawal” from Afghanistan.
The piece also commented on Biden’s clever tactics to blame the Afghanistan catastrophe on his three predecessors. While he shifted the onus from one person to another, the only body he didn’t seem to accuse were the Taliban themselves.
While the Wall Street Journal editorial seemed to call out the President directly, the Washington Post chose a polite set of words to speak out what was required: Biden could have consulted several well-informed people, both in and out of his administration.
Additionally, the editorial also pieced an Afghan perspective together- nearly 60,000 civilians had lost their lives in the war that lasted two decades, as compared to the mere 2448 service members who helped them.
The New York Post also mirrored the sentiments of its fellow media houses, willfully scathing the President for being so callous in his remarks.
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan over the past few weeks was an utter catastrophe, for Afghans and world security — and he alone is responsible,” read a well-articulated piece.
But while numerous outlets rebuked Biden for his shallow response, several others defended his stance on the prevalent issue at hand. One such media house was the New York Times, which ardently declared its support for the President.
According to the New York Times, the “calamity cannot be laid alone at President Biden’s feet.” However, the editorial also added that the Biden administration must undertake the necessary steps to “make right” with whatever happened with the Afghanistan withdrawal plan.
