Absolutely. And if he only did that to one side of the political spectrum, he would be a joke, and those who supported his abuse of that right would be worthy of derision.
I don't think Biden's Afghanistan blunder had anything to do with his age. I think Afghanistan is a blind spot for him.
The following are things I've read in mainstream sources (CNN, Reuters, BBC, etc):
-Biden has an unshakable belief that withdrawing the US from Afghanistan as quickly as possible is the correct decision
-Biden has filled his team with advisors that share this belief
-Biden is generally tolerant of debate but will shut it down quick when it's something he feels knowledgeable on, especially foreign policy
These things are a recipe for disaster. It's how you get a President acting as if the world is how he wants it to be and not how it is. Biden's strong belief in withdrawal makes it difficult for him to see the risks and downside. Advisors would normally be able to help him by pointing those out but he's picked people that agree with him on this. Anyone who might speak up wont as this is a topic Biden would likely shut down discussion on.
So instead of paying attention to the warning bells, listening to those sounding the alarm, and having contingencies in place, Biden moved forward as if the withdrawal would go off flawlessly and was caught shocked and flat footed when it didn't. It's not terribly dissimilar to how we got into this situation. Instead of the belief in withdrawal we had a belief in nation building.
I would buy tech stocks just to vote for him if Sav ever ran for CEO of one of those companies. He's the hero we need.
He's going to be in New York soon. I'm going to take him out to a nice Italian restaurant as a thank you for all he does. OK. That's enough sappiness out of me.
(But he aint meeting my daughter).
Huh.
[tw]1427612488124751883[/tw]
Watch: Trump says U.S. can’t afford ‘hasty’ withdrawal from Afghanistan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSiTKl6fB2g&feature=youtu.be
The PBS summary for the video says In a prime-time address to the nation, Trump said his “original instinct was to pull out.” Since taking office, Trump said, he’d determined that approach could create a vacuum that terrorists including al-Qaida and the Islamic State could “instantly fill.”
Relevant content starts around the 6:30 mark.
He was not wrong.
He has a very high regard for his own intelligence and expertise. When that is unwarranted, it can lead to bad results.
I compare it to being in a car with someone who can't read a map but insists on telling everyone what to do (pre GPS days).
If you look at his advisers, is there someone who can talk to him as a peer. I don't think so. Not in foreign policy/national security.
Huh.
[tw]1427612488124751883[/tw]
Watch: Trump says U.S. can’t afford ‘hasty’ withdrawal from Afghanistan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSiTKl6fB2g&feature=youtu.be
The PBS summary for the video says In a prime-time address to the nation, Trump said his “original instinct was to pull out.” Since taking office, Trump said, he’d determined that approach could create a vacuum that terrorists including al-Qaida and the Islamic State could “instantly fill.”
Relevant content starts around the 6:30 mark.
He was not wrong.
I really would like to have seen McCain as President. Probably the best candidate in the past 30 years who never won.