17 thoughts on “Senator Thune on Afghanistan pull out”
I agree with Sen. Thune’s statements. As a veteran, this is a gut punch. Many of my friends and family members served in Iraq and Afghanistan. This was an invitation for disaster, since there was no measured plan for troop withdrawal, based on conditions on the ground. The Taliban leaders said it months/years ago, we will wait out the Americans because they will get tired of this ongoing conflict. (Again, decisions needed to be based on conditions on the ground, not on the calendar.)
Shame on President Biden and his administration for this huge blunder that will cost countless lives of our Afghan friends and supporters and potentially troops helping to evacuate. This, along with our border crisis, only further confirms that Joe Biden and his team do not have what it takes to lead this nation.
As a former soldier, I pledged to protect and defend our nation from all enemies – both foreign and domestic. The Biden administration and its callous actions and idiotic missteps are rapidly killing this country while ignoring those who shed their blood to prevent terrorism on our soil again.
A very sad day indeed for our country and for our allies.
I served a couple times in Afghanistan. I understand that on a website dedicated to the body politic, the intention is going to be to blame the other side for this. But recall: Obama, Trump and Biden all paid lip service to pulling out. Why? Because the American public has very little appetite for long wars. You all demanded we be sent over there and stopped caring in a couple years. America wasn’t at war. The troops were. You all were at malls, calling each other fascists and communists, and overall not appreciating what you have. Well: you all can fight the next war your damn selves. I can’t adequately express how much I can’t stand this nation right now. You broke us, left us with nothing to show for it, and now blame the other side despite clamoring for this yourself mere months ago.
You all deserve each other. Republicans. Democrats. You don’t care about us. You only care about being right and beating your political opponents. Screw you all.
Amen.
You are right. We had ample opportunity during the past two/three administrations to devise a measured plan for troop, advisor and diplomat withdrawal. Yet, too many of our politicians and even military leaders were in to nation building. As I’m sure you observed, in a country that has been fighting amongst themselves for thousands of years, creating a democracy is futile. Thank you for your service.
Yes, but based on conditions on the ground, not by what the calendar states. Biden ignored recommendations from various military advisors, etc. and went at it on his own.
BHB, the liberals/socialists will never admit they did anything wrong; they will say that history will show they were right or that someone else (President Trump) is to blame. liberals/socialists are like children-they are incapable of admitting their mistakes. Actually, some children have the integrity and morals that liberals/socialists don’t.
I agree with our Senator, Black Hills Bob and Anonymous. I am sick about it. Just like Vietnam which I remember well.
There is a saying “it is easy to ride a tiger but how do you get off?”
Our puppet government in Kabul and their paper army could not stand.
Now the victors will fight over the spoils and war will continue.
It was always going to end this way.
Jesus said, “All those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.”
And in the case of this undeclared war, so have well over 40,000 Afghan civilians.
Who defines “terror”? Who defines “torture”? What did our federal government ever accomplish in Afghanistan that was worth the deaths of tens of thousands of its non-combatant citizens and the psychological torment those deaths have inflicted on hundreds of thousands of their surviving friends and family members?
It was always going to go this way, and some of us on the right have been trying to tell that to John Thune for twenty years.
Since Thune is too old to be in the military, I invite him to have his children join the military and serve in the middle east. They could do repeated tours until battle illness takes over their lives.
if you have not been there you probably do not have a right to criticize.
I understand where you’re coming from, but if John Thune and his family were fighting the war themselves and paying for it with their own money, it would still be wrong.
He’s elected to have an opinion and vote on military matters. It’s literally his job.
According to your reasoning, Biden (who received 5 draft deferments) was not allowed to criticize Trump who was not allowed to criticize Obama who was not allowed to criticize Bush (the only one who served).
I believe I have the right to criticize how the commander in chief handled this situation; it was, in my opinion, handled very poorly, and our nation will be worse off for the way Biden handled this situation.
The Constitution of our country gives me the right to voice my opinion (though that right is under assault by the left, news media, and culture).
When the Afghan war started, my opinion was that this would be the end result. No country has won a war in Afghanistan. So sad for all the lives lost and lives now to be destroyed as we leave. Just like Vietnam but our politicians never learn, and the people pay.
Speaking as a semi recent combat vet. Breaking Taliban necks after 9/11 did NOT need to turn into a futile attempt at nation building for two decades. I truly appreciate the Senator’s comments; he’s a fine man. His comments were honorable and tells the troops something they need to hear. But consoling rhetoric aside, let’s be honest: it was a waste, no question. And to pin it all on sleepy Joe gives him too much credit for failed policy all along. Senator, some advice: Start firing generals. Start asking critical questions about who benefits financially from such insane imperialism. Make the DoD and its corporate allies answer harder questions–and don’t accept BS answers. God knows no three stars or executives bled to death on the side of a road over there. It was before your time on the Hill, but learn about the military reform movement of the ’80’s. The ideas were solid, but the $$ lobby killed it. And, please, please, lose whatever illusions you may have had about making an illiterate country a democracy. What an insane thing to try.
It appears that Senator Thune is speaking of the withdrawal (at least in the portion of the post that shows up without opening the whole post), and I think that to blame Joe Biden for the failed withdrawal and complete lack of a coherent plan is on him. He is not up to the job, and this shows it for the whole world to see.
The difference is, duh, that President Trump didn’t just yank out the troops; he listened to those with knowledge and intelligence and didn’t simply pull out the troops. I know that everything in your so-called mind is the fault of President Trump, but your narrow-mindedness can’t hide facts.
And as to you feeble attempt to equate President Trump with a Nazi, the fact is that the Democrat party is more closely allied to that philosophy than the Republican party, so your half-witted attempt is an epic fail.
I’m assuming you voted for the dimwit in the White House (well, actually at Camp David, hiding from his responsibilities like a typical liberal/socialist), so you share the blame for this debacle.
There was a chain of events leading to this moment.
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I agree with Sen. Thune’s statements. As a veteran, this is a gut punch. Many of my friends and family members served in Iraq and Afghanistan. This was an invitation for disaster, since there was no measured plan for troop withdrawal, based on conditions on the ground. The Taliban leaders said it months/years ago, we will wait out the Americans because they will get tired of this ongoing conflict. (Again, decisions needed to be based on conditions on the ground, not on the calendar.)
Shame on President Biden and his administration for this huge blunder that will cost countless lives of our Afghan friends and supporters and potentially troops helping to evacuate. This, along with our border crisis, only further confirms that Joe Biden and his team do not have what it takes to lead this nation.
As a former soldier, I pledged to protect and defend our nation from all enemies – both foreign and domestic. The Biden administration and its callous actions and idiotic missteps are rapidly killing this country while ignoring those who shed their blood to prevent terrorism on our soil again.
A very sad day indeed for our country and for our allies.
I served a couple times in Afghanistan. I understand that on a website dedicated to the body politic, the intention is going to be to blame the other side for this. But recall: Obama, Trump and Biden all paid lip service to pulling out. Why? Because the American public has very little appetite for long wars. You all demanded we be sent over there and stopped caring in a couple years. America wasn’t at war. The troops were. You all were at malls, calling each other fascists and communists, and overall not appreciating what you have. Well: you all can fight the next war your damn selves. I can’t adequately express how much I can’t stand this nation right now. You broke us, left us with nothing to show for it, and now blame the other side despite clamoring for this yourself mere months ago.
You all deserve each other. Republicans. Democrats. You don’t care about us. You only care about being right and beating your political opponents. Screw you all.
Amen.
You are right. We had ample opportunity during the past two/three administrations to devise a measured plan for troop, advisor and diplomat withdrawal. Yet, too many of our politicians and even military leaders were in to nation building. As I’m sure you observed, in a country that has been fighting amongst themselves for thousands of years, creating a democracy is futile. Thank you for your service.
Yes, but based on conditions on the ground, not by what the calendar states. Biden ignored recommendations from various military advisors, etc. and went at it on his own.
BHB, the liberals/socialists will never admit they did anything wrong; they will say that history will show they were right or that someone else (President Trump) is to blame. liberals/socialists are like children-they are incapable of admitting their mistakes. Actually, some children have the integrity and morals that liberals/socialists don’t.
I agree with our Senator, Black Hills Bob and Anonymous. I am sick about it. Just like Vietnam which I remember well.
There is a saying “it is easy to ride a tiger but how do you get off?”
Our puppet government in Kabul and their paper army could not stand.
Now the victors will fight over the spoils and war will continue.
It was always going to end this way.
Jesus said, “All those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.”
And in the case of this undeclared war, so have well over 40,000 Afghan civilians.
Who defines “terror”? Who defines “torture”? What did our federal government ever accomplish in Afghanistan that was worth the deaths of tens of thousands of its non-combatant citizens and the psychological torment those deaths have inflicted on hundreds of thousands of their surviving friends and family members?
It was always going to go this way, and some of us on the right have been trying to tell that to John Thune for twenty years.
Since Thune is too old to be in the military, I invite him to have his children join the military and serve in the middle east. They could do repeated tours until battle illness takes over their lives.
if you have not been there you probably do not have a right to criticize.
I understand where you’re coming from, but if John Thune and his family were fighting the war themselves and paying for it with their own money, it would still be wrong.
He’s elected to have an opinion and vote on military matters. It’s literally his job.
According to your reasoning, Biden (who received 5 draft deferments) was not allowed to criticize Trump who was not allowed to criticize Obama who was not allowed to criticize Bush (the only one who served).
I believe I have the right to criticize how the commander in chief handled this situation; it was, in my opinion, handled very poorly, and our nation will be worse off for the way Biden handled this situation.
The Constitution of our country gives me the right to voice my opinion (though that right is under assault by the left, news media, and culture).
When the Afghan war started, my opinion was that this would be the end result. No country has won a war in Afghanistan. So sad for all the lives lost and lives now to be destroyed as we leave. Just like Vietnam but our politicians never learn, and the people pay.
Speaking as a semi recent combat vet. Breaking Taliban necks after 9/11 did NOT need to turn into a futile attempt at nation building for two decades. I truly appreciate the Senator’s comments; he’s a fine man. His comments were honorable and tells the troops something they need to hear. But consoling rhetoric aside, let’s be honest: it was a waste, no question. And to pin it all on sleepy Joe gives him too much credit for failed policy all along. Senator, some advice: Start firing generals. Start asking critical questions about who benefits financially from such insane imperialism. Make the DoD and its corporate allies answer harder questions–and don’t accept BS answers. God knows no three stars or executives bled to death on the side of a road over there. It was before your time on the Hill, but learn about the military reform movement of the ’80’s. The ideas were solid, but the $$ lobby killed it. And, please, please, lose whatever illusions you may have had about making an illiterate country a democracy. What an insane thing to try.
It appears that Senator Thune is speaking of the withdrawal (at least in the portion of the post that shows up without opening the whole post), and I think that to blame Joe Biden for the failed withdrawal and complete lack of a coherent plan is on him. He is not up to the job, and this shows it for the whole world to see.
The difference is, duh, that President Trump didn’t just yank out the troops; he listened to those with knowledge and intelligence and didn’t simply pull out the troops. I know that everything in your so-called mind is the fault of President Trump, but your narrow-mindedness can’t hide facts.
And as to you feeble attempt to equate President Trump with a Nazi, the fact is that the Democrat party is more closely allied to that philosophy than the Republican party, so your half-witted attempt is an epic fail.
I’m assuming you voted for the dimwit in the White House (well, actually at Camp David, hiding from his responsibilities like a typical liberal/socialist), so you share the blame for this debacle.
There was a chain of events leading to this moment.