Biden's Biggest Blunder

Family fun in this Beijing Wildlife Park.

"According to the park statement, this was the first time for the park animals to witness such a fight between humans. For some animals, the event apparently left such an impression that they also started fighting together that same night."

Quote: missedhervee

My point is that if in fact a much higher intelligence is "out there" and they come across us and study our ways I suspect they'll conclude we pose more of a menace to the universe than a benefit.

Such "guardians of the galaxy" would be justified in destroying earth before humanity spreads across the stars like a cancer.

It is likely that a highly advanced civilization has put war behind them, and would look unfavorably upon us.

Higher intelligence doesn't necessarily equate with making the right decisions.

Quote: kenarman

Higher intelligence doesn't necessarily equate with making the right decisions.

To be honest at some point the more intelligent the worse decisions people make. Overtihinking overtakes common sense.

Now it is looking like Kabul will fall even sooner than expected.

"Inside the administration, top aides are just trying to keep up with the rapidly changing battlefield. U.S. officials now believe Kabul could be surrounded or fall under Taliban control within weeks, and even the future of the fortress-like U.S. Embassy is increasingly in doubt. "

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/11/biden-afghanistan-not-my-problem-503928


https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-afghanistan-taliban-26d485963b7a0d9f2107afcbc38f239a


The good news is Biden does seem willing to continue air support now. However, so much of the country has been lost (today its close to 70%), by the time the U.S. fully pulls out there may be little left.

In fact 3K troops are to be sent in just to secure the embassy for evacuation, not to retake any ground (sounds very familiar to something I have read in history books).

My prediction may be wrong, the Taliban may have control before the U.S. even pulls out (before the end of the month).

I think it is clear that pulling out directly correlates to the Taliban retaking ground (for those who said earlier correlations of troop levels and Taliban control was not convincing).

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/afghanistan-taliban-us-troops-08-12-21/index.html

Quote: Gandler

Now it is looking like Kabul will fall even sooner than expected.

"Inside the administration, top aides are just trying to keep up with the rapidly changing battlefield. U.S. officials now believe Kabul could be surrounded or fall under Taliban control within weeks, and even the future of the fortress-like U.S. Embassy is increasingly in doubt. "

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/11/biden-afghanistan-not-my-problem-503928


https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-afghanistan-taliban-26d485963b7a0d9f2107afcbc38f239a


The good news is Biden does seem willing to continue air support now. However, so much of the country has been lost (today its close to 70%), by the time the U.S. fully pulls out there may be little left.

In fact 3K troops are to be sent in just to secure the embassy for evacuation, not to retake any ground (sounds very familiar to something I have read in history books).

My prediction may be wrong, the Taliban may have control before the U.S. even pulls out (before the end of the month).

I think it is clear that pulling out directly correlates to the Taliban retaking ground (for those who said earlier correlations of troop levels and Taliban control was not convincing).

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/afghanistan-taliban-us-troops-08-12-21/index.html

Let it fall
Bad news is if you are too young to remember Saigon falling you get to see it agian
Good news is we are out of that rat hole

Quote: AZDuffman

Let it fall
Bad news is if you are too young to remember Saigon falling you get to see it agian
Good news is we are out of that rat hole

I don't agree. If Afghanistan falls we will be back. Its only a matter of time before we get pressure from Pakistan and others to return once their borders are in jeopardy. And, my guess is, at that point we will be starting from scratch (the Taliban will once again run the government and control everything, and it will be another war against a large and organized force).

Lets say the next election is Biden and Trump again (which this is basically the only issue that they agree), and one of them wins (its extremely likely one of those two will be the next President), even if both honor their commitment to not return, there are endless people in both of their parties who are upset, at most it will just be four more years of not going back (and that is assuming you can trust both of them at their word, and that is questionable at best). My guess is once pressure starts mounting from certain allied countries any President will start to seriously consider going back. I am pretty sure once we pull out, whoever ends up in power some years from now, its only a matter of time before we go back (and again, it will be much harder now, more expensive, more messy, more deaths, etc....), just to get back to where we were (or at least close).

"The graveyard of empires."

Think twice about returning, then think again.

What we call Afghanistan is not a country as we know it; it is tribal, with loyalty to clan, and no sense of or need for a centralized, national government.

The countryside is so brutally difficult to master that a conventional land war would never work, and even if it did the Taliban can effectively fight guerilla warfare, like the VC did in Vietnam.

No, stay the hell out of there; let Pakistan fight their own battles.

Quote: Gandler

I don't agree. If Afghanistan falls we will be back. Its only a matter of time before we get pressure from Pakistan and others to return once their borders are in jeopardy. And, my guess is, at that point we will be starting from scratch (the Taliban will once again run the government and control everything, and it will be another war against a large and organized force).

Lets say the next election is Biden and Trump again (which this is basically the only issue that they agree), and one of them wins (its extremely likely one of those two will be the next President), even if both honor their commitment to not return, there are endless people in both of their parties who are upset, at most it will just be four more years of not going back (and that is assuming you can trust both of them at their word, and that is questionable at best). My guess is once pressure starts mounting from certain allied countries any President will start to seriously consider going back. I am pretty sure once we pull out, whoever ends up in power some years from now, its only a matter of time before we go back (and again, it will be much harder now, more expensive, more messy, more deaths, etc....), just to get back to where we were (or at least close).

The USA has never learned how to get others to fight its battles for it on a large scale. We did this well when the USSR was in Afghanistan, we tried it with South Vietnam, but we are bad at it. The rout that was the Gulf War gave us a feeling of invincibility after feeling we were powerless after Vietnam. Time to get to a happier middle.

Let Pakistan protect their own borders. Better yet let Iran occupy. Even better sucker the Chinese to go in. Keep our boys and our money out of it.

Quote: AZDuffman

. Keep our boys and our money out of it.

What fun would that be? Since the Revolutionary war until now we have only lost about 1.4 million soldiers to war. That is such a small number it is almost insignificant. That is less than half the population of Las Vegas. Barely a blip on the radar. I say we should join more wars and play with all of our toys that we have hidden away.

Quote: DRich

What fun would that be? Since the Revolutionary war until now we have only lost about 1.4 million soldiers to war. That is such a small number it is almost insignificant. That is less than half the population of Las Vegas. Barely a blip on the radar. I say we should join more wars and play with all of our toys that we have hidden away.

People do not realize how few we have lost in war comparatively. In WWII the USA lost 1% of all lives lost to the war. But if we are going to war we need to do it for our own good. To take and keep an area. Annexation.