For most of this past week, in the fires of his fledgling administration’s worst foreign policy crisis, the president who won the White House on a pledge of ability and compassion struggled to demonstrate much of either. .
The chaos in Kabul and his own conflicting reports have left President Biden struggling to exercise command over world events and seemingly intent on washing his hands in Afghanistan rather than expressing concern over the humanitarian tragedy unfolding. takes place locally.
The team of mr. Biden argues it doesn’t matter in the long run because Americans agree with his decision to withdraw after 20 years of war and don’t care what happens in Afghanistan as long as their fellow citizens are safely executed. Afghanistan is America’s longest war, spanning four presidencies, and none of those presidents found a way to successfully withdraw.
But the tumultuous endgame of Mr. Biden’s withdrawal has nonetheless undermined some of the most fundamental tenets of Mr. Biden’s presidency — that, unlike his erratic, self-centered predecessor, he has seasoned foreign policy, adults-in-the- room judgment and an excess of empathy for the Oval Office.
“I just felt like he was so preoccupied with the decision itself that he forgot the basics of implementation,” said Leon E. Panetta, the former Secretary of Defense who served alongside Mr. Biden in President Barack Obama’s administration. served. “The American people may agree with you on the decision, but if they see chaos, they will be very concerned that the president is not getting his act together.”
David Axelrod, a former Obama strategist, said he had no doubts that most Americans agreed with Biden that it was time to wrap up the operation in Afghanistan. “The way it ends, at least so far, is more problematic,” he said, “and goes against some of his main perceived strengths: competence, mastery of foreign policy, supreme empathy. It’s as if his eagerness to end the war exceeded planning and execution.”
After days of scathing criticism from allies and opponents alike, Mr. Biden attempted to repair some of the damage Friday with a half-hour appearance in the East Room of the White House, where he claimed the evacuation operation had “made significant progress.” booked”’, acknowledging that footage of desperate Afghans chasing planes and handing a baby over barbed wire has been ‘heartbreaking’ and ‘heartbreaking’.
Accused earlier in the week of not consulting with allies, Mr Biden made it a point to note that he had now called the leaders of Britain, Germany and France. Mr. Biden was mocked for spending time at Camp David, where he had gone for summer vacation while Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, and canceled plans to fly to his home in Wilmington, Del, on Friday afternoon.
Mr Panetta said Mr Biden seemed to have realized he had at least mishandled the message and needed to make adjustments. “I just felt like he was back on his feet today as opposed to earlier this week,” he said.
Other than reiterating that “the buck stops with me,” however, Mr. Biden admitted no mistakes of his own and warded off the harsh criticism by focusing on his desire to end the war rather than taking it directly. what many consider to be the failed implementation of that decision.
“There will be plenty of time to criticize and doubt when this operation is over,” Biden said. “But now, now, I’m focused on getting this job done.”
As he has done all week, Mr. Biden made claims that were seemingly at odds with reality. His description of a smoother evacuation was in stark contrast to the ongoing confusion at Kabul airport, where flights were suspended for hours on Friday until they resumed late in the day. His claim that there was “no credibility” among NATO allies belies the deep frustration in European capitals. And while Mr Biden praised the “degree of precision” of the operation, he couldn’t say how many Americans were still at risk.
Those comments came after other suspicious statements earlier in the week. A month after saying it was “highly unlikely” that the Taliban would take over Afghanistan and there was “no circumstance” that would lead to a chaotic, Saigon-esque exit, Mr. Biden this week told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that there was chaos. actually always inevitable. While multiple reports indicated military leaders were advocating keeping a small force in Afghanistan rather than withdrawing completely, Mr Biden insisted that “no one has said that to me that I can remember.”
At some points, the president has shown little awareness of the human toll as the Taliban returned to power. Asked about photos of fleeing Afghans who were caught on planes and some even fell to their deaths after trying to sneak aboard, Mr Biden interrupted. “That was four days ago, five days ago,” he said, when in fact it was two days earlier and made hardly less horrific by passing a few sunsets.
While he largely denies all mistakes, Biden has instead pointed the finger at his predecessor Donald J. Trump, the now-deposed Afghan government, the disappearing Afghan security forces, and even Afghan civilians he said were resisting the earlier evacuation. He has avoided blaming the Taliban, presumably to avoid antagonizing them while carrying out the evacuation.
The loss of public perception of basic competence can be dangerous for a presidency. Jimmy Carter learned that during the Iran hostage crisis that began in 1979 and eventually cost him reelection a year later. George W. Bush learned that during the ill-handled response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Trump’s critics never found him particularly suitable in office, but his handling of the coronavirus pandemic further undermined him.
Mr. Biden’s stumbling blocks are particularly striking, as the longtime senator and former vice president has brought more experience in national and international affairs to the White House than any newly installed president in more than three decades. But his aides insist that Americans will look beyond the turmoil of recent days to the bigger picture.
Understand the Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan
Who are the Taliban? The Taliban emerged in 1994 amid the unrest following the 1989 withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. They used brutal public punishment, including flogging, amputations and mass executions, to enforce their rules. Here’s more about their origin story and their track record as rulers.
“What Americans see is a president who has the courage of his conviction that this is the right decision for our country, even if that decision is difficult,” said Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director. “They see a president who promised to end America’s longest war and kept his word, and who takes responsibility when things don’t go perfectly because it ends with him.”
The Biden team’s cold political calculation is that the outrage of the political class in Washington and the horrific images shown by the national news media will have little lasting effect on Americans who will soon forget the messy departure but remember that the President pulled the United States out of a failed war.
They may be right. On Friday, newspapers in places like Phoenix, Fresno, Jacksonville, Minneapolis and Providence had no stories about Afghanistan on their front pages. Americans have historically not voted much on foreign policy unless Americans were directly involved, which is why Biden’s number one priority has been to get his own citizens out without casualties or a hostage situation.
“Biden thinks he can get away with this as long as no Americans are killed on the ground, which is a big one when a lot of things can go wrong,” said Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, a geopolitical risk firm. “But I happen to agree with him. I think that’s right.” At the same time, he added, “I’m amazed at how he’s handled this wrong with the allies.”
The political danger for Biden could be that the chaotic exit feeds a wider Republican argument that he can’t handle the job and left the United States humiliated on the global stage. Bedlam’s pictures are like political manna for campaign ad creators who will no doubt try to portray Mr. Biden as another Mr. Carter.
Some of those who criticized Mr Biden nevertheless said the final verdict was yet to be written. It will depend, they said, whether he can guarantee safety not only for Americans trying to leave the country, but also for Afghans who have worked with the United States for the past two decades, even if it takes longer than Mr. Biden of August. 31 term.
“The president still has a lot of say in how this will be perceived and the impact on our reputation for compassion and competence,” said Representative Tom Malinowski, a New Jersey Democrat. “It all depends on whether he is willing to do what it takes and let our military do what it can to save everyone we can, without regard for an artificial deadline.”
That chapter could be written in the coming days and weeks.