memeorandum: Last images from the Afghan war capture a 20-year failure to acknowledge how badly the conflict was going (Washington Post)

10:20 AM ET, August 17, 2021

Top Items:

Hans Nichols / Axios:

Biden officials: Trump left bare cupboard on Afghanistan — Senior national security officials presiding over a historic foreign policy collapse are privately expressing deep frustrations about the thin Afghanistan withdrawal plans left behind by Donald Trump.

Discussion: Raw Story, Breitbart, The Debate Link, Washington Post, Salon, Los Angeles Times, spectatorworld.com and NaturalNews.com

Josh Rogin / Washington Post:

Biden must rescue thousands of U.S. citizens trapped in Afghanistan — As the situation on the ground in Afghanistan's capital continues to deteriorate, thousands of U.S. citizens are trapped in and around Kabul with no ability to get to the airport, which is their only way out of the country.

Tara Copp / Defense One:

Inside Reach 871, A US C-17 Packed With 640 Afghans Trying to Escape the Taliban — The Air Force evacuation flight from Kabul to Qatar came near the record for most people ever flown in the Boeing airlifter. — AFGHANISTAN - WHITE HOUSE - AIR FORCE - CIVILIANS

Associated Press:

Taliban announce ‘amnesty,’ urge women to join government — KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Insider, HotAir, Bloomberg, VICE, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Talking Points Memo, globalnews.ca, Fox News and Breitbart

The White House:

Remarks by President Biden on Afghanistan — THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I want to speak today to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan: the developments that have taken place in the last week and the steps we're taking to address the rapidly evolving events.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Boston Globe, Forbes, Washington Post, Dana Loesch's Chapter …, The Daily Beast, Bloomberg, spectatorworld.com, Washingtonian, Reuters, USA Today, Scripting News, Townhall, Japan Times, Informed Comment, National Review, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and Eschaton

Washington Post:

Last images from the Afghan war capture a 20-year failure to acknowledge how badly the conflict was going — A previous version of this article incorrectly described Sue Gordon's job history. She served as deputy director of national intelligence. The article has been corrected.

Discussion: emptywheel

Erin Doherty / Axios:

Taliban accumulate massive amounts of U.S.-supplied firepower — The Taliban accumulated an enormous amount of U.S.-supplied guns, ammunition, helicopters, combat aircraft and more after Afghan security forces collapsed this weekend, AP reports. — Why it matters: The U.S. spent billions …

Discussion: Twitchy

Bush Center:

Statement by President and Mrs. Bush on Afghanistan — “Laura and I, along with the team at the Bush Center, stand ready as Americans to lend our support and assistance in this time of need. Let us all resolve to be united in saving lives and praying for the people of Afghanistan.”

Discussion: The Hill, USA Today, New York Times, Human Events, National Review, Mediaite, Townhall, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA and Reuters

Washington Post:

Eerie tension settles over Kabul as Taliban patrols the streets and U.S. reasserts control at the airport following chaotic scenes — Horrifying scenes of desperate Afghans, lunging for the wheels of a U.S. military aircraft as it taxied for takeoff from Kabul airport Monday …

Discussion: CBS News, Politico, globalnews.ca, The US Sun, Ohio Capital Journal, New York Times and NBC 6 South Florida, more at Mediagazer »

Wall Street Journal:

Biden to Afghanistan: Drop Dead — Biden is defiant in blaming others for his Afghan debacle. — By The Editorial Board — President Biden told the world on Monday that he doesn't regret his decision to withdraw rapidly from Afghanistan, or even the chaotic, incompetent way the withdrawal has been executed.

Discussion: HotAir, Washington Post, globalnews.ca, Associated Press, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and New York Post

The New York Times Company:
Group Statement Sent to President Biden on Behalf of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post

Discussion: Vanity Fair, Poynter, PRESS RUN, Washington Post, Insider, Fox News, CNBC, The Guardian, Twitchy and HotAir, more at Mediagazer »

Antonio Planas / NBC News:
Female mayor in Afghanistan says she's waiting for Taliban to ‘come ... and kill me’

Discussion: New York Times, inews.co.uk, Mother Jones and Raw Story

Reuters:
Afghan turmoil ‘shames’ the West, says German president

Discussion: CNBC, Al Jazeera, Forbes and FOX 5 San Diego

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
Biden gave the best possible defense of his Afghanistan withdrawal

Discussion: Esquire, HotAir, Boston Herald, The Federalist and Rev

Joe Ferullo / The Hill:
Beltway reporting of Afghanistan withdrawal a disservice to Americans

Discussion: The Atlantic, Esquire and USA Today

Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Lawmakers Unite in Bipartisan Fury Over Afghanistan Withdrawal

Discussion: Mother Jones, Washington Post, Fox News, Blue Virginia and Vanity Fair

Washington Post:
72 hours at Camp David: Inside Biden's lagging response to the fall of Afghanistan

Discussion: Twitchy, RedState, Jihad Watch and Newsweek

Matt Viser / Washington Post:
Biden's promise to restore competence to the presidency is undercut by chaos in Afghanistan

Discussion: Breitbart, Documented, The Federalist, Raw Story, Ace of Spades HQ, Mediaite, pjmedia.com, Politico, National Review, CNN and Crooks and Liars

Matthew Karnitschnig / Politico:
Disbelief and betrayal: Europe reacts to Biden's Afghanistan ‘miscalculation’

Discussion: HotAir, Financial Times, Politico, Washington Examiner and Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal:
Taliban Consolidate Control in Afghanistan's Capital, Thousands Remain Stranded

Discussion: Al Jazeera, Financial Times, NPR and The Colorado Sun

The Bulwark:
'Please Don't Leave Us Behind. We Will Be Great Americans.'

Discussion: Washington Post, Financial Times, globalnews.ca, MSN and HotAir

Maeve Sheehey / Politico:
Poll: Support for Afghanistan withdrawal plummets as Taliban seize control

Discussion: HuffPost, Daily Kos, BizPac Review, Bloomberg, Slate, Crooks and Liars, Mother Jones, NPR, Washington Free Beacon, Associated Press and Washington Examiner

Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:
Leon Panetta compares fall of Afghanistan to Bay of Pigs

Discussion: Fox News, New York Post, Committee to Protect …, NPR, Raw Story, Politico, Insider and CNN, more at Mediagazer »

Wall Street Journal:
Taliban Conquest of Afghanistan Scrambles the Diplomatic Map

Discussion: Tennessee Star, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, IJR and The Daily Signal

Jack Beresford / Newsweek:
GOP Removes Page Praising Donald Trump's ‘Historic’ Peace Deal With Taliban

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Beast, Raw Story and Mediaite

Washington Post:
After Taliban triumph, Biden faces even greater test in preventing extremist resurgence in Afghanistan

Discussion: Summit News, Instapundit, Twitchy, TheBlaze, NPR, NBC 6 South Florida, Twin Cities and Slate

Religion News Service: Refugee aid groups criticize Biden for stumbles in evacuating ‘desperate’ Afghans

Samuel Benson / Deseret News:
They aided the U.S. military in Afghanistan for years. Have we left them to die?

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Drive, Politico, Mashable and The Guardian

Politico:
Biden was barreling toward perilous political waters. Then Afghanistan happened.

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Althouse, CNN and Washington Times

Robert Burns / Associated Press:
Billions spent on Afghan army ultimately benefited Taliban

Discussion: Washington Post, KVEO-TV, Summit News, Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, Associated Press, The Daily Beast, CNN and BuzzFeed News

Jamie McIntyre / Washington Examiner:
Biden's defense falls flat with Afghans still wondering if they will make it out before US leaves

Discussion: Townhall, Politico, ABC News and Breitbart

Washington Post:
Afghans who helped the U.S. and its allies left in limbo as evacuation turns chaotic

Discussion: New York Times, Insider, The Daily Caller, Fox News and Twin Cities

Jake Dima / Washington Examiner:
Trump follows Biden speech by blasting ‘grossly incompetent’ Afghanistan withdrawal

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Post, Tennessee Star, Breitbart and coldfury.com

Joseph Klein / Front Page Magazine:
Biden Bungles Afghanistan

Discussion: Democrats, IJR and Louder With Crowder

Sharon LaFraniere / New York Times:

U.S. to Advise Boosters for Most Americans 8 Months After Vaccination — Nursing home residents and health care workers will most likely be the first to get booster shots, as soon as September, followed by other older people who were vaccinated last winter.

Ryan J. Reilly / HuffPost:

Instagram Posts Seal Fate Of Trump-Loving Bodybuilder Who Dragged Capitol Cop — The FBI has arrested Logan Barnhart, whom online sleuths dubbed “CatSweat,” with the help of the Sedition Hunters community. — When former President Donald Trump sent a tweet early this year promoting Jan. 6 as a …

Discussion: Raw Story

CNN:

Some US Capitol rioters stay defiant, even while pleading guilty — Washington (CNN)Boyd Camper was set to join the ranks of those pleading guilty in the January 6 insurrection when the federal judge overseeing the case abruptly postponed the plea hearing over questions about whether Camper really believed he did anything wrong.

Discussion: Raw Story

Harper's:

Bad News — In the beginning, there were ABC, NBC, and CBS, and they were good. Midcentury American man could come home after eight hours of work and turn on his television and know where he stood in relation to his wife, and his children, and his neighbors, and his town, and his country, and his world.

Emma Green / The Atlantic:

He Taught a Ta-Nehisi Coates Essay. Then He Was Fired. — The first time Matt Hawn suspected that he might run into trouble for what he was teaching was last August. His contemporary-issues class was discussing the events in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where protesters had taken to the streets …

Discussion: WJHL

Albert Hunt / The Hill:

The sausage making ain't gonna be pretty the next few months — If you care about policy making, the next few months are likely to be messy — you may be less put off watching the workings of an actual sausage factory. — The Democrats' celebrations of a bipartisan Senate approval …

Discussion: Politico, Fox News, One America News Network and Roll Call

Hayes Brown / MSNBC:

Afghan refugees after the fall of Kabul need a home in America — The rapid fall of Kabul to the Taliban drew immediate comparisons to the scene over 40 years ago when Saigon was captured in the last days of the Vietnam War. The comparison was only amplified as images of Afghans desperately clinging to U.S. planes Monday went viral.