This was originally posted on my political blog at https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2021/09/they-knew.html.
***
In my post on the risk of becoming a monster, I referred to the Bob Woodward and Robert Costa book "Peril" (Simon & Schuster UK, 2021, ISBN 978-1-3985-1215-3; Amazon). I've now finished that, and I am utterly appalled.
I was appalled to discover that there are supposedly Democrats in the US with conservative, 1970s, neoliberal thinking about unemployed people - Democrats (or perhaps DINOs - Democrats in Name Only, as I once suggested) who had key, unhealthy influences on negotiations about making people's lives manageable.
I expected to read of the support of those who are, in my opinion (IMO), lacking in "clear and present thinking" by supporting the narcissistic psychopath #45 - but it is still disturbing to read of it.
But above all else, I am appalled that so many people warned US President Biden of what would happen to women and girls - and others - in Afghanistan, but he still chose to screw the people of Afghanistan by taking the fastest withdrawal option.
"The
military leaders’ and intelligence officials’ warnings grew darker.
They had spent decades tracking and studying the Taliban. They knew well
what it would mean for the Afghan people, particularly women."
Yes, it was a no-win situation (damned if you do, damned if you don't), but there were other options - and the "gated" withdrawal approach would have prevented the rapid collapse, IMO, as well as giving time for an orderly evacuation of those who were risk for having aided the USA and its lickspittles - including my nation.
I
consider Biden's pain at the loss of his own son overwhelmed his
decision making, and he forgot what it is like to lose a daughter.
Biden
is the price the USA and the world is paying for the voters of the USA
having elected #45 - and anyone who thinks the USA or the world would be
better if #45 was still in power is an idiot. No-one else would have
got enough votes to defeat #45 - there were better, IMO, candidates, but
they would NOT have had enough appeal to voters of the USA to win!!!
From the book again:
This is a problem faced elsewhere in the world as well - the price the UK is still paying for having elected Thatcher, the price my nation is paying for having elected social dinosaur Abbott, the utterly disappointing Turnbull, and the utterly appalling Scott.
And just as the USA and the world is better off with #45 having been voted out, we need to vote Scott out - and we may have to pay a price of imperfection, but the price of Scott staying will be worse.
And we, the world, also have to learn never to rely on the duplicitous USA ever again - some of learned that decades ago, many of us were wary, but enough is enough: never again.
And it could get worse ...
