'Remarkable, even though it go off to a hazy start': Nancy Pelosi PRAISES Biden's 'historic' Afghanistan withdrawal that left 13 US service members dead and hundreds of Americans still stranded on the ground

 Nancy Pelosi lauded on Wednesday the Biden administration's handling of the bungled Afghanistan withdrawal by claiming it was 'remarkable' despite a 'hazy start.'

'The historic evacuation of 120,000 people was remarkable and I commend the administration for that. This is never easy – that's not always complete from the start,' the House Speaker said during a press conference on Wednesday.

'But it was remarkable even though it got off to a hazy start,' Pelosi added. 'And now we go forward.'

The House leader's comments are particularly noteworthy as President Joe Biden's handling of the total troop withdrawal from Afghanistan has been widely criticized by Democrat and Republican lawmakers and politicians, as well as the general American public.

In particular, the near non-response to the death of 13 U.S. service members in an ISIS-K suicide bombing outside the Kabul airport and the fact Americans were left behind after the August 31 deadline have come under attack.

Throughout August, Biden insisted that he would stick to the timeline to have all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the month – appearing to give into pressure from Taliban leaders who threatened 'consequences' if the 'red line' deadline was not met.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised President Joe Biden's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal despite a general consensus that it was a disaster

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised President Joe Biden's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal despite a general consensus that it was a disaster

'The historic evacuation of 120,000 people was remarkable and I commend the administration for that. This is never easy,' she aid. 'But it was remarkable even though it got off to a hazy start'

'The historic evacuation of 120,000 people was remarkable and I commend the administration for that. This is never easy,' she aid. 'But it was remarkable even though it got off to a hazy start'

Nancy Pelosi praises President Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal
Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
0:00
Previous
Play
Skip
Mute
Current Time0:00
/
Duration Time0:42
Fullscreen
Need Text

The president also insisted the 'buck stops with me', claiming he would take accountability for everything that happened in the withdrawal.

Even those progressive Democrats who praised the end of the two-decade-long war in Afghanistan were dismayed by the handling.

Biden and his team insist there are less than 100 Americans left needing evacuation from Afghanistan, which swiftly fell under Taliban rule in the midst of the withdrawal. Republicans and volunteer groups working to get U.S. citizens out of the country claim the figure is closer to 500 – 1,000 if their families are counted.

Still, the administration's talking points tout the fact that more than 120,000 people were evacuated in the matter of a few weeks.

Several polls of U.S. voters show that somewhere between 30-40 per cent approve of Biden's handling of the withdrawal and chaotic scenes in Afghanistan once the Taliban starting seizing the country in August.

The president's approval rating has also suffered, dropping nearly 10 points in several key swing states and dropping below the 50 per cent mark for the first time in his presidency last month.

Pelosi's messaging Wednesday praising the administration in such an obvious botched withdrawal could be a response to reports that the Afghanistan mishandling has just further emboldened former President Donald Trump to want to run against in 2024.

The majority of the 120,000 people evacuated were Afghan allies and those fleeing Taliban rule.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany Wednesday where he met with Afghan refugees being processed and awaiting resettlement in the U.S.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany Wednesday where he met with Afghan refugees being processed and awaiting resettlement in the U.S. 


Now thousands of Afghan refugees are at processing centers in third-party countries – including U.S. bases in Ramstein, Germany and Doha, Qatar.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to both bases this week where he met with refugees and toured facilities while also holding talks with leaders cooperating with the resettlement efforts.

He said Tuesday that the Afghan evacuees will be vetted 'on the back end', claiming there was no time to properly vet the refugees as they fled Afghanistan in the rushed evacuation efforts.

Thousands of Afghans have already arrived in the U.S. through Philadelphia or Washington Dulles airport, and eight military bases are preparing to house at least 50,000 of these refugees.

Powered by Blogger.