Author Archives: Richard Fernandez

Pakistan, nominally a U.S. partner in the war, was the Afghan Taliban’s main patron, and sees the Taliban’s victory as its own. But now what does it do with its prize? NYT

The US president has also reaffirmed the 31 August deadline for troops to leave Afghanistan and says forces will fly out as many people as possible before that date. SBS

But with no “smoking gun” and limited access to raw data, discussion of the science has played out in a haze of circumstantial evidence … international scientists tasked with studying the virus’ origins warned Wednesday that another crucial window is “closing fast”: the shrinking opportunity for any thorough scientific study to be completed. As time …

Continue reading “Biden covid origin deadline ends with bupkis”

Kentucky’s Republican congressmen are asking President Joe Biden to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan until all Americans and Afghan allies have been evacuated. McClatchy

The Biden administration has exposed itself as incapable of making basic prudential decisions, and then compounding it with outrageous statements by the president, Pentagon brass, and the State Department that have many Americans asking, “What were you thinking?”  The Hill

“in light of the New York Attorney General’s report, and Andrew Cuomo’s subsequent resignation as Governor, it is rescinding his special 2020 International Emmy Award. His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International Academy materials going forward.” Variety

“It was a deep dive, but you can only go so deep as the situation allows,” one U.S. official said. “If China’s not going to give access to certain data sets, you’re never really going to know.” WSJ

Military advisers have told the White House that the decision must be made by Tuesday in order to have enough time to withdraw the 5,800 troops currently on the ground, as well as their equipment and weapons. If the President agrees, the military anticipates “a few more days” of trying to evacuate as many people …

Continue reading “US military gives Biden a deadline to decide on extending Afghanistan evacuations”

Her difficult journey contradicts President Biden’s assertion that anyone with an American passports would be allowed through checkpoints. Daily Mail

New at the Belmont Club. Biden is a bigger strategic danger than the Taliban.

Biden makes a potentially huge and elementary mistake in the full view of America’s enemies. He is basing his extraction actions on his estimate of the Taliban’s intentions and what he perceives to be “their self-interest” rather than US capability. Time is working against him and for the enemy, and he seems not to appreciate …

Continue reading “Biden doesn’t trust the Taliban but he’ll count on them”

He [Biden] wanted all American troops out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the attacks on New York and the Pentagon. In the Oval Office, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wanted to make certain. “I take what you …

Continue reading “Next time lower the lifeboat before abandoning ship”

He makes a blunder, denies it and doubles down. Some enormous character flaw and dysfunction is driving him to destruction. His current strategy, incredibly, is that people will forget all about it. That the media will cover for him. But it can’t. He’s causing real damage now to powerful interests. His insurance, the incompetence of …

Continue reading “Joe Biden is going down, taking America with him”

“I just had the feeling that he was so wrapped up in the decision itself that he forgot the basics of implementation,” said Leon E. Panetta.

President Joe Biden ignored British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s attempts to contact him for approximately 36 hours as the Taliban cemented its control over Afghanistan, a report said. Johnson tried to reach Biden on Monday morning, UK time, but wasn’t able to get him on the phone until 10 p.m. Tuesday (5 p.m. Washington time), …

Continue reading “Boris Johnson kept calling but Biden wouldn’t answer for 36 hours”

According to the readout, Macron described the mission to evacuate allies as a “moral responsibility” and told Biden: “We cannot abandon them.”… The White House version, however, made no mention of a “moral responsibility” to evacuate Afghan allies.

In a way the Afghan catastrophe was God’s mercy; or if you prefer to put it another way, a stroke of luck. That might be a strange way of regarding a vast human tragedy, a monstrous betrayal and a sickening display of dishonesty and incompetence. But consider this: the world could have discovered the truth …

Continue reading “The warning”

Rahm Emmanuel appointed ambassador to Japan.