A very interesting internal dynamic amid U.S. institutions and their media PR networks solidifies around a lengthy Washington Post report about the day Kabul fell to the Taliban. It’s not the story per se’ that provides the clarity, although the details are interesting; but rather the intent of the narrative around the story putting accountability for the lack of Kabul security upon the Pentagon.
Remember, Team #1 (State Dept./CIA) use CNN and the Washington Post; while Team #2 (White House, Pentagon, NSC) do not.
The internal battle amid U.S. government institutions, two teams, in the Afghanistan-crisis blame game, are reflected by this organizational relationship between two U.S. Govt. factions and their media allies. The overarching problem in this part of the blame game is the security situation in Kabul, specifically the lack of security which led to a terrorist attack that killed 13 American service members at the Kabul airport and wounded hundreds more.
According to the Washington Post outline, the Taliban offered to stay out of the capital city until the U.S. military had departed; however, during an in-person meeting between the head of the Taliban, Abdul Ghani Baradar, and U.S. Central Command Commander, Kenneth F McKenzie, the U.S. general told the Taliban to take the city but leave them the airport.
(WaPo) – […] In a hastily arranged in-person meeting, senior U.S. military leaders in Doha — including McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command — spoke with Abdul Ghani Baradar. “We have a problem,” Baradar said, according to the U.S. official. “We have two options to deal with it: You [the United States military] take responsibility for securing Kabul or you have to allow us to do it.”
Throughout the day, Biden had remained resolute in his decision to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan. The collapse of the Afghan government hadn’t changed his mind. McKenzie, aware of those orders, told Baradar that the U.S. mission was only to evacuate American citizens, Afghan allies and others at risk. The United States, he told Baradar, needed the airport to do that.
On the spot, an understanding was reached, according to two other U.S. officials: The United States could have the airport until Aug. 31. But the Taliban would control the city. (read more)
To be fair to General McKenzie, at the time of the conversation the Afghanistan government had collapsed.
Absent the Afghan army in place, if McKenzie decided to take responsibility to secure the entire city of Kabul, he would have needed to ask the White House for a lot more U.S. troops; or attempt to personally take charge of the sketchy Afghan army. A very tall, perhaps impossible, order. McKenzie decided to let the Taliban take the city.
Ken McKenzie ain’t no Doug MacArthur.
I’m sure this inflection point, and this specific moment of extreme consequence, will loom over the head of General McKenzie for the rest of his life.
However, putting aside the very interesting details of those hours for a moment, what we can see through the prism of the narrative -as engineered by the Washington Post on behalf of their supportive institution (U.S. intel)- is the deflection of blame onto the White House via the Pentagon, specifically CentCom commander Ken McKenzie.
The internal dynamic of the two competing teams inside our dysfunctional government is really quite remarkable to watch play out. ♦Team One consists of the U.S. State Dept (DoS) and the CIA (U.S. Intel). ♦Team Two consists of the White House, Pentagon and National Security Council. Team One uses CNN, CNNi and The Washington Post. Team Two use the traditional alphabets (ABC, CBS, NBC) and NYT/Politico.
Both teams created the mess in Afghanistan on behalf of their constituencies ($). Both teams are looking to avoid scrutiny and place responsibility at the feet of the other team.
In this Washington Post example, the CIA/DoS are blaming Ken McKenzie (the Pentagon), and by extension blaming the White House.
Additionally interesting is the seemingly sympathetic narrative from CNN and WaPo toward the position of the Taliban. Narrated as if they are a misunderstood band of tribal troublemakers who now have this large responsibility to run an entire nation. When you recognize how the State Dept and Intel community operate, you can see exactly where this type of narrative is heading….
It’s like we said earlier, Team One is in alignment with the United Nations objective and now conveying emotional sympathies. Yup, the Taliban are headed toward full legitimate recognition by the U.N. with the ‘we are the world‘ State Department crew leading the way.
Another shining human example of PDJT’s latest maxim:
Everything Woke Turns To $h*t.
The UN is a source of evil the way it has evolved.
I wanted any POTUS to take out OUT of it, and kick out the delegates.
evil from the outset
Sundance’s 2 teams got me thinking about this again. Not sure how it translates into those teams. Perhaps they are both different faces of the same do-gooder faction.
Anyway, no matter where you go, there you are.
Someone’s recent comment regarding the draconian lockdown in Australia, to the effect that “once a penal colony, always a penal colony,” got me thinking. Yup. That pretty much sums it up. And Australia’s current population is descended from whom? Those who ruled the colony, and those who learned to submit and obey to survive?
So, what of America? We think of ourselves as descended from folks who declared “screw this, I’m outa here” and got on a boat for America. And we’re right. But that also means we are completely undomesticatable.
We don’t want to carefully assemble our ultralight gear to hike five days into the wilderness to see an otherwise unviewable vista and then sit under a tree and read the classics. We want to work on our trucks, drive them in the mud, and drive our air conditioned RV’s directly to the most pristine lookout spots in the wilderness, then open the awning and set up the grill. We watch that documentary about the national parks, preaching about how Niagara Falls was “ruined” by commercialism in the 19th Century, and we think “Hell no! That made it BETTER!” What good is a natural wonder if you can’t buy an injected-molded plastic replica of it at a gift shop RIGHT THERE to bring home as a souvenir to remind you of that vacation 30 years later?
But that isn’t all of us. America also has a sizeable population of do-gooders who came here to civilize the rest of us. They have an internal drive to impose upon everyone else their view of how everyone should live, think, act and feel. They became our ruling elites, and they forever have been telling the rest of us that we are wrong about everything.
So, what happens when the wilderness available for settlement is pretty much gone, and that “I’m outa here” instinct of some goes unscratched? And what happens when the great sea of American deplorables is finally recognized as unredeemable? You get a perfect storm.
The outa-here bunch went into business and then went looking for new markets to sell our stuff. They inadvertently brought American culture, through American products, to the uncivilized world that had never tasted Kentucky Fried Chicken or a Big Mac.
The do-gooder crowd took a two pronged approach. They wrote off the rest of Americans as hopeless deplorables and opened America’s border to bring in fresh candidates to civilize. At the same time they went nation-building in the rest of the world, trying to civilize 12th Century Afghans into good little Vermonters.
None of us are going to stop doing what we do. No matter where you go, there you are.
And anyone who thinks I am being sarcastic or joking about any of this doesn’t know me at all.
Big Macs and kfc sucks
If you’re experiencing the world like an eight-year-old, then they’re awesome.
The world’s full of wonders to eight year old kids everywhere except for girls in Afghanistan.
I like KFC, original recipe, and I like Big Macs.
Hate to say it but a Big Mac extra special sauce is one of my most guilty pleasures.
Only get about two or three times a year, but it’s sooooooo good!
Shouldn’t there be a part about the Right to own guns and the enjoyment of shooting them?!
You do that from the RV driven to the pristine wilderness….. Put the squirrels and chipmunks on the grill….
(satire)
I’ve never eaten chipmunk
(not satire)
Absolutely. After “drive them in the mud,” insert: shoot at stuff with whatever kind of gun we want,
Consider a senario where we know the Democrats stole our government, they know we know and are doing all they can to hide the fact while destroying the Republic… which they hate. They would kill us all if they could… and are clearly working toward that goal. After all they murder their babies don’t they?
When the Arizona audit confirms the truth… Soon after… we will know if we are free men willing to take our government back… or sheep to be slaughtered.
Fate whispers to the warrior, “You cannot withstand the storm.” The warrior whispers, “I am the storm.”
Seems to me the “Arizona Audit” is similar to Lucy holding the football when Charlie Brown tries to kick a field goal.
The Depth of State has always had its own agenda. A large percentage if the commies were/are in State, they interact with others far more, the have a massive number of appointees, they are closely aligned with the CIA (the dod has its own intel)
I tend toward the theory of the controlled demolition of America orchestrated by the owners of the global Central Banks. Their ultimate objective of world domination & control could never be achieved without the take down of the US. I don’t blame freedom loving Americans for the Corporatocracy that engineered Consumerism & the worldwide spread of KFC & Burger Kings along with all the corporately owned Chain Stores. Now these psychopaths and their bought off /owned/ blackmailed minions have engineered a global austerity program with their Green Agenda. Any CEO that thinks they can resist that will be removed & a more than willing lapdog to take his place. Specialization & compartmentalization has prevented most from seeing the big picture, and until recently, the monetary overlords kept a tight lid on their machinations. Anyway, that’s my take on this nightmare. God help us
Thanks, SD, for the insights.
You have told us before, but to which media sources does the FBI leak?
Thanks.
New York Times and Politico. I’ve been taking notes.
Thanks a lot, amigo.
An Official Formerly In Charge of Afghan Security Charters a Private Plane to Get Stranded Americans Out — and Is Told by Biden Administration Flunkies That They Must Turn Around or Be Shot Down—Ace
If it sounds too ghastly to be true, that now means it’s true.
Reportedly they are refusing busloads of Americans too.
Seven Busloads of American Women Refused Entry to Airport, Now in Taliban’s Hands
Source please.
That highlighted line is a link, hovering reveals much, click at will.
Multiple civilian groups who have State Dept approval in hand are turned away. In fact retired operators and other civilian groups are reporting biden’s state dept has contacted neighboring countries using political clout convincing them to decline these planes from landing or bringing refugees into their country.
So our govt intentionally left Americans and collaborators, but they are doing EVERYTHING short of shooting down these rescue teams.
you forgot IMMEDIATELY after saying that he presented it was TRUMP’s fault
that feckless mckenzie, only slightly more woke than our dear friend, mark milley (thoroughly modern millie), was tweeting about gender equality etc. etc. What a joke. He should be held accountable at the very least and whatever other dire punishments he deserves.
I hope mckenzie’s actions loom over his head for the rest of his life…..that is, if he has any self-awareness at all and compassion and humanity in his soul. As another commenter said…..mckenzie ain’t no Douglas McArthur……just as milley ain’t no George S. Patton
mckenzie ain’t no Douglas McArthur
Do you mean the MacArthur who bugged out of the Philippines?
You may want to check your history…MacArthur was ORDERED to leave the Philippines by his CinC.
FDR, patron saint of demoRats, ordered MacArthur to leave.
Hard to fathom the sheer evil that has stolen the election and pretending to be legitimate, as they wreck every aspect of this once great nation.
We are the laughing stock of the world, as everybody pretends this is business as usual. Jo has done everything possible to destroy this nation & hates Americans with a vengeance. We should not be surprised they would turn the city, or citizens and billions in arm over to the enemy. They are a gutless pure evil cabal doing the work of satan. They may have destroyed justice here, but make no mistake the True Judge will not be mocked & sees everything.
Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who was fired for criticizing senior military, has resigned his commission, forfeiting his retirement and all entitlements, in order to continue to publicly stand by his position. Good for him !!
And in this spirit, as retired military, let me add my view of the current officer corps:
.
.
He loves his country more than his pension. Good things will come to him.
All these people are yes men. Nothing more. And when time comes for accountability, the yes men take the fall.
REMF’s
Rear echelon mother f*ckers.
Looks like a target of blame to me. He must have the goods.
Why bother having a military at all, in fact who needs a gubermint now…you re on your own kids
We gave it to the taliban – they didn’t take it from us. This was premeditated . For some reason they couldn’t just come out and admit that the only people that could do the job were so called terrorists.
2 observations:
1) WAPO has lowered their pay wall on the article “Unprecedented times call for unlimited access”
2) Erik Prince had/has the right idea about Afghanistan. Briefly, he says since it isn’t a country and just an amalgamation of tribes, we should have just provided arms to friendly tribes instead of trying to build a national army and a democratic state