We outlined yesterday some of the ideological teams within the current political dynamic as it relates to a massive foreign policy failure in Afghanistan {Go Deep}. Before going further and reviewing the current Sunday talking points by political actors within this mess, it is worth expanding slightly so we can see the institutional agendas that drive the visible messaging.

Big Picture – Remember, there was a time when the eagle’s gaze on the official seal for the Office of the United States President, did not point toward the olive branch. There was a long time in our nation’s history when the eagle’s gaze on the Presidential Seal pointed toward the arrows, and the State Dept. Seal pointed to the olive branch.  There were always two conflicting teams, by design.  There were always two different roles and responsibilities.  Those distinct purposes are now diluted by ideology and size of government…. But the distinction is playing out amid the crisis in Afghanistan.

The State Department has been undermining the message and ‘narrative’ from the White House.  Part of this is driven by an ideological distinction and self-interest that has existed for decades.  However, the current dynamic is being played out by corrupt institutional actors on both sides who do not have our best interests in mind.  Both sets of federal actors are two factions within the same ideological tribe of  leftists & globalists.

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Yesterday, while responding to reports of American citizens not being able to get to the Kabul airport for evacuation, Joe Biden said:

“We have no indication that they haven’t been able to get — in Kabul — through the airport. We’ve made an agreement with the — with the Taliban. Thus far, they’ve allowed them to go through. It’s in their interest for them to go through. So, we know of no circumstance where American citizens are — carrying an American passport — are trying to get through to the airport. But we will do whatever needs to be done to see to it they get to the airport.” (link)

Today, the U.S. State Dept. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan issues a Security Alert:

“Because of potential security threats outside the gates at the Kabul airport, we are advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to the airport and to avoid airport gates at this time unless you receive individual instructions from a U.S. government representative to do so.” (LINK)

Something sketchy is going on…

The State Dept. Public Relations firm, CNN, stopped Clarissa Ward (journalist) from reporting outside the gates of the Kabul airport.  Now, the embassy says don’t go to the airport at the same time the Associated Press is reporting on al-Qaeda and Islamic State elements threatening the area:

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David Fox is an American trapped in Kabul who appeared on a video report with ABC to highlight the situation faced by thousands of Americans attempting to evacuate the region. While he was describing the dangerous situation around the Kabul airport, Mr. Fox also pointed out a very serious issue.  ABC buried the lead….

According to his report, the U.S. State Department responded en masse to all the people trapped in Afghanistan reaching out for help.

The U.S. Embassy consular services department sent a document with instructions to assist Americans and eligible Afghans claiming Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) status. The document looks exactly like an approved VISA document except there is no filled in name, no serial number and no barcode.

As Mr. Fox notes, the document is easily able to be forged which makes the Kabul airport situation even worse, as it is likely the people who receive this response from the consular’s office will duplicate it and share it with friends or family who can then use it in an effort to get to the United States.

[WATCH ABC News video at 06:25]

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Mr. Fox attributes this massive problem to bureaucratic “brainworms“, or a mistake by professional bureaucrats within the State Department trying to help but actually making things worse.  However, there is a possibility it’s not a mistake.  Perhaps this was done purposefully.

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An NPR reporter actually did some journalism when he went off-script and asked a follow-up question that Biden was not expecting.

In the previous question, a seemingly out-of-touch Joe Biden falsely claimed that all Americans attempting to flee Afghanistan were able to get to the Kabul airport without issue.  This claim is exactly the opposite of the reality on the ground,  as it is being reported by dozens of journalists from all media outlets.  The false statement was even too big for the NPR reporter ignore seconds later.  WATCH:

The look on Kamala Harris’ face at that moment exemplified the entire press conference.

Sometimes pictures are worth more than words….  SEE BELOW:

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Facing growing backlash and ridicule from the majority of Americans; and with a massive drop in approval and polling; and with the world watching the oval office occupant hide in his bunker; the cognitively disconnected dementia patient who was installed into office will attempt to justify his current mess in Afghanistan.

Joe Biden is expected to deliver remarks regarding the ongoing evacuation mission of American citizens, special immigrant visa (SIV) applicants and vulnerable Afghans out of Afghanistan, as the Taliban takes over the country following the withdrawal of U.S. troops and allies.  The effort is scheduled to begin at 1:00pm ET. Livestream Links Below

Fox News Livestream Link – State Dept. Livestream Link – Alternate Livestream Link

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Yesterday during a press briefing, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley was adamant from his podium when he proclaimed: “There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days.” WATCH (25 secs):

Unfortunately for General Milley, today reports are surfacing that 23 State Department staff at the Kabul embassy informed Secretary of State Anthony Blinken of exactly that…. Kabul will fall quickly to the Taliban:

[Via Wall Street Journal] … “The cable, sent via the State Department’s confidential dissent channel, warned of rapid territorial gains by the Taliban and the subsequent collapse of Afghan security forces, and offered recommendations on ways to mitigate the crisis and speed up an evacuation, the two people said.

[…] In all, 23 U.S. Embassy staffers, all Americans, signed the July 13 cable, the two people said. The U.S. official said there was a rush to deliver it, given circumstances on the ground in Kabul.  The cable was sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of Policy Planning Salman Ahmed.

Mr. Blinken received the cable and reviewed it shortly after receipt, according to the person familiar with the exchange, who added that contingency planning was already under way when it was received, and that Mr. Blinken welcomed their feedback.” (link – paywall)

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We must be cautious in reviewing any/all media articles about the fluid situation in Afghanistan, as both Leftist and NeoCon media are framing the crisis story to fit their preferred narrative.  All DC media reporting should be viewed through the prism of cynicism and skepticism.

CNN is reporting the State Dept. Narrative that Taliban have surrounded the Kabul airport and there is no safe way for Americans to reach the evacuation point.   However, the Pentagon is reporting that the Taliban is “not interfering in their mission” to facilitate the evacuation of Americans, and  Taliban members “are not stopping U.S. citizens with American passports” from traveling to the airport.

When we review a State Department position (DoS) on anything, it should be noted that DoS personnel are, by ideological tribe, very dramatic, tender and pearl-clutching leftists in their worldview.  State Department officials are the wokeist of the international woke community. As a consequence of their alignment and role,  CNN is almost identically predisposed to the dramatic flair.

CNN takes the DoS bulletin and proclaims that Americans are trapped outside the airport by the Taliban. There is no evidence of this claim being accurate. There’s a difference between “we cannot ensure safe passage”, and “your passage is unsafe.”  Yes, things are sketchy and unstable, but there have been no reports of safety incidents with any Americans.

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How would you like to be one of the 15,000+ American citizens in Kabul, or surrounding region, and getting this notice from the United States State Department:

“A congressional aide tells CBS News we have no partners left in Afghanistan to safely get Americans in-country to Kabul.” (link)

…. But they planned for every contingency right?

The relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang has been obvious since President Trump took office in 2017 and began a series of sunlight diplomacy drops.  What President Trump exposed was the level of control China holds over North Korea.  Essentially, Kim Jong-Un is a hostage to Chairman Xi Jinping with little control over the military aspects of the DPRK.

When this baseline forms the forward analysis, the paradigm of historic western engagement with North Korea takes on an entire new dimension.

If China controls North Korea, specifically the functional leadership within the military, then all military action is essentially not from North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, but rather controlled and positioned by Chairman Xi.

As a downstream consequence the issue of North Korean nuclear weapons is essentially moot.  Of course the DPRK has nuclear weapon capability, those weapons would come from China and be controlled by Beijing.

Accept the DPRK as a proxy province to China and the issues look completely different.  We can debate the level of Beijing’s control, but it is certainly evident the military -which is essentially the important part of the DPRK government- receives instructions from China, not from Kim.  Chairman Kim Jong-un is essentially riding a dragon he does not control.  That was the subtle diplomacy visible inside the relationship as expressed between President Trump and Chairman Kim.

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To say the first major diplomatic summit between the United States and China was an unmitigated mess would be an understatement.  Apparently U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken thought it would be of value for the domestic audience if he was to lambast the Beijing delegation in public and on camera.  His efforts were a complete fail as the Chinese knew everything was presented for domestic consumption… so, the Red Dragon threw fire right back onto the purple hair and obviously stunned an unsettled U.S. Secretary.

The train wreck was started by challenging China publicly, in front of the international press, likely believing such an aggressive posture would weaken Republican criticism about the Job Biden administration being soft/weak on China. However, using a joint press conference as the forum only provided insult to the Beijing delegation.

Public insults are expressions of weakness, not strength.

It was visibly obvious that Secretary Blinken stupidly did not anticipate the Chinese officials would retaliate in their remarks responding to him.

The Chinese diplomatic team is exceptionally skilled at verbal combat; they use facts and evident weakness to their advantage. Blinken’s foolish decision gave the Chinese officials a rare opportunity to dress down the Secretary of State very publicly in front of the international media.

Secretary Blinken was visibly shocked and destabilized by the strength of the returning words from the Chinese team. His response was extremely defensive; ‘he doth protest too much’, and he was incoherent. Blinken also repeated JoeBama’s ridiculous catch-phrase “America is back.”

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