{"id":1607922,"date":"2022-08-16T08:02:02","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T12:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1607922"},"modified":"2022-08-16T08:02:39","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T12:02:39","slug":"the-incompetence-of-the-botched-afghanistan-withdrawal-is-on-display-in-every-area-of-bidens-presidency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-incompetence-of-the-botched-afghanistan-withdrawal-is-on-display-in-every-area-of-bidens-presidency\/","title":{"rendered":"The Incompetence Of The Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal Is On Display In Every Area Of Biden\u2019s Presidency"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-incompetence-of-the-botched-afghanistan-withdrawal-is-on-display-in-every-area-of-bidens-presidency%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1607922&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Monday marked the one-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul, and even the media machine can\u2019t deny that the Biden administration\u2019s execution of the necessary U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was disastrous. What they fail to acknowledge, though, is that the rank incompetence that plagued that withdrawal has shown up in practically every hire, decision, and policy position in the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<h2>Covid Tyranny<\/h2>\n<p>Biden slammed his predecessor for his inability to stop an endemic airborne virus and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonherald.com\/2020\/11\/02\/biden-on-election-day-eve-blasts-trump-for-coronavirus-response\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">promised<\/a> to \u201cget [Covid] under control\u201d and \u201cbeat this virus.\u201d Of course, even for a capable administration, that was an impossible task \u2014 and under Biden, the Covid toll only grew while freedoms shrunk. Even though the Biden administration oversaw more people receiving (or being forced to receive) shots that had been manufactured under the Trump administration, Biden still <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/politics\/biden-trump-covid-death-scandal\/\">presided<\/a> over more Covid deaths in his first year in office than Trump did in 2020. And as my colleague Eddie Scarry <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/09\/28\/americans-are-over-bidens-pandemic-incompetence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>, by last September, a majority of U.S. adults reported \u201clittle to no trust in Biden to relay accurate information related to COVID-19.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Covid hysteria has died down as Americans have grown tired of politicians\u2019 lockdowns and media fearmongering \u2014 and as the media have found other crises to fan. But it hasn\u2019t been a result of any competent effort by the Biden administration, which spent more than a year getting people fired with heavy-handed mandates and nuking dissent from cyberspace.<\/p>\n<h2>Deadly Border Crisis<\/h2>\n<p>After the Biden administration signaled a change from the Trump administration\u2019s hardline stance on border security, the human trafficking industry run by cartels at the U.S.-Mexico border has surged. We\u2019ve seen record after <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/16\/in-may-bidens-border-crisis-yielded-the-highest-number-of-border-arrests-ever-recorded\/\">record<\/a> number of illegal immigrants apprehended at the border \u2014 a metric that doesn\u2019t even account for those who get through undetected. Horrific footage in September 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2021\/09\/17\/texas-border-del-rio-migrants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">showing<\/a> roughly 12,000 migrants in a crowded encampment under the international bridge in Del Rio, Texas, reflected how out-of-control the continuing crisis at the border is. As my colleague Jordan Boyd <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/04\/22\/bidens-open-border-policies-are-deadly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> in April, \u201cIn 2021, at least 650 migrants died during their attempts to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border,\u201d many due to drowning, heat, or cartel violence. <\/p>\n<p>A pastor who runs shelters in Matamoros, Mexico, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/21\/border-dispatch-part-ii-the-cartel-controls-everything-here-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> The Federalist\u2019s John Daniel Davidson and Emily Jashinsky that the cartel \u201ccontrols everything here now.\u201d The Biden administration has continually shown itself either unwilling, unable, or both, to put an end to the lawless smuggling and the deaths and violence it causes.<\/p>\n<h2>Painful Gas Prices<\/h2>\n<p>The average gas price in the U.S. hit a new <a href=\"https:\/\/gasprices.aaa.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">record<\/a>, north of $5.00 per gallon, in June under Biden\u2019s watch. While the unpopular administration has managed to inch that price down artificially by depleting our strategic oil reserve to dangerously low levels \u2014 an \u201caccomplishment\u201d they\u2019re all too willing to brag about \u2014 gas prices remain close to $4.00 per gallon, far higher than the roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/06\/06\/gas-prices-have-doubled-since-biden-took-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$2.39<\/a> voters were paying on the day Biden took office. The administration tried its best to blame Russian President Vladimir Putin for the spike in fuel costs, but even <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/03\/09\/joe-biden-doesnt-want-your-gas-to-be-4-a-gallon-he-wants-it-to-cost-even-more\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">before<\/a> the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a gallon of gas cost more than $3.50 on average around the country.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an intentional repercussion of the Biden administration\u2019s well-known plan to drive the U.S. off of gas and oil and replace those industries with \u201cgreen\u201d options. Both Biden\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/03\/09\/joe-biden-doesnt-want-your-gas-to-be-4-a-gallon-he-wants-it-to-cost-even-more\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">promises and actions<\/a> have confirmed as much, and Congress\u2019s bizarrely-named \u201cInflation Reduction Act\u201d will only make things <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/07\/28\/the-dems-new-proposal-does-nothing-to-lower-inflation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">worse<\/a>. <\/p>\n<h2>Spiking Inflation<\/h2>\n<p>Speaking of inflation, the Biden administration has overseen inflation breaking 40-year records nearly every month. Year-over-year inflation rates have hovered around 8 and 9 percent, while certain grocery staples have <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/04\/27\/the-inflation-draining-your-wallet-grocery-cart-and-gas-tank-is-far-steeper-than-8-percent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">jumped<\/a> almost 25 percent. And now that the country is barrelling into a recession with two consecutive quarters of downturn in economic activity, the Biden administration\u2019s incompetent response is to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/07\/26\/the-lefts-response-to-failure-is-to-redefine-it-as-success\/\">redefine<\/a> a \u201crecession\u201d and insist that inflation is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/08\/10\/media-parrot-bidens-absurd-claim-that-julys-8-5-percent-inflation-increase-is-actually-zero\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">zero<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Disaster in Ukraine<\/h2>\n<p>The Biden administration hasn\u2019t fixed its post-Afghanistan reputation for foreign policy disaster by its response to the Russia-Ukraine war. In a bumbling jumble of remarks in January, Biden appeared to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/01\/21\/if-trump-had-greenlighted-russia-to-invade-ukraine-like-biden-just-did-media-would-have-gone-nuts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">green-light<\/a> a \u201cminor incursion\u201d of Russia into Ukraine, before adding, \u201cMy guess is [Putin] will move in. He has to do something.\u201d And when a reporter sought clarification and asked, \u201cAre you effectively giving Putin permission to make a small incursion into the country?\u201d Biden replied, \u201cThat\u2019s how it did sound like, didn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since Putin invaded Ukraine a month later, the Biden administration and Congress have done nothing but throw money at the problem and stage dramatic photo-ops, spending $54 billion of taxpayers\u2019 earnings with no assurance that money and weapons will even <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/05\/11\/congress-could-nearly-double-u-s-border-budget-with-40-billion-theyre-sending-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">make it<\/a> into the right hands.<\/p>\n<h2>A Roster of Incompetent Hires<\/h2>\n<p>At the top of all these fiascos is a dementia patient who can hardly get through a teleprompter speech without a gaffe, such as reading \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/07\/08\/repeat-the-line-white-house-retroactively-alters-transcript-to-smooth-bidens-gaffe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">repeat the line<\/a>\u201d out loud or <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2019\/09\/02\/biden-gaffe-machine-running-list-joe-bidens-best-slip-ups\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">forgetting<\/a> what year it is. And the incompetence doesn\u2019t improve down the chain of command, among officials who seem to have been picked more for checking identity politics boxes than for their qualifications. Vice President Kamala Harris has failed at every policy area she\u2019s been appointed over, and is infamous for thoughtful <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/03\/15\/kamala-harris-quotes-as-motivational-posters-because-the-time-to-be-inspired-is-every-day\/\">commentary<\/a> like, \u201cIt is time for us to do what we have been doing and that time is every day.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose qualifications included <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/12\/16\/hemingway-enjoying-ticket-to-ride-doesnt-make-buttigieg-qualified-for-transportation-secretary\/\">enjoying<\/a> the board game \u201cTicket to Ride,\u201d took two months off for paternity leave while the nation endured a supply-chain crisis. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wouldn\u2019t even <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/08\/23\/secretary-of-state-antony-blinken-wont-say-if-biden-knows-whats-going-on-in-afghanistan\/\">admit<\/a> whether the president knew what was going on during the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle, and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/02\/26\/bidens-secretary-of-state-poses-with-upside-down-mexican-flag-while-touting-devotion-to-us-mexico-relationship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posed<\/a> in front of an upside-down Mexican flag in February 2021 when bragging about America\u2019s relationship with Mexico. <\/p>\n<p>Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/11\/23\/energy-secretary-jennifer-granholm-doesnt-know-how-much-energy-americans-need\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">couldn\u2019t<\/a> tell reporters \u201chow many barrels of oil the U.S. consumes on a daily basis,\u201d and called a question about increasing U.S. oil production to bring down gas prices \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/11\/06\/energy-secretary-jennifer-granholm-laughs-at-your-high-gas-prices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hilarious<\/a>.\u201d And Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has responded to a largely softball press corps by talking about the \u201cDepartment of DOJ\u201d and looking at her briefing book for more than 20 seconds only to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/15\/even-with-the-media-tossing-her-softballs-biden-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-cant-get-the-bat-off-her-shoulder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admit<\/a> \u201cI don\u2019t have anything new\u201d when asked about the baby formula shortage in June.<\/p>\n<p>From intentional \u201cfailure\u201d (like driving gas prices up in an attempt to force Americans to follow Democrats\u2019 green pipe dreams) to arrogance (such as thinking Americans either won\u2019t care or won\u2019t be able to do anything about it), even the Biden administration\u2019s intentional decisions are executed with incompetence. Unfortunately, the botched Afghanistan withdrawal one year ago was neither the only nor the last sign of it. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Elle Reynolds is an assistant editor at The Federalist, and received her B.A. in government from Patrick Henry College with a minor in journalism. You can follow her work on Twitter at @_etreynolds.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Monday marked the one-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul, and even the media machine can\u2019t deny that the Biden administration\u2019s execution of the necessary U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":500,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1607922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1607922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/500"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1607922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1607922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1607922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1607922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1607922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}