Mike Huckabee

All right, this is JUST IT. The breaking point.

Whoever at the White House, State Department and/or Pentagon comes forward to try to put a good spin on "8/31" by saying we met “the deadline” and are “out of Afghanistan after 20 years” can just, pardon the expression, pound sand. We're NOT all out. Don’t even bother trotting somebody out to try to clean up for the mentally AWOL Commander-in-Chief in one of your increasingly ridiculous press briefings. You still have some partisan loyals in the media trying to cover for you, but in defending this President you are a pathetic joke. You know perfectly well that we ALL wanted to be out of Afghanistan, Trump included, and we were going to be, and he would've gotten us out in a way that at least made strategic sense. But this latest development is, pardon the expression again, the straw that broke the camel’s back.

What finally did it –- what irreparably broke the hearts of me and my staff –- is this image from yesterday, in which the Taliban are flying over Kandahar in one of the Black Hawk helicopters we used to own, which President Biden left for the terrorists along with $90 billion worth of other military prizes as if it were Christmas in August. Yes, we’d already seen them joyriding in a Black Hawk, but this is the first case we’ve seen of them taking one up and dangling what appears to be the body of a man hanged by the neck. Is the man dead? We don't know.

https://www.westernjournal.com/videos-show-taliban-hanging-body-neck-bidens-left-behind-us-black-hawk-helicopter-report/

The WESTERN JOURNAL reports that it is indeed a dead body and describes this as “a giant middle finger to the Western world that has battled terrorism for the past two decades.”

The video was shared by the TALIB TIMES; it’s from a Twitter account claiming to share “official news” from “the Islamic Emirate Afghanistan.” (I assume that’s what we’re supposed to call it now.) The caption reads, “OUR AIR FORCE!”

And who was this man? WAS he dead, or being tortured, or what? Maybe he was one of our interpreters or guides. Maybe a young student at American University, after our State Department refused to admit them to the airport. Maybe just some poor schlub whose beard was too short or who was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe he was a happy Taliban fighter, very much alive, getting his kicks and celebrating the 8/31 defeat of the Americans.

Some have interpreted this video as appearing to show a member of the Taliban “on patrol” over Kandahar. We don’t know, but it would be the strangest patrol ever.

https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/taliban-hanging-us-helicopter-afghanistan-v41072cd5

Here are more details on the massive array of equipment the Taliban now have, thanks to President Biden. Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, who assembled the list, said the Taliban now has “more Black Hawk helicopters than 85 percent of the countries in the world.” Each helicopter cost the taxpayers $6 million, and there is so much more we bought them. We've armed our own enemy to the teeth!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9941207/Taliban-Air-Terrorists-fly-captured-6million-Black-Hawk-helicopter-Kandahar.html

The administration has been trying to fool us into thinking the Taliban are “negotiating,” working with us, fulfilling our interests by going after ISIS-K, the “real” terrorists who blew up 13 of our service members at the Kabul airport checkpoint. That, as I've said, is a distinction without a difference. They are all terrorists and all want Americans dead. If the Taliban and ISIS really were enemies, the Taliban wouldn’t have released the approximately 2,000 ISIS fighters we’d detained at Bagram Air Base.

Note to Biden administration: Just stop insulting our intelligence. Calling ISIS-K the “real” terrorists to take the heat off the Taliban reminds me of O.J. Simpson’s lawyers saying he would dedicate himself to finding the “real” killer of Nicole.

And who flew this helicopter? It’s not as if some 7th-century Taliban soldier climbed aboard this ultra-sophisticated piece of equipment and somehow knew how to take it up and circle it over Kabul, dead-or-alive person in tow. Are we sure EVERY American helicopter pilot got out? Or maybe the pilot is an Afghan trained by us and now held captive. We don’t know, and, even worse, we can’t trust the White House to tell us.

Western media have been mostly banned from Afghanistan.  

Well, they did allow some media people because they wanted the world to see them take over and declare victory over America.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/taliban-fighters-kabul-airport-hangar-examine-helicopters-us-troops-depart-afghanistan

There's no telling the horrors that will go on. Those particularly in danger include Americans left behind, Afghan women and girls, interpreters and others who helped American soldiers, and Christian missionaries. We don’t know how many thousands of people this might be.

President Biden, when asked about any of this, says he’s “not supposed to take any questions” on Afghanistan. (What??) Then he walks away. Can you IMAGINE what the reaction would be if Trump were in office and he did that? They’d use it to push their fake “Russia” narrative and say Vladimir Putin had instructed him not to answer.

Here’s something else we can’t forgive Biden for, if the allegations are true: leaving our service dogs behind in Afghanistan. I’m not comparing this to the loss of 13 service members, but these dogs mean so much to the soldiers who depended on them. Some owe their lives to these dogs. Here’s the press release from American Humane, an organization that brings home retired military working dogs and pairs service dogs with veterans.

https://www.americanhumane.org/press-release/american-humane-condemns-death-sentence-delivered-to-contract-working-dogs-left-behind-in-kabul-afghanistan/

American working dogs left there by our military face a grim future: certainly death and perhaps torture. We’re looking for additional verification that these dogs have indeed been left behind in the crush to evacuate. Our leaders like to talk about “who we are”; this certainly is not it.

Something else: the airlift out of Kabul was supposed to rescue those who helped us, but it turned into such a free-for-all that Afghans weren’t vetted before boarding the planes. Here’s just one unfortunate example.

https://amp.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/aug/30/convicted-rapist-reached-us-afghan-evacuation-flig/

Of the 2,000 rescued Afghans being held at Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy, not a single one had an SIV, or Special Immigrant Visa. And according to the WASHINGTON TIMES, only “a tiny fraction” of those evacuated have been Americans.

But here's a ray of hope: An organization of retired U.S. generals and admirals called “FLAG OFFICERS 4 AMERICA” has HAD IT every bit as much as we have and is demanding accountability in the form of the resignation of the two top generals, the highest military advisers to President Biden (who should have resigned in the first place rather than carry out his disastrous orders), Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley. Know what I call those resignations? A good start.

They’ve also written a spectacular letter expressing what they think of the modern “woke” military and weighing in on a number of national security issues, including Biden’s fitness to serve. If anything will make your day, it’s this letter and the long, long list of signatories. Here it is, in pdf form to share far and wide.

https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/fb7c7bd8-097d-4e2f-8f12-3442d151b57d/downloads/2021%20Open%20Letter%20from%20Retired%20Generals%20and%20Adm.pdf?ver=1630334080425

Mike Huckabee

Mike Huckabee

Mike Huckabee

Of all the disturbing and heartbreaking stories coming out of Afghanistan this weekend, this might be the most infuriating of all.

Two highly trusted sources, investigative reporter Lara Logan and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost an eye in an IED explosion in Afghanistan, are independently reporting that over the past few days, Americans have been turned away from entering the Kabul airport. Logan tweeted this on Saturday: “Most Americans don’t understand what’s happening in Kabul – been on this all night with no end. US citizens are fighting through enemy lines to get to the airport. When they show their blue passport to 82nd [Airborne] soldiers at the gate, many are turned away and sent back to the Taliban.”

Later, she tweeted, “All that stands between these Americans and safety/home is the US govt and military.”

President Biden had supposedly sent the 82nd Airborne to Kabul to facilitate the mass evacuation. What in blazes is going on there?

Dan Crenshaw tweeted, “America, all you need to know is this: Biden is not letting US citizens through the airport gates. It has been impossible to get anyone through for the past 24 hours. This administration has been lying about their intent to save Americans. Unforgivable.”

Also unexplainable, in a sane world with a sane Commander-in-Chief. But that’s not what we have.

Weirdly, the Biden White House is also trying to say that ISIS-K is the enemy, not so much the Taliban. One Green Beret and others in a position to know report that they’re really one and the same. I was on the same track a few days ago when I called this “a distinction without a difference.”

Bryan Preston at PJ MEDIA wrote at greater length about this.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/bryan-preston/2021/08/29/dan-crenshaw-lara-logan-bring-the-most-disturbing-reports-out-of-the-kabul-airport-yet-n1473930

We don’t know how many Americans are stranded in Afghanistan. Some reports have said 350, but it could be thousands more. The Biden administration says it’s evacuated “thousands,” but it never says how many of these are Americans.

The State Department, officially in charge of the evacuation effort, apparently is not helping. If soldiers are turning away Americans, it is on their order, not the Pentagon’s. Texas Rep. Ronny Johnson tweeted this on Saturday: “I am furious!! My team has been on the phone all day trying to get AMERICAN CITIZENS out. They have been just outside the airport numerous times, but the State Department WILL NOT help them.”

Congress won’t be looking into this anytime soon. Speaker Pelosi has adjourned them.

American citizens aren’t the only ones being turned away at the airport gates. As reported in THE NEW YORK TIMES, students and alumni from the American University of Afghanistan were, too. This came after about 600 of them had gathered at a safe house and boarded buses to take them, they thought, to freedom. After waiting for several hours, they were told that evacuations had been called off. An email told them to return home. (“Home”?) Because the U.S. troop deadline for evacuation is August 31, it said, the U.S. military was turning from evacuating civilians to getting its own personnel out.

Think that’s bad? Oh, it’s much worse. They're terrified for their lives now, as they also also learned the U.S. military, “following protocol,” had shared a list of their names and passport information with the Taliban who were guarding the airport checkpoints. Their identities are now known, and there's no way to evacuate.

The Taliban have already taken over the American University campus. The staff got out in time and are now safely in Doha. The president of the school says they’re committed to “ensuring all students would finish their degrees remotely.”

Well, isn’t that nice. And how are these students going to be receiving their degrees? Posthumously?

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/29/world/afghanistan-live-news-updates#american-university-of-kabul-students-and-alumni-trying-to-flee-were-sent-home

Brad Slager at RedState.com has an excellent commentary on the total incompetence surrounding the withdrawal.

https://redstate.com/bradslager/2021/08/29/no-aspect-of-bidens-afghanistan-fiasco-was-handled-with-competence-n434910

Reading this, though, I have to wonder: Is this level of incompetence due to Biden’s lack of cognitive faculties, leading him to be fatally singleminded and stubborn about his arbitrary pull-out date, or is he actually an all-out traitor to his country? If he were the latter, what would he be doing differently? The one other possibility is that he is so monumentally stupid that...well, I have to wonder if even Joe Biden is THAT monumentally stupid.

It gets even crazier: As Nick Arama at RedState reports, at a time when military aircraft are at such a premium that commercial jets are being called into service, President Biden approved the use of a military plane by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to fly last Monday to a nonessential diplomatic summit in Ukraine. Why the frivolous waste of a military craft when it was so badly needed for the evacuation? This makes about as much sense as anything else going on right now.

https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2021/08/29/biden-diverted-military-jet-away-for-outrageous-reason-in-middle-of-kabul-evacuation-n434949

Also, recall the Marine officer who was relived of duty within hours of criticizing military leaders for the deaths of 13 service members last week? Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller had tweeted: “I have been fighting for 17 years. I am willing to throw it all way to say to my senior leaders, I demand accountability.” In case you missed that story, here’s a review.

https://redstate.com/mike_miller/2021/08/29/marine-officer-relieved-of-duty-for-slamming-leaders-over-afghanistan-debacle-issues-blistering-warning-n434835

Scheller has given an interview with the NEW YORK POST. They also spoke to his dad, who proudly called him “a Marine’s Marine.” Here’s the link; highly recommended reading.

https://nypost.com/2021/08/28/marines-praise-lt-colonel-fired-for-slamming-afghan-exit/

Although we praise Scheller to the skies for having the courage to do what even Biden’s generals couldn’t do but should have, we do have one small quibble with something he said, relating to the age of his superiors. “The baby boomer’s turn is over,” he told the POST. “I demand accountability, at all levels. If we don’t get it, I’m bringing it.”

Speaking as a baby boomer, I would say that most Americans my age are appalled at what is transpiring and want to “bring it,” too. Much of my readership, including many veterans, would be considered part of the “baby boomer” generation, and we are just as horrified as he is and also demand accountability. I would not be surprised if some of those officials, say, from the State Department, giving orders behind the scenes are closer to his age.

That said, Scheller, who received a Combat V for Valor and a Bronze Star, has exhibited perhaps an even rarer form of bravery by standing up to his superiors when such action was badly needed. He’s a hero for daring to say that the U.S. should never have abandoned the strategic Bagram Air Base. Some of his fellow officers, even though they were supportive, have urged him to take his video down. But over 30,000, some of whom served under him, have liked and commented on it.

Saturday, Michael Goodwin in THE NEW YORK POST asked the question, “What if Biden and his administration really are every bit as bad as they look?

https://nypost.com/2021/08/28/in-the-midst-of-a-white-house-breakdown-goodwin/

Finally, in her grief, the mother of one of the Marines killed at the airport checkpoint has spoken out. We’ll just let her tell you in her own words what she thinks of the current Commander-in-Chief.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9936483/Biden-flies-Dover-Air-Force-Base-receive-remains-13-American-troops-killed-Kabul-attack.html