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Biden needs to hold his military and intelligence advisors to account.
I very much doubt that his advisers argued that the Afghan military and govt. would crumble quickly without US support but Biden decided to order the withdrawal anyways.
While Biden is ultimately responsible and must accept responsibility, he needs to be tough on whoever was advising him as they clearly didn't actually know the situation.
35 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
* At the close of business on June 5, 2001, Democrats became the
majority party in the Senate when Senator Jeffords switched his
affiliation from Republican to Independent. On June 6, 2001, Senator
Biden was designated Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Under
the provisions of S. Res. 8, agreed to January 5, 2001 setting forth
Senate procedure in the 107th Congress, committee memberships reverted
back to their status prior to 12 Noon on January 20, 2001, as reflected
above. Pursuant to section 2 of S. Res. 8, Senators Bill Nelson and
George Allen temporarily lost their committee seats.
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
[Membership from close of business on July 10, 2001
until November 20, 2002]
------------
JOSEPH R. BIDEN, Jr., Delaware, Chairman
PAUL S. SARBANES, Maryland JESSE HELMS, North Carolina
CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut RICHARD G. LUGAR, Indiana
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts CHUCK HAGEL, Nebraska
RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Wisconsin GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon
PAUL D. WELLSTONE, Minnesota* BILL FRIST, Tennessee
BARBARA BOXER, California LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, Rhode
Island
ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia
BILL NELSON, Florida SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming
Virginia
EDWIN K. HALL, Staff Director (through March 22, 2002)
ANTONY J. BLINKEN, Staff Director (beginning April 29, 2002)
PATRICIA A. McNERNEY, Republican Staff Director (beginning June 11,
2001)
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-LEGCAL-84449/html/GPO-LEGCAL-84449.htm
majority party in the Senate when Senator Jeffords switched his
affiliation from Republican to Independent. On June 6, 2001, Senator
Biden was designated Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Under
the provisions of S. Res. 8, agreed to January 5, 2001 setting forth
Senate procedure in the 107th Congress, committee memberships reverted
back to their status prior to 12 Noon on January 20, 2001, as reflected
above. Pursuant to section 2 of S. Res. 8, Senators Bill Nelson and
George Allen temporarily lost their committee seats.
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
[Membership from close of business on July 10, 2001
until November 20, 2002]
------------
JOSEPH R. BIDEN, Jr., Delaware, Chairman
PAUL S. SARBANES, Maryland JESSE HELMS, North Carolina
CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut RICHARD G. LUGAR, Indiana
JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts CHUCK HAGEL, Nebraska
RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Wisconsin GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon
PAUL D. WELLSTONE, Minnesota* BILL FRIST, Tennessee
BARBARA BOXER, California LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, Rhode
Island
ROBERT G. TORRICELLI, New Jersey GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia
BILL NELSON, Florida SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming
Virginia
EDWIN K. HALL, Staff Director (through March 22, 2002)
ANTONY J. BLINKEN, Staff Director (beginning April 29, 2002)
PATRICIA A. McNERNEY, Republican Staff Director (beginning June 11,
2001)
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-LEGCAL-84449/html/GPO-LEGCAL-84449.htm
What does the above mean? It means that during 9/11 and the subsequent run up to war, our current President, Joseph R. Biden, was the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (taking over from the ASS Jesse Helms once Democrats gained control of the Senate after Jeffords switched parties).
Biden to Head Panel On Foreign Relations
By Helen Dewar
May 30, 2001
Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) said yesterday that he will head the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a new Judiciary subcommittee on crime and drugs when Democrats take control of the Senate next week, averting a domino-like upheaval on several major panels. Biden's decision, announced at a news conference in Wilmington, Del., paves the way for Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) to head the Judiciary Committee, which will be at the frontline for action on President Bush's judicial nominations. It also ensures that Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who faces a tough reelection campaign next year, will become chairman of the Agriculture Committee. Biden, Leahy and Harkin are the ranking Democrats on their respective committees.
An internationalist with a wide-ranging interest in world affairs, Biden will succeed Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), whose six-year tenure as Foreign Relations chairman has been marked by skepticism of overseas entanglements. Biden, 58, who has served in the Senate for 28 years, has more seniority than any other Democrat on both the Foreign Relations and Judiciary panels and could take the chairmanship of either. He headed Judiciary from 1987 to 1995 and has been the ranking Democrat on Foreign Relations since 1997.
Shortly after Vermont Sen. James M. Jeffords announced last week that he was leaving the Republican Party and becoming an independent, giving Democrats control of the Senate, Biden said he was undecided about which panel he wanted to head, creating some anxiety among colleagues who would be affected. Yesterday Biden said he will, in effect, get the best of both worlds. He will become chairman of Foreign Relations, reflecting his interest in world affairs, while chairing a Judiciary panel that will be reestablished by Leahy to oversee the high-profile domestic issues of crime and drugs.
"Since President Bush took office, I have indicated on many occasions my deep concern about a couple of major issues," Biden said. "Chief among them are the effectiveness of our criminal justice system, the future of the Supreme Court and the administration's plans for a national missile defense." As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Biden said yesterday, he will give first priority to scrutinizing Bush's missile defense plans.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/05/30/biden-to-head-panel-on-foreign-relations/426ec421-4283-4c90-b0a8-48451cf6f188/
By Helen Dewar
May 30, 2001
Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) said yesterday that he will head the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a new Judiciary subcommittee on crime and drugs when Democrats take control of the Senate next week, averting a domino-like upheaval on several major panels. Biden's decision, announced at a news conference in Wilmington, Del., paves the way for Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) to head the Judiciary Committee, which will be at the frontline for action on President Bush's judicial nominations. It also ensures that Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who faces a tough reelection campaign next year, will become chairman of the Agriculture Committee. Biden, Leahy and Harkin are the ranking Democrats on their respective committees.
An internationalist with a wide-ranging interest in world affairs, Biden will succeed Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), whose six-year tenure as Foreign Relations chairman has been marked by skepticism of overseas entanglements. Biden, 58, who has served in the Senate for 28 years, has more seniority than any other Democrat on both the Foreign Relations and Judiciary panels and could take the chairmanship of either. He headed Judiciary from 1987 to 1995 and has been the ranking Democrat on Foreign Relations since 1997.
Shortly after Vermont Sen. James M. Jeffords announced last week that he was leaving the Republican Party and becoming an independent, giving Democrats control of the Senate, Biden said he was undecided about which panel he wanted to head, creating some anxiety among colleagues who would be affected. Yesterday Biden said he will, in effect, get the best of both worlds. He will become chairman of Foreign Relations, reflecting his interest in world affairs, while chairing a Judiciary panel that will be reestablished by Leahy to oversee the high-profile domestic issues of crime and drugs.
"Since President Bush took office, I have indicated on many occasions my deep concern about a couple of major issues," Biden said. "Chief among them are the effectiveness of our criminal justice system, the future of the Supreme Court and the administration's plans for a national missile defense." As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Biden said yesterday, he will give first priority to scrutinizing Bush's missile defense plans.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/05/30/biden-to-head-panel-on-foreign-relations/426ec421-4283-4c90-b0a8-48451cf6f188/
What does this mean? It means he has a DEEP core knowledge about that area, including 20 years of intel amassed during and since that time (he had taken over the Chair again after the 2006 election and then went on to become VP after the 2008 election).
Sometimes I think DU has so focused on Biden as a VP that (outside of the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill fiasco) people have blanked out the fact that he was actually involved in stuff before becoming VP.
This is his forte. He might not be a John Kerry in terms of diplomatic running around (Kerry eventually took over Chair of that Committee when Biden became VP), but has as much or more knowledge as him in terms of policy.
MSNBC and CNN are wall to wall shredding Biden from so many angles one's mind reels and head spins
