Biden defended his decisions in Afghanistan, saying the choice was "between leaving or escalating."
Source: New York Times
WASHINGTON — President Biden on Tuesday hailed what he called the “extraordinary success” of the evacuation of Kabul as he vehemently defended his decision to end America’s war in Afghanistan, just one day after the end of a two-week rescue of 125,000 people from Kabul that saw the deaths of 13 service members.Speaking from the Cross Hall at the White House, Mr. Biden said the nation owed a debt of gratitude to the troops who died in the evacuation mission.
“Thirteen heroes gave their lives,” he said in a speech in which he offered no apologies for either his decision to end the war or the way in which his administration executed that mission. “We owe them and their families a debt of gratitude we can never repay, but we should never, ever, ever forget.” Mr. Biden appeared intent on forcefully rejecting criticism of the end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan, offering a defensive recounting of his decision-making and blaming former President Donald J. Trump for negotiating a bad deal with the Taliban that boxed Mr. Biden and his team in.
“That was the choice, the real choice between leaving or escalating,” Mr. Biden declared, his tone angry and defensive as he opened the first minutes of his remarks. “I was not going to extend this forever war.” Before Mr. Biden’s speech, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, had said the president would “lay out his decision to end the war in Afghanistan after 20 years, including the tough decisions he made over the last seven months since he took office to bring the war to a close,” she said. “He will make clear that as president, he will approach our foreign policy through the prism of what is in our national interests, including how best to continue to keep the American people safe.”
Ms. Psaki also said that the president would thank commanders and service members “who executed a dangerous mission in Kabul and airlifted more than 124,000 people to safety; he will also offer thanks to the veterans and volunteers who supported this effort.” The president delivered his remarks almost 20 years after the United States ousted the Taliban from power in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, and just a day after the last American troops and diplomats departed the country, which is once again under Taliban rule.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/31/world/afghanistan-news/biden-defended-his-decisions-in-afghanistan-saying-the-choice-was-between-leaving-or-escalating
= new reply since forum marked as read
perfectly reflecting what many of us have been feeling - ENOUGH!! 
(i.e., what you posted in GD... 
)
(was trying to make some coffee)
It was excellent and I'd say he was pissed but being "diplomatic" about being pissed.
He really wanted to say:
Shaaad-dup. Sit down and listen to me! This was a big fucking deal and I had the balls to do it. 
giving some folks "a talking to". 
Don't mess with Joe. He is no 'sleepy Joe'.
You have been warned.
Link to tweet
Cable news is double-pissed at Biden for killing off their largest cash cow - Trump - and their second largest - endless war.
Big Biden putting Tang the Conqueror on blast for the shitty agreement signed in February 2020 and the 5000 Taliban fighters released as part of the deal. Says the real choice came down to honoring the agreement by leaving or staying and escalating the 20 year old war.
Thank You President Joe Biden
