Was the afghanistan withdrawal an incompetent mistake?

[Lemmingwise]

I keep reading posts about people blaming Biden for the terrible withdrawal.

To me it seems like blaming Theresa May for the botched Brexit. As if botching it doesn't bring its own political currency as a kind of petty vengeance when public opinion limits the political goals of various elites for a couple of years (like electing Trump).

There are numerous strategic reasons why the US would want to leave behind a strong and US armed taliban, the same way how ISIS used mostly american equipment that they "captured".

I thought I'd throw up a poll. I just find the level of incompetence to be too astounding to believe and there is plenty of value inplaying it off as such.

 

[SneedEyeMitch]

You know the difference between malice and incompetence? Motive. Ethier way you will get the same results.

 

[NigKid]

That poll title gave me a stroke

 

[I-chi]

There was a plan in place for months that would have preserved most of our dignity and extracted our forces and equipment as cleanly as possible. Our government and the people running it are so committed to lunacy that they botched it just to spite the Orange Man who had it in place.

Twenty years wasted for a fucking photo op.

 

[ChefKiss]

No, it was enemy action. It was a deliberate move to let china take over. Biden isnt just incompetent, he's a traitor and a sellout working for china.
Leaving so many americans behind, I fucking wish it was incompetence, he just didnt give a shit.

 

[Haim Arlosoroff]

Biden either chose to withdraw in complete and total stupidity, or it naturally came to him.

I can only assume that an idea of malice and political calculation also assumes that there will be political capital or room to maneuver certain policies into place from this pull out and that some Democrat talking point will be furthered by this. Biden, having done this, seems like a fucking dementia patient. Nobody is defending him.

The right are framing it like this:

The Left are framing it like this:

There is no frame game victory, no additional political capital to spend, no grace in the press or academia to shelter behind for this or some future endeavor, and fundamentally it at best case for Biden seems like the military brass decided to fuck him the moment he followed through on Trump's "Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban and the United States of America"