Not worst catastrophe

Regarding “Why did Milley enable Biden’s Afghanistan debacle?” (Sept. 19): Thiessen's effort to maintain the Afghanistan departure as an attack line against President Biden is both transparent and ludicrous. His characterization of the event as “the worst national security debacle in modern American history” would be laughable if it didn’t follow so closely on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and other true security debacles like the Oklahoma City bombing, invading Afghanistan, invading Iraq and abandoning our Kurdish allies.

Apparently recognizing the need to put some meat on the bone of his laughable assertion, Thiessen tries to compare, contrast and criticize Gen. Milley for failing to impede President Biden’s decision as he did with his prior boss’ erratic behavior. Thiessen makes the rhetorical mistake of asking “why.” The answer is simple and obvious. President Biden is lucid and rational; his predecessor was neither. Potentially ending the world with a nuclear holocaust for purely political reasons is in no way comparable to exiting from a disastrous nationbuilding experiment in a fashion that armchair generals may criticize.

I thank President Biden for finally having the courage to extricate the U.S. from one of the actual worst national security (and military) debacles in modern history: the decision to invade and occupy Afghanistan for 20 years.

Tanner Garth, Houston

I take great issue with Thiessen’s exaggerated claims that Biden’s decision to evacuate from Afghanistan was “the worst U.S. military catastrophe in modern times” or “the worst national security debacle in modern American history.” Has Thiessen not heard of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 9/11 or even the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 that killed 241 Americans? Crack open a history book. Such overthe-top claims show your obvious bias.

Tim Cyr, Pasadena