Biden ‘in the right’ but clock is ticking

Asked about his plummeting poll numbers, Joe Biden flashed his megawatt smile and laughed. The Afghanistan exit may look like a disaster but the US President exudes confidence that he will be proved right in the end.

“I think when this is over, the American people will have a clear understanding of what I did,” he said. “That’s the job. My job is to make judgments. My job is to make judgments no one else can or will make.”

When the Taliban completed its surge across Afghanistan by taking over Kabul 10 days ago, the Biden administration had the appearance of a deer in the headlights. In Kabul, there was chaos as panicked Afghans mobbed the airport, leading to horrific scenes of people trying to hold on to airplanes and falling to their deaths.

Back home, Mr Biden was initially invisible, prompting a torrent of criticism from Republicans and even some of his own allies. Now, though, the White House is trying to wrest back control of the narrative, insisting Americans are witnessing not a debacle but a bravely executed withdrawal from a war that had to end.

So far, the spin is not helping Mr Biden’s political standing. An NBC poll has given him a 49 per cent approval rating, down from 53 per cent four months earlier. Disapproval for the Democrat has shot up from 39 to 48 per cent.

On his handling of Afghanistan, disapproval was a stunning 60 per cent.

If there is anyone working hardest to rewrite the script it’s the military, which so far has mounted a remarkably efficient airlift from Kabul. Latest figures show US aircraft evacuated more than 37,000 people in just 10 days.

Mr Biden’s argument is that, yes, there may be a mess but a mess is inevitable when you exit a civil war – and exiting is what really matters.

But the clock is running down on his evacuation effort, with less than a week before the August 31 deadline.