Pressure mounts on a President in trouble
Daily Express
Paul Baldwin said Biden has blood on his hands.
“It’s the same thing of course but it’s the blood of the dead US Marines which will bring down his presidency,” he said. “Let’s be clear about why 95 people, including 13 US servicemen (at time of writing), are dead today: because Biden wanted an easy soundbite to spout on the anniversary of 9/11. In two weeks time he wanted to be able to say, “20 years after the attack on the Twin Towers there are no more American boots on the ground in Afghanistan. Mission accomplished.”
He said all the US President has done is make America look weak and foolish in the eyes of the world.
“The anniversary of 9/11 is not just a date Joe Biden will mark – it was also, lest we forget, the most successful attack on mainland USA in history. A high watermark for America’s enemies.
“Will those same American enemies just quietly let it pass you think Joe?”
The Guardian
Ben Davis thinks Mr Biden’s approval ratings will bounce back because most Americans support the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“Biden has hit a crisis that looks like it could sink his presidency, but he is right to dismiss his critics and stay the course, both morally and politically,” he said. “While the spasm of negative coverage has damaged his approval rating temporarily, the underlying policy of withdrawing from Afghanistan is extremely popular.”
He said there is no credible alternative to withdrawing.
“Biden could certainly have airlifted American civilians and Afghan refugees sooner – it’s clear that a Taliban takeover could not have been avoided. Despite the chaos at the airport, about 100,000 Afghans have been evacuated in a very short period. If two decades of war to the tune of $1tn couldn’t stop a Taliban takeover, then the only responsible decision is to avoid yet more war and loss of life.”
The Times
The leader column said the airport atrocity only underlined the scale of the western defeat and the bedraggled and avoidable debacle of the withdrawal. “The immediate consequence of the attack will be to heap further political pressure on Joe Biden,” it said.
“The US president’s judgment is already under fire for ordering this precipitate withdrawal to meet his own artificial deadline, against the advice of his military and without consulting allies.
“The reality is that Mr Biden has few good options. If he were to halt the evacuation, he would risk leaving many vulnerable Afghans including some who may have helped western forces, to their fate. That leaves him with little choice but to continue the mission until all those eligible for evacuation have been rescued despite the heightened danger. Either way, the American retreat is now dependent on security cover from the Taliban that is plainly inadequate.”