THE LIGHTER SIDE

God bless America, and how’s everybody?

■ President Biden declared the evacuation of Afghanistan an extraordinary success Tuesday. I don’t know. Biden also says the voyage of the Titanic was an extraordinary success when you consider it made it most of the way across the ocean and 31% of the passengers survived.

■ The Pentagon said the U.S. might work with the Taliban to battle al-Qaida and State dangled cash to the Taliban if they’ll behave along Western norms. The Taliban was reportedly going door-todoor in Kabul on Tuesday. The top guy sold three U.S. armored Humvees and an attack helicopter.

■ Hurricane Ida dissipated into a tropical storm on the Eastern Seaboard. Louisiana’s governor praised residents for taking advanced safety measures and shuttering businesses and boarding up the windows in stores and houses. By that measure, Detroit had been hurricane-ready for 40 years.