Susan Rice, speaking at the German embassy, on Tuesday night:
“Now that we have ended two wars responsibly, and brought home hundreds of American troops, we salute this new generation of veterans …”
As Paul McLeary with Ariel Robinson of FP’s The Cable write:
Rice also heralded the sacrifices that American troops (hundreds of thousands who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, not hundreds) have made since 9/11. “They all made us proud,” she said. That left some wondering if she would still include soldiers like Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who is facing a court-martial for deserting his post in Afghanistan in 2009, but was feted in absentia in the White House Rose Garden in May 2014 after the Obama administration secured his release from the Taliban in a prisoner exchange for five detainees who had been held at Guantanamo Bay.
Rice herself last year initially said Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction” — comments that sparked widespread criticism — before clarifying that she’d meant to praise his enlistment, and not necessarily his service. Might she again want to watch her words when speaking about troops?
Rice herself last year initially said Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction” — comments that sparked widespread criticism — before clarifying that she’d meant to praise his enlistment, and not necessarily his service. Might she again want to watch her words when speaking about troops?
Ms. Rice has a way of saying these things at the most inappropriate times. As she made her remarks about ending wars “responsibly,” Ramadi was falling and, as Jim Michaels of USA Today reports:
More than a decade of war and billions in U.S. funds to build up an Afghan military force have failed to defeat a Taliban insurgency that remains a threat across the country, according to interviews with U.S., NATO and Afghan military leaders.
