The White House is working to patch up self-inflicted political wounds one week after the dramatic collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government, the most challenging days since the new administration took office.
But with only seven days before his self-imposed withdrawal deadline, President Joe Biden is under immense pressure to address the humanitarian crisis he created in Afghanistan so he can mitigate some of the political fallout at home and abroad.
BIDEN TRIES TO PIVOT FROM AFGHANISTAN BACK TO COVID
Biden’s flawed response to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has thwarted his own efforts to reestablish trust with international partners, according to Republican strategist Cesar Conda.
“The White House is starting to clean up the messaging damage caused by self-inflicted wounds by Biden himself. But the damage to America’s reputation and standing in the world will remain,” Conda told the Washington Examiner.
Former Democratic consultant and Aggressive Progressive podcast host Christopher Hahn agreed the White House is finally “getting the messaging on target” after Biden pledged to help every American and Afghan ally looking to leave Afghanistan. Hahn also cited Biden’s admittance he bore responsibility for the situation, though the president’s assumption was qualified.
“Clearly, the epic collapse of the Afghanistan military caught everyone by surprise,” he said. “This is an unprecedented evacuation, and after a very rough start, it appears to be succeeding.”
During her first briefing in almost a week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked whether the administration concedes it has mismanaged the Afghanistan withdrawal. Psaki contended Biden understands and accepts people may disapprove of his decisions.
“It’s not about how you operate on your best day. It’s about how you operate when the chips are down, when things are difficult, when you need to adapt and make decisions, and that’s what we’ve seen over the last week,” she said Monday.
Psaki also disputed that Biden’s bungled Afghanistan withdrawal has blunted his domestic agenda’s momentum.
“You’re not elected president expecting to do easy things,” she said. “You come work here because you’re expected to do hard things and be a part of doing hard things, and certainly that’s what we’re facing right now.”
But Biden has not lightened his communications team’s load. Last Friday, he insisted al Qaeda is no longer a threat in Afghanistan. National security adviser Jake Sullivan clarified Biden’s comments on Monday when he joined Psaki in the briefing room.
Biden was also adamant the Taliban were not barring any Americans from Kabul’s airport, which now serves as the headquarters for the mass evacuation. His remarks were almost immediately contradicted by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a telephone call with lawmakers.
On Sunday, Biden caused confusion by claiming the U.S. servicemen and -women have “significantly” moved their perimeter around Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“American troops are not operating outside the perimeter of the airport,” Sullivan said Monday. “What has happened is, through these military channels of communication with the Taliban, they have extended the perimeter from the point of view of their checkpoints to allow Americans through, to allow third-country nationals through, to allow [special immigrant visa] holders through.”
Again on Monday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby frustrated reporters by declining to confirm how many of the now 48,000 people evacuated since Aug. 14 are American citizens.
“Were you being deliberately vague when you said the number of Americans was ‘several thousand,’ or was it because you’re not sure of the number?” one reporter asked.
“I think I’m just going to leave it at several thousand right now,” Kirby replied.
But hours later, both Psaki and Sullivan promised reporters they would disclose the data.
Biden has muddied the Afghanistan message, too, by employing phrases such as “I have not seen” and “I do not recall” to hedge his answers to tough questions.
At the same time, the White House is adapting to criticism of last week’s Afghanistan messaging problems. Last weekend, for example, Biden scrapped plans to travel home to Delaware, opting to keep abreast of developments in Kabul from the executive mansion. He had been slammed a week earlier for escaping to Camp David, despite ordering troops to be repositioned in the Middle East in case they had to be deployed.
And aides updated his schedule on Sunday to include an Afghanistan speech after complaints he was avoiding reporters. Biden took questions afterward. But building on last week’s attempts to pivot to the pandemic, Sunday’s address also covered Tropical Storm Henri.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The situation is still dire in Kabul as desperate people crowded in and around the airport deal with extreme weather plus impeded access to food and toilets. A child died last weekend in a stampede of people panicked by Taliban fighters firing their guns into the air. And the United States is warning Americans of the risks posed by the Islamic State as the Taliban threaten consequences for foreign forces that stay in Afghanistan past the Aug. 31 deadline.
