OPINION:
Why do we even care about Afghanistan?
A vast majority of us could not locate the place on a map. It is more than 7,000 miles away. Its mountainous caves — though stunningly beautiful — are more primitive than anything we in America know. Only 3 percent of Afghan homes have sewage systems, according to the United Nations.
They use gravel for toilet paper.
Yet, for some reason, politicians in Washington from both parties have spent trillions of your tax dollars and sacrificed thousands of your sons to modernize Afghanistan, settle ancient blood feuds, teach them democracy and enforce their borders.
At least 12 more U.S. service members were killed in bomb blasts Thursday — long after President Biden raised the white flag and announced to the world that the American mission there was a failure. How do you send four men to die for what you now say is a mistake?
A mistake you voted for and you supported? A mistake you deemed a failure — yet inexplicably doubled down on this week by sending more troops back in to oversee the slow-rolling catastrophe that is entirely the making of American politicians in Washington like you.
There is no valley in hell deep enough for where people like you belong.
Still, the only question is this: Why are we there?
Most of us would say we are there to prevent another 9/11-style attack on America’s homeland. After 20 years and all we have invested, it is hard to measure that success anymore. Anyway, there are much better ways to protect our homeland, such as securing our own borders.
But ask Washington politicians what Afghanistan is all about, and you get some seriously deranged answers. Especially from Republicans.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Sean Hannity this week that America’s disastrous evacuation from Afghanistan hurts us because it will make it “harder to fight future wars.”
Yes, he said that out loud, as if channeling the late Sen. John McCain from the grave. The problem with this disastrous war is that it will make it hard to get into the next disastrous war.
And you wonder why these people lose so many elections to Democrats.
Earlier this week, Mr. Biden — the commander-in-chief who got our Marines blown up at the Kabul airport Thursday — sat down for an interview with fellow Democrat George Stephanopoulos. Mr. Biden dismissed concerns that he was once again putting our troops into harm’s way for a failed mission.
“But no one’s being killed right now,” he stammered before wrapping his knuckles on the small wooden table White House staffers had provided him.
“God forgive me if I’m wrong about that, but no one’s being killed right now.”
Go to hell, Joe Biden. And take your little wooden table with you.
• Charles Hurt is the opinion editor of The Washington Times.
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