July 14, 2021

"It's unbelievable how that society changed from the brutality of the Taliban, and all of a sudden — sadly — I'm afraid Afghan women and girls are going to suffer unspeakable harm."

"I'm sad. Laura and I spent a lot of time with Afghan women, and they're scared. And I think about all the interpreters and people that helped not only U.S. troops but NATO troops, and it seems like they're just going to be left behind to be slaughtered by these very brutal people. And it breaks my heart." 

Posted by Ann Althouse at 12:35 PM
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5 comments:

Ann Althouse said...

Scot writes:

"Others will probably write with the same thoughts, but I don't care how George Bush feels about Afghan girls. Did any members of the Bush family die or suffer catastrophic injury to protect those girls. How many U.S. men and women was he willing to sacrifice so that he didn't feel bad about the plight of Afghan girls?"

7/14/21, 4:47 PM
Ann Althouse said...

Alex writes:

"Bush can spare us all the sob stories. He had eight years to establish the conditions for success in Afghanistan, and he didn't. He refused to sign a SOFA agreement with the Iraqi government, giving the Obama administration cover to withdraw US forces and let Iraq nearly fall to the Islamic State. I don't begrudge the decisions to go into Afghanistan or Iraq, but for eight years he let the CIA and State Department continually screw up and fail in their missions without any consequences, beginning with 9/11. He let his supporters be harassed and insulted constantly while keeping himself above the fray, refused to criticize Obama even as the latter attempted to undo everything that the US had accomplished in the Middle East, but the minute Trump, an outsider, was elected, all his supposed dignity and statesmanship went out the window. Then he was willing to attack a successor. All to protect the incompetents and corrupt bureaucrats who spent the past sixteen years failing in their jobs."

7/14/21, 5:08 PM
Ann Althouse said...

Ray - SoCal writes:

"I am so disappointed in GW Bush's comments. There was so much potential for radical change, that he threw away in both Iraq and Afghanistan through poor leadership. America did not go to war and spend American Lives to help Afghan Women and Girls. That is scope creep.

"Initially twenty years ago, I thought the US would help create a better Middle East, I was wrong. I did not realize how incompetent the US government is, as shown in the Middle East under multiple administrations, both GOP and Democrat. This is why you got Trump, with his doctrine we are not an empire, we are not in the business of nation building, and we should bring our troops home from pointless wars. Interesting who pushed back against this doctrine, and kept the US in Afghanistan and Syria, despite Trump's efforts.

"The US is not the World's Policeman, and the hubris to think we should do nation building in the Middle East is incredible. The US Military and Civilian Leadership just does not understand tribal societies, and attempting to implement a centralized solution based on the enlightenment onto a tribal society was doomed to fail. And letting Pakistan stab us in the back did not help.

"Questions for our first MBA President for Afghanistan:

"What were the goals?

"After 20 years of war, what has the US achieved?

"Why did we fail?"

7/14/21, 6:51 PM
Ann Althouse said...

Chris writes:

"What a pleasure to hear that soft Texas drawl again! The way he praised Angela Merkel was classy. I miss political leaders with class."

Yes, he could not stop praising Merkel. And he made a super-flattering painting of her.

7/14/21, 6:58 PM
Ann Althouse said...

steve writes:

"I have never wished someone ill, but I come close with the Bushes.
Remember when his father started this gulf war with congressional
testimony of Kuwaiti babies torn out of incubators and, within a week,
the 'nurse' was exposed as an actress? Now it's again the Iraqi women
that should keep us in this conflict. What a pant load. The Republican
party hates women more than nonexistent inflation or voting fraud."

7/15/21, 9:59 AM

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