Operation Distraction
In her testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee back in 2013, regarding the lack of American military response to the Benghazi (Libya) rebel attack on the U.S. Embassy there, resulting in the death of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton became exasperated with the non-stop questioning about those oft-considered avoidable deaths (preventable had we sent even one fighter aircraft to scatter the enemy crowd) and, while acknowledging the tragedy of those deaths, actually snapped back at the committee with the assertion: “What difference at this point does it make?” And when the Committee’s final report on the Benghazi tragedy was eventually released, Mrs. Clinton was reported to have said: “I think its pretty clear it’s time to move on.”
That should sound eerily familiar to the recent military, humanitarian, political, and internationally humiliating disaster our administration recently created in Afghanistan. The colossal stupidity of, in the end, pulling out so suddenly and purely politically, rather than properly. The latter would have been, of course, American citizens and long-time Afghan friends of America, first (all of whom could have been properly vetted). And then, last, our military members. Also, critically, the retention of Bagram Air Base for stability and defense, with the orderly evacuation of designated U.S. civilians and Afghan friends from that safe location, first, rather than giving the base up, pulling our troops out from there, literally unannounced, suddenly one night, and leaving billions of dollars of invaluable and sophisticated U.S. military equipment for the Taliban, and in all likelihood enemy neighbor states, even possibly China (for analysis and reverse engineering).
Is it really possible that both our top military leadership and our top administration leaders could have been that misguided, careless, and perhaps flat-out stupid to have handled the evacuation so obviously backwards and so obviously incompletely (meaning if not removed to begin with, destroy our equipment and the air base)? Or could there have been, and continue to be, other reasons or pressures, domestically or internationally, for that incredible, costly, murderous, and so badly botched withdrawal, a process that an astute young student could have thought out and planned more effectively? History will eventually tell us the truth, but for those of us paying attention here today, it all just seems far too unbelievably inept, and thus, suspect.
Oh, but then, echoing down now, from Benghazi to Kabul: ‘what difference at this point does it make?’ The administration is effectively telling us that ‘it’s time to move on.’ And to ensure that we do, our awareness of the Afghanistan debacle and tragedy has been moved swiftly behind the thick dark public curtain. And now, under the mentally-manipulative effort we’ll call “Operation Distraction,” the administration (and media help-mates) have aggressively now re-programmed other pressing and seemingly overwhelming issues into our minds. Huge, impactful items like: Surging, uncontrolled migration from the ‘open border’ south; Covid mask and vaccination mandates, with harsh threats of job loss; Climate change (“Green”) efforts with serious impacts on our economy; and the threat of such nation-transforming and bankrupting legislation that will not only destroy personal freedoms, and turn us into a permanent welfare state, but also attempt to nationalize our election laws (No ID’s!), ensuring that the Progressive-Democrats now driving the nation’s (and some states) political bus would remain in power and control, quite likely forever. That package of national threats and political malice is more than enough to shift the average American’s mind away from Afghanistan (and those hundreds/thousands of citizens/friends still trapped there and in danger), and with it, the forced return of our individual focus to one’s own family, livelihood, health, safety, and very future.
And thus, conveniently, and very much on purpose, Afghanistan is no longer allowed, by D.C. and their lip-locked media, to be currently prominent in America’s collective mind. And besides, says our all-knowing and mind-controlling central administration and Progressive-driven Congress, still with a hollow ring: “at this point, what difference does it make?” Therefore, says truth-is-but-fiction Father Government: Yes, “it’s time to move on.” Time to forget all about Afghanistan and its permanent humiliating, deadly, historic, prestige-slamming stain on America, both for our citizens and for the rest of the America-friendly world (who can’t believe what we did either). Time now to worry about other pressing issues, made all the worse by a pandering, citizen-may-care, Democrat-dominated administration and Congress. And, clearly, even worse is likely yet to come given their current trajectory, especially if the nation-and-treasury-hammering, Dem-olition Socialist bills actually do, heaven help us, pass. So, it’s fair and semi-mind-soothing to ask: How many days, exactly, until our next national election (Tuesday, November 8, 2022)? The date when loyal, traditional, nation-respecting Americans can hope for the potential return to a more sane-like future.
And one thing more. Despite obvious administration efforts and desire, as a caring citizen, please don’t stop remembering that error-plagued, political-time-line-dictated, terrible and inexcusable U.S. Afghanistan withdrawal. And please do remember, especially, those 13 courageous American military members, men and women, who were so senselessly murdered by a terror zealot, one who was released by the Taliban from the prison at the Bagram Air Base, the key and incredible asset that we so foolishly and suddenly abandoned. Those thirteen brave military members would likely have lived to return home to their families, had we only been smart about the continued military staffing and holding of Bagram. But we weren’t.
(H. Clinton quotes on Benghazi via independent.co.uk, Feliks Garcia, 7-21-16).