How would you grade the Joe Biden presidency?

@beckyromero The point is that all presidents face tremendous challenges. The determining factor isn't whether they faced a challenge or not. The determining factor is how well they handled the challenge. Trump was challenged in his first term with COVID and lets all be honest here he completely blew it. However many of his other challenges he met with some success. How does Biden compare? Well he made an even bigger mess on COVID. He then completely laid a stinker in Afghanistan then was the main driver in the war in Ukraine then stood by as the war in the Middle East got hot. Inflation was wild which was the result of his handling of COVID and he reduced the US in the eyes of the world. While previous the US and its powerful navy was something to be feared now its aircraft carriers are little more than floating targets. US tanks and fighting vehicles are shown to be extremely fallible and its missile defence is little more than a joke. No the US military failures is not Biden's fault but he got the US into a scrap with a peer enemy and has shown the US to be the lesser.

@hippyjoe1955
There's something I can agree with you on.

As for Afghanistan, remember that it was Trump who negotiated the withdrawl (for the record, I don't think we should have withdrew).

As for Ukraine, Obama was president when Russia invaded Crimea and neither he nor Trump did anything to aid the Ukrainians.

Covid caused inflation all around the world, not just here. But the U.S. came out of Covid in a lot better shape due to Biden's policies (might have even been better had Trump not belated recognized the pandemic for what it was).

If not that it would start World War III, the U.S. military alone could have kicked the Ruskies all the way back to the Urals.

The aircraft carrier battlegroup still rules the seas and I'd like to see us get back up to 15.

But a defense budget of $1 trillion is needed. But there are too many pacifisits in the Democrat Party and two many MAGA Republicans who would rather see tax cuts.

What do you think of a CANUKUS alliance, similar to AUKUS?

I strongly believe the U.S. should recognize Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Passage. That would keep China out, help preserve most of the Arctic and add an extra layer of defense by having the Royal Canadian Navy patrol the area with nuclear-powered submarines.

@beckyromero It doesn't matter who negotiated what regarding Afghanistan. The one in power was the one that agreed to the bad negotiation. Let us say that Biden negotiated a treaty with Israel to allow Israel to go on committing genocide. Trump is under no obligation to honour the that treaty unless it was ratified by Congress.

You have no idea how badly Canada is under the control of China.

@hippyjoe1955
And that one was Trump. And it was Trump who began the withdrawls after that treaty, not Biden.

All things considered, I think it very fortunate that our troops losses weren't higher, given the fanaticism of the Taliban.

Politically, there was no way for the Biden administration to increase our troops presence in order to make a "safer withdrawl, whatever "safer" people think that might have been.

Regardless, the withdrawl itself is something I've disagreed with. Put me in the W camp on that.

@beckyromero Get serious The withdrawal had little to do with negotiation. It had everything to do with execution. Leaving the air force base in favour of the public airport? That had nothing to do with Trump. Leaving BILLIONS of dollars worth of equipment on the ground had nothing to do with Trump. That goes on to the the one in charge at the time and follows from him on down the ranks. Biden didn't supervise Miley who didn't supervise his command structure and as a result lives were lost and equipment was 'given away'.

@hippyjoe1955
Would have cost more to bring it out that what it was worth.

The biggest problem was that the Taliban was quickly advancing on Kabul as the result of Trump's withdrawl of most of our military presence.

Again, I disagree on thr withdrawl period. But if it was to be done, it should have been done:

1. by first evacuating all the Afghans who had helped us
2. evacuating all American contractors (and civilians of our European partners)
3. destruction of any equipment that wasn't feasible to save given cost considerations
4. gradual withdrawl to Kabul
5. military evacuation of all remain troops

Keep in mind there's always going to be some unit that needs to be the last to leave. And, unlike Vietnam, Afghanistan is a land-locked country.

What would YOU have done?

@hippyjoe1955

What would YOU have done?

Outline the steps please. Or don't you have a better one than what I proposed?

@beckyromero I would have pulled all the troops and equipment to the air force base. I would have brought in the Galaxies to load out as much as could be taken. If I could I would have formed armed convoys across the land to safe harbour where I would have loaded them onto ships. If I couldn't get it out I would have destroyed what could potentially be used by the Taliban.

@hippyjoe1955
🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

Afghanistan is LANDLOCKED!!!

Did you take a Trump University geography course or something?

@beckyromero So you don't know what safe harbour means? It doesn't mean you find a harbour in Afghanistan it means you take the equipment over land through neighbouring countries until they reach the harbour. You are not much for logic or logistics are you.

@hippyjoe1955
Which neighboring counties?

These are the choices that border the open sea:

Pakistan?

Iran?

China?

These are the remaining bordering countries, all to the north:

Turkmenistan.

Uzbekistan.

Tajikistan.

All three border Kazakhstan, with Russia north of that.

So, what's your route?

@beckyromero Let me ask you this. How did they get that equipment into Afghanistan?

@hippyjoe1955

In 2001, after the 9-11 attacks we had built a coalition of Allies and had established bases in some of the former Soviet republics where much of the equipment transited from. We were also were able to secure corriders through Pakistani airspace for troops and planes.

But 20+years of occupation eroded those alliances. The Russians wouldn't take kindly to U.S. military convoys into their spheres of influence. China and Iran are no goes for what should be obvious reasons.

That leaves Pakistan. Would you really want a military convoy of the remaining 2,500 troops Trump left in Afghanistan traveling thru tribal areas under attack from Islamic fanatics until they got to the Indian Ocean, just to protect decades old helicopters and armored personnel carriers?

@beckyromero So you think that the other countries wouldn't let the US get its gear and rear out of Afghanistan? Too funny!!!!

@hippyjoe1955
Correct.

The cost benefit analysis was it wasn't worth it or the risk to "save" all the equipment.

Although, granted, we could have done a better job in destroying what was left. But even that was limited by the fact Trump pulled out all but about 2,500 troops before he left office.

Again, I would NOT have withdrew and would have taken a much more offensive approach in going after the Taliban - right from September 2001.

But Rummy was a cheapskate. He thought that almighty Northern Alliance could do it. Which is how Osama bin Laden got away to begin with!

@hippyjoe1955
The Taliban gave safe haven to bin Laden and al Qaeda.

But had we helped Afghanistan recover from the Soviet invasion, the Taliban might never risen to power to begin with. That's more on the leaders of the time: Bush 41 and Clinton.

In our short-sightedness we wanted a "peace dividend."

As I've said many times, we should have listened to Margaret Thatcher and gone to Baghdad in 1991 and gotten rid of Saddam Hussein then.

And then there would have be no reason to have remained with troops in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else in the Persian Gulf (other than the occupation of post-war Iraq) once that was accomplished. The 5th Fleet was capable of taking care of any threat posed by Iran attempting to fill a power vacuum.

@beckyromero Nice propaganda. Too bad it is utter nonsense.

@hippyjoe1955

You still didn't map out your "convoy."

@beckyromero To you? What would be the point. You believe the nonsense that Bush and Cheney told you. You are incapable of doing critical thought!

@hippyjoe1955

You said you would take all the equipment out via a convoy over land to a port.

Where?

@beckyromero What does it matter to you. You believed Bush and Cheney!!!! Pakistan it a very corrupt country. For a few green backs you could park the entire marine corp on its territory. However If you can't airlift or cross country you can still destroy. So after the Biden Miley withdrawal the Taliban were flying Blackhawk helicopters the next day.

@hippyjoe1955

YOU are the one who suggested a withdraw by land to get out all our equipment. Now you are changing your tune to agree with me?

I suggested destroying that what wasn't feasible to save. Copy cat! 😜

@beckyromero Go back and read what I wrote. I said airlift and if that is not possible then land convoy and if that is not possible destruction. Seems simple enough to me.