Bernie’s Q&A: Joe Biden, Afghanistan, Bill Maher, and more! (9/3) — Premium Interactive ($4 members)

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Now, let’s get to your questions (and my answers):

Sad to say Lunch Bucket Joe is providing you and the rest of us plenty of items to comment on. But with all the clamor about Joe’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan and the ensuing chaos, I’m not so sure he’s actually calling the shots here. I don’t think and truly believe there are figures behind the scenes cuing the President up every time he supposedly makes a move. And it seems the moves he makes are handled so clumsily, why, it’s almost as if Obama never left office. Or Carter for that matter. LBJ is another story. And Clinton, for all his bravado, is responsible for Mogadishu. Are Democrats just lost as far as foreign policy is concerned? Or do they let their egos, (Johnson, Obama) get in the way of listening to their advisers? Or are their advisers just political hacks like Blinken who are truly out of their league? — Rod A.

I’ve written that I believe Joe Biden is sitting in the back seat looking out the side window while somebody else is driving the car. So to that extent, Rod, I’m with you. But in this case, he might actually be the one who called the shots regarding the August 31 firm deadline for leaving. He may also have rejected advice from the military. And yes, Democrats have had their share of foreign policy screwups but they’re not alone. Iraq? That was a Republican president’s screwup. And Trump was going to pull out of Afghanistan too — and we can only guess how that would have gone. Biden’s advisers may be in over their heads but so was George W. Bush’s advisors out of their league. Neither party has a monopoly on bad foreign policy decisions.

Was the suicide bombings in Afghanistan the saddest day you’ve experienced since the 70’s in regards to how our Government’s incompetence has led to such disastrous consequences (that could have been avoided if politics didn’t overrule sound military response & logistical practices)? I’ll never be convinced that the US Military agreed to the logistical order of operations to execute this withdrawal. It makes zero sense to me. Who then will investigate and report on for us the decision making that got us in this specific mess? Who really “instructed” Joe on how to execute this plan? –ScottyG

You ask an important question, Scotty: Who really “instructed” the president on his plan? As I’ve said before, while others are calling a lot of the shots, on Afghanistan,Mr. Biden may have been so determined to leave on a date certain that this is all on him. Even Democrats aren’t happy and they say they plan to hold hearings. Let’s see if they do.

Bernie, in a relatively short period of time Joe Biden has managed to insert himself in the pantheon of worst Presidents this country has ever suffered though. All my liberal friends are eerily quiet of late. They were eerily loud when Trump ran the show in what now must seem to them, an amazingly competent manner. — Thomas C.

You know things are going bad for Biden when his pals in the liberal media are holding him accountable … when Democrats hold hearings on what happened in Afghanistan … and when your liberal friends are eerily quiet of late. No fooling. That’s a real sign that the president is in hot water.

Hi Bernie. It’s been a while for me, but I need to suggest a point to you on your latest about ‘the best and brightest’ in [Monday’s] column. It’s a subtle quibble, I’ll admit, but a crucial one. You wrote this….”They told us there were “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq. There weren’t.”

Now, while this contention –my word, to you, contention– has a great deal of substance supporting it, there’s a crucial facet to the question that needs inclusion/consideration. Simply….the president, as Commander In Chief with the sworn responsibility to ‘protect and defend’, must always have the best information available to manage situations and make life and death decisions that affect the entire nation. And that requirement imposes (often, but not always) tremendous risk on our armed forces to provide that data/information which then leads to dangerous missions.

Recall, Cuba 1962, JFK authorized additional U2 flights over the island to keep him up to date so that he was well informed well after the discovery and documentation of the presence of offensive missiles in Cuba was verified. Why? Remember, it did result in loss of life (pilots) when those planes (thought to be safe beyond the reach of AAA) did come under fire by new Russian anti-aircraft artillery missiles. Wrong? I suggest ‘NO’. Every person in that situation from JFK on down understand what his duty was. Sometimes people die, that’s life.

Now, Iraq 2003. Recall Mr. David Kay who opined publicly that Saddam Hussein ‘did everything to convince us that he had nuclear weapons except actually having them’ ….my paraphrase, I apologize. Well, what was the (then) president (GWB) to do in such a situation? There was no sure way to know OTHER THAN BOOTS ON THE GROUND…..an invasion. Again, every man, and woman, knew the mission and what their duty was. Sometimes people die, that’s life.

Now beyond that the two situations become quite different and we likely agree that Iraq then became a tragedy like Vietnam. But, the decision taken by the Commander in Chief in both those situations AT THAT PRECISE MOMENT was the correct one regardless of the NOW acknowledged stupidity of the ‘best and brightest’

Life…..a ball of excrement hurtling through the void of space with just enough regularity to nurture life so that the great human comedy of it all can continue. Be well, take care, I am a dedicated reader/listener who surfaces occasionally…. — Andrew M.

I’m not saying President Bush acted on his own. I’m 100% certain he acted based on what the intelligence community told him. But what they told him was wrong. There were no weapons of mass destruction. We went to war on bad information. The “best and brightest” — the “smart” crowd at the CIA and other places — screwed up. I have always believed Biden to be a one term president, likely by choice. Could it be that political soul mates in media believe the same thing thereby minimizing risk of occasional criticism? What say you? — Jesse B.

I’m with you, Jesse, on him being a one term president. But I think his allies in the media took him on because … if they didn’t, their credibility, their reputation, would go down the drain. They weren’t concerned about him; they were concerned about themselves.

If you could’ve given advise to any president during the War on Terror, how would you suggest he handle our dealings in Afghanistan, including our withdrawal? — D-Rock

That’s way over my capabilities, D-Rock. But since he knew he wanted to leave Afghanistan even before he was elected, he should have started to implement his evacuation plan on the day he took the oath of office. He waited too long and we got chaos as a result. I also think that humility goes a long way. Instead of steadfastly sticking by his bad decisions, he should have gone on television and admitted his mistakes. But that’s not what politicians do, is it?

President Biden has a tendency to mention Beau Biden, his service, and loss to cancer in his speeches. I believe he did so in each of his televised speeches on Afghanistan. While I have sympathy for Mr. Biden for the tragedies he has endured in his family, and I respect Beau Biden’s legacy of military and public service, I don’t believe that Mr. Biden’s references to his son help. I understand that he is trying to convey empathy to the families of our fallen and his personal commitment to end the war. However, it comes across as Mr. Biden is too consumed with this loss to be able to make the necessary military decisions that might put troops in harm’s way. Or the effective decisions needed that when our troops are in harm’s way, they can adequately defend and protect themselves. It just seems to be the justification of his “Out At Any Cost” policy. And that policy is failing spectacularly. I would be curious to read your thought about this. — Hendrick G.

I too have sympathy for the loss of his son. So, to some extent, I understand why he talks about it as much as he does. But … to talk about his loss to the parents of those servicemen and women who were killed, was a mistake. They were understandably offended.

Recently, 90 retired generals and admirals wrote a letter demanding the resignations of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. In a nutshell, the letter brings up the disastrous cluster f—k that was the withdrawal from Afghanistan, along with the apparent desires of these men to push woke politics into the military instead of the ability to win wars. My question is this: although I never served in the military, I’ve known many that did. How in the world (do YOU) believe two intelligent military men like Milley and Austin fall for the woke political nonsense? I would think their combined experiences would have taught them that politically correct wokeness has no place in the armed forces and that such crap would actually weaken our military rather than strengthen it. Your thoughts are appreciated. — “Drop & Give Me 50 Lines From Ibrahim X Kendy” Regards from The Emperor

It seems like everything is political these days — even the stuff that comes out of the mouths of “two intelligent military men.” That’s the best I’ve got. Can you imagine Patton spouting woke crapola? I know that’s a tad unfair since “woke” didn’t exist in Patton’s time. But as an Emperor yourself, I’m sure you catch my drift.

I have started watching Bill Maher and CNN again, not because they have come over to the right side (pun very much intended), but because they are willing to be intellectually honest now and call BS on the their fellow libs when it is warranted. Like most of us on the right, I don’t expect them to all of a sudden become conservative, but can’t we all be objective adults when analyzing current events? Do you think this is the coda for Trump Derangement Syndrome? I certainly hope so. I notice on my news feeds that the only mentions of Orange Man are on the leftist web sites. — Steve R.

I think Maher is an old-fashioned lefty — one who really believes in liberal ideas. And so when liberals become illiberal, when they become authoritarian, he calls them out. CNN is a slightly different case, I think. CNN has held Mr. Biden accountable because, as I’ve said earlier, it’s their own credibility and reputation they’re concerned about. If they gave the president a pass, they’d lose what little credibility they still have. So good for them — for now. But it won’t be long, I think, before they and other liberal news outlets revert to form and once again cover for the man they were rooting for in the last election. I could be wrong, of course … so let’s wait and see.

Mr. Goldberg, I subscribe to the position that President Biden is little more than a puppet for the rabid left-wingers he allowed to infest his inner circle. My question is in regard to your opinion about the role of his wife in all this. Normally, one’s spouse is the closest and most trusted advisor and confidant we have, candidly providing counsel for all things and caring for each other “in sickness and in health”. But it seems that (Doctor) Jill Biden has completely acquiesced to having her husband regarded as a buffoon without making any effort to either protect him or help him (and his country) survive his descent into mental oblivion. Do you think she has been ostracized, dissuaded, or otherwise blocked from her duties as a wife by the powers behind the throne, or does she just want the inevitable gravy train available to First Ladies and does not care what her husband’s legacy will be? – Al L.

I’m glad she’s keeping a low profile. Nobody elects the spouses of presidents so the less they say about public policy matters, the better. And I’m sure that she sees the criticism as political and may complain about it in private but it’s a good thing that she’s not defending her husband in public. That’s how I see it anyway.

Yesterday I watched a recap of the President’s comments as I can only take good ole Joe in small doses. I found it incredulous that Mr. Biden claimed that all his national security team endorsed the closure of the Bagram airbase and the firm exit date of August 31st. If I was in the position of advising our current President and he wanted to remove all forces from Afghanistan, I would have suggested that he announce our planned departure, with evacuations of all U.S. citizens and other qualified stakeholders beginning on August 1st with the beginning of force reduction concurrently. The departures will be affected via Bagram Air Base and the Airport in Kabul. The exodus will be conducted in an orderly fashion and conclude when all qualified evacuees are safely removed from the theater of operation. With all of the high- priced brainpower at the President’s disposal, how could it be possible that everyone agreed to an exit strategy with so few options and a time constraint that didn’t provide some flexibility? — Douglas C.

Maybe they didn’t all agree on the exit strategy. Maybe they gave him advice that he rejected. Or maybe his advisers are not all that smart. Someone screwed up — and we need to know how it happened … so it doesn’t, hopefully, happen again.

Remember “Saving Private Ryan.” That’s when most of us first heard the term: FUBAR. Does that describe the current mess in Afghanistan to you? As noble as the motive is to stop the deployment of our troops and pull out of that conflict is, the way this administration went about it and messed it up is beyond description. Do you think it was just Biden wanting to look good for the upcoming Sept. 11th anniversary so he could preen like a peacock? Who do you think was behind these disastrous decisions? Someone has to held accountable don’t you think? No one has stepped forward and resigned or been fired. Why do you think that is? Just when I thought the news couldn’t be any worse about 13 wonderful young Americans being killed and then the military abandoning Americans and helpful Afghans as well leaving billions in equipment and an air base, I heard on the news more than 200 dogs, many of which were service animals, were left behind. Americans love their dogs and are outraged. How do you wrap your arms around all of that? — Warren

FUBAR — F’d up beyond all repair. That’s a pretty good description of what we witnessed in Kabul. Joe Biden wanted us out — not matter what. He said we would stay beyond his self imposed August 31 deadline to get all Americans out … and then broke his promise. At some point we’re going to get whistleblowers tell us what went on behind the scenes. I hope it comes soon.

Hi, Bernie, great “off the cuff” commentary. In answer to your question, Joe Biden was never a very intelligent person as highlighted by his history, and his ability to think today has clearly been diminished. So, I don’t think that they he even thought about whether the Taliban will honor their commitment, or if they don’t, he’ll use sanctions or something else economically to hurt them. Of course, that won’t bother them at all. Let’s see if I’m right on this one. Stay tuned as Joe’s handlers and the State Department use bribery money to get our American citizens back. And, of course, the corrupt media will do nothing about it except to say, we got them back, what’s your problem? Of course, if this was Donald Trump, it would be a different story with the media, which is why I turned them off years ago and listen to Bill O’Reilly and you. — Jerry G.

Unfortunately, I think you nailed it, Jerry. I say “unfortunately” because you describe a situation that doesn’t instill confidence in the president or his team. I wish it weren’t the case, but like you, I suspect it is.

Of course you are completely correct in all of [this week’s “Off the Cuff”] observations. If I were a space alien studying to understand this contradictory human species I might recognize a significant leadership vacuum as a feature of free peoples over time. Our memories are indeed short. To me the question is this: is it too late to shore up this damaged, cynical and stressed experiment of liberal democracy? Or will we revert to humankind’s historical default position of kings, potentates, princes and dictators? Each new day finds me personally glad to be on this end of my existence with the caveat of concern for those who will be left behind in the storm. — Jesse B.

We’ll survive this, Jesse. We’ve survived a Great Depression, two World Wars, many examples of run of the mill political stupidity. Not to worry about reverting to a historical default position where kings and the like run the show. In our system, dumbasses too often run the show. I’m taking nominations for a Benevolent Despot. Got any?

Bernie, Mediaite has been documenting a situation going on in prime-time, in which keeps trashing Senator Lindsey Graham on his show, and complaining that Graham won’t come on for an interview, and then — less than an hour later — Graham shows up on ’s show (same network and building) for an interview.

Do you believe this is all leading up to a sweeps week ploy, in which Carlson will invade Hannity’s set during a live broadcast, and attempt to ambush-interview Graham, thus setting up a professional wrestling match between Carlson and Hannity on a special episode of Watters World… with as the referee and as the ring announcer? — John D.

I don’t know but I’m sure of this: It would make for great TV. All the Fox yahoos in one place at one time. It would make Kabul look tame by comparison. But to your less-absurd point, John D — about Carlson trashing Senator Graham. That’s really strange. Something deeply personal is going on. And whatever it is, there’s a good chance that if/when it comes out, it’ll make Tucker Carlson look like a jerk.

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Bernie’s Q&A: Joe Biden, Afghanistan, Jason Whitlock, and more! (8/27) — Premium Interactive ($4 members) Welcome to this week’s Premium Q&A session for Premium Interactive members. I appreciate you all signing up and joining me. Thank you.

Editor’s note: If you enjoy these sessions (along with the weekly columns and audio commentaries), please use the Facebook and Twitter buttons to share this page with your friends and family. Thank you!

Now, let’s get to your questions (and my answers):

I’m curious how many fair minded “we are not liberal biased” papers came after the LA Times for this reported headline about Larry Elder who is running to oust the current Nuisance: ‘Larry Elder is the black face of white supremacy. You’ve been warned’ — Gary

This was not a headline on a news story. It ran over a column, an opinion piece. It was designed to get clicks and readers. I think, Gary, that we’re so numb to this kind of garbage that we just read it and move on. Sad, right?

With China and everyone else watching our weak and incompetent leader, how long do you think it will be before China makes a serious move to take over Taiwan? I give it 2 yrs. or less. I have always felt that whoever was president, good or bad, that America would always survive them. I no longer am so sure. What happens to Biden from here? Impeachment, Court Marshall, or nothing. I suspect the latter. — Beverly B.

If China moves on Taiwan the American people will not be in favor of an American war with China — not over a place so far away. China, I trust, knows this and so your prediction may be right. As for President Biden: Do we really think he should be impeached? Do we really want to go down that road where every time a president screws up we try to remove him from office? That’s not for me. Court martial? I don’t think it applies to civilians, even if they are commander-in-chief. Or “nothing” you ask. Well, there’s always the next election. That’s not nothing.

About 8 months into this Administration and we are seeing unprecedented blundering complete with horrible CYA attempts at justifying the buffoonery. Do you think Joe can survive this level of criticism & accompanying stress for 3 plus more years? I really don’t, but I certainly don’t like the back up plan so I’m pulling for the old bird to keep his wits. Are you? And what scares you most if he doesn’t ? — ScottyG

If Biden doesn’t last his full term, I don’t like the back up plan either, Scotty. I’d rather have a weakened Biden as our president then Kamala Harris no matter her mental condition. If Biden doesn’t last 3 1/2 more years what scares me is that his successor will be worse than him.

I like Jason Whitlock. In some ways he reminds me of someone else I follow (guess who) as he’s not afraid to attack his peers. In a recent article in the Blaze (“Bill Maher is lying. To his audience. And to himself,” he states: “The left is a house of Trump cards. Remove Trump and the progressive movement immediately collapses beneath the weight of its bulls**t. Remove Trump and the left can’t defend the authoritarian actions it’s taking to overhaul America’s cultural norms.” “Compelling liberals to defend their agenda without their trusty Trump card would unmask their wickedness.”

Speaking with my conservative friends, we want Trump out of the picture. I’m not sure what that takes. But perhaps this is a great start. — Tim H.

Whitlock is a much needed voice in American journalism. And if the reference to someone else you follow is who I think you mean, then thanks, Tim. Things are looking pretty rosy for the GOP — at … the … moment. Donald can screw things up royally, something he’s more than capable of doing. Maybe you should start a Whitlock for President movement and settle a bunch of problem for all of us.

Sir Bernie, I have to say that I’m pleasantly surprised to see that it’s not just the liberal media that is going after President Biden on his horrible blunders of the withdrawal from Afghanistan—-it’s also Democrats in his own party. I would have assumed (incorrectly) that they would have made excuses for him by attempting to blame Trump as well. For my own part, I don’t think Biden is crazy so the 25th Amendment shouldn’t apply here; I just think he’s F—-ING Stupid—-you know, like Jimmy Carter. In your opinion, Sir Bernie, why do you think Democrats aren’t defending him as much, and what do you speculate that Kamala Harris would have done differently? — “Stupid Is As Stupid Does” Regards From The Emperor

I agree with almost everything you say, Emperor … except … Jimmy Carter, whatever else he was, definitely was not stupid. Actually he was one of the smartest presidents we’ve ever had. But I understand what you were getting at. I think the reason that some of his fellow Democrats have turned on him is self- preservation. Democrat voters watch television news too and they’ve seen what we’ve all seen. Like liberal journalists who (for a change) are calling out President Biden, liberal pols know their reputation and credibility are on the line. As for VP Harris and what she would have done differently: We can only speculate, but I’m guessing she’d screw this up just like her boss has done.

This is the lead paragraph from an article published in The Hill: The White House is trying to regain control of the narrative on Afghanistan by staging more public appearances for President Biden and highlighting the way in which evacuations have ramped up significantly over the past week. It seems to me; this one sentence sums up what is wrong with our country right now. That the narrative is more important to control than the situation. If the media accepts narrative over performance, the situation on the ground will only deteriorate. How can we as American citizens accept such tripe and how can the White House put out such garbage as the solution to a crisis. A good Commander in Chief would have demanded the resignation of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the CIA Director, the National Security Director, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of State. They were all asleep at the wheel. The prime purpose of the Government is to protect the citizens and sovereignty of its citizens. This Administration has proven to be woefully inadequate to this task. What is your take on this Mr. Goldberg? — Douglas C.

My general take, Douglas, is that President Biden is in way over his head. As for mass resignations: If the heads of those agencies are responsible for the fiasco, fine with me. But what if they gave the president solid advice and he rejected it? That’s more than possible.

Here’s on the subject: “Done right, this sort of military withdrawal would have required the president to insist on robust, cross-agency planning. It appears he didn’t. Mr. Biden should have asked tough questions about what was needed for the Afghan government to hold on or to form an agreement to protect human rights if it couldn’t. He didn’t. Regular briefings—on the intelligence on the ground, reactions of allies, status of the planning—were necessary. But were they held? And if they were, did the president pay attention to them? It certainly doesn’t look like it.”

As for your other point, about how the White House is handling the PR aspect of the mess in Kabul: That’s what politicians often do; they try to take our mind off of the mess they created by saying, “But look at all the good stuff we’ve done.” I don’t think the American people are buying their story. They have seen the pictures on television. They know how bad it is, no matter how hard Team Biden tries to spin it.

[Afghanistan is a] foreign policy debacle to be sure, but in the 1976 election nobody cared about President Ford’s messy evacuation of Saigon. I do expect Republicans to take control of the House of Representatives in the 2022 election. Do you think Donald Trump will seek to be it’s Speaker? Do you think Republicans will stick with Kevin McCarthy? — John R.

Donald Trump as Speaker? Even though the Speaker does not have to be a Member of the House — Did you know that? … I didn’t until someone pointed it out to me — there’s no way that Donald Trump will seek the job. No Way! As to your other question: If the GOP takes control of the House next year, I do think they’ll stick with McCarthy.

My eyes have seen almost everything that yours have as I am fairly confident that we are in the same general age bracket. When it comes to Biden’s foreign policy chops I’d guesstimate that, were he a major league hitter, his batting average would be hovering around .100 . I had the very same thoughts that this might be his Lyndon Johnson moment ala Vietnam, or his Iranian Embassy moment ala James Earl Carter. The Biden as FDR nonsense has been humorous if not ridiculous. The odds are heavily weighted against the success of his one term administration. What scares me most is what in the world comes next? — Jesse B.

I’m with you, Jesse … except I think you’re being generous saying he’d be batting .100 … that may be a tad high. As for “what in the world comes next?” … Let’s just home it’s not Kamala Harris … because she makes Biden look like a .300 hitter.

Bernie, prior to the COVID vaccines, did you ever envision that once they were available at every corner drug store, a large portion of the U.S. population would refuse to get vaccinated, and needlessly help drive hospitalizations back up through the roof? And what’s with a bunch of these people seeking out horse de-worming agents and ‘monoclonal antibody treatments’ instead of just getting two shots in the arm of something all of the numbers show to be safe and quite effective? This pandemic is being prolonged with all of this nonsense and I’m sick of it. — Ben G.

I’m never surprised, Ben, when stupid people do stupid things … but when smart people do stupid things, it throws me. What I mean is that I know several intelligent folks who won’t get the vaccine. They have excuses, of course … their own reasons … but they don’t make sense to me. I’m as troubled by this as you are but I don’t want the federal government mandating that everyone must get the shot — or else. Private companies are another matter.

Bernie, I agree with everything you said [in this week’s “Off the Cuff”] except when you said, “I suspect he knows that already.” In reference to Biden and his concern for swing voters. Unfortunately, I think President Biden’s mental faculties are far too gone for such reasoning on his part. Such worries are now in the hands of his handlers. — David P.

Maybe. But if his handlers know he’s in trouble, they’ve told him, I suspect. And he, I think, understands. I do believe that his handlers are driving the car and he’s sitting in the back seat looking out the side window. But he’s a lifelong pol and lifelong pols can smell trouble. I think he knows what’s going on.

Bernie, what country am I in right now? Republicans are now pro-choice (when it comes to vaccines), Democrats are over the me too movement (when it comes to women in Afghanistan), and the liberal President wants to run and hide from the liberal media. I thought 2020 was odd, but 2021 has taken us further down this bizarre rabbit hole. Where are we headed? — Joe M.

We’re headed towards 2022 and it’s going to get even crazier between now and then.

Bernie, Good stuff this week, sad to say Lunch Bucket Joe is providing you and the rest of us plenty of items to comment on. But with all the clamor about Joe’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan and the ensuing chaos, I’m not so sure he’s actually calling the shots here. I don’t think and truly believe there are figures behind the scenes cuing the President up every time he supposedly makes a move. And it seems the moves he makes are handled so clumsily, why, it’s almost as if Obama never left office. Or Carter for that matter. LBJ is another story. And Clinton, for all his bravado, is responsible for Mogadishu. Are Democrats just lost as far as foreign policy is concerned? Or do they let their egos, (Johnson, Obama) get in the way of listening to their advisers? Or are their advisers just political hacks like Blinken who are truly out of their league? — Rod A.

Democrats will distance themselves from their nominal leader … and some already have. They want no part of the chaos that President Biden has unleashed. They will look out for themselves and toss Joe over the side if that’s what they feel they need to do. So this time around, it’s more a Biden issue than a Democratic Party issue. Though I get your historical point about Jimmy Carter et al. Biden ‘s Afghanistan Desertion really bad. It has been a calamity of poor judgment and tragic errors. There’s a LA Times story that 24 high school students + 16 parents from San Diego are stranded ‘somewhere in Afghanistan.’ And an attack at an airport gate with US military injured. This is a presidency killer as you spoke about this week. And things will likely get worse before they get better. In the midst of this, Pelosi and Biden are celebrating their $3.5 infrastructure pancetta squandering while trying to ignore Afghanistan (as they do the Border). I was critical of Michelle Obama when she said something similar, that I have never been embarrassed as an American, but I am now with this collapse in American integrity and fortitude. I am very concerned about about our future, how long will it take us to get our sea legs back and right the rudder. This is really bad. What say you? –Don Estif

I’m with you Don. This IS really bad. This is a Biden screwup from the jump. His presidency is in shambles and as a practical matter he may not be able to recover. My guess, as I write this, is that we’ll now hear from a “tough” Joe Biden. He and his team have to deal with the reality of what’s going on in Afghanistan … AND … the political fallout. Not sure they can do either … or both.

Here in Colorado, it was recently discovered that the president of our state’s Fraternal Order of Police had illegally taken stolen license plates from a police evidence room, placed them on his own automobile, and racked up close to $1,600 in toll-road charges that were then billed to the victim whose plates were stolen. Do you believe that this is proof that the pendulum has swung back too far from the “defund the police” movement? — John D.

As Newton’s Third Law tells us: For every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. So if we keep taking money from police departments … if we insist on defunding the police … then the police (or the head of Colorado’s FOP, anyway) are going to fight back do what any of us would do: Steal license plates to avoid toll-road charges. I mean, can we really blame the guy? I am curious though about who steals license plates in the first place? Why not just steal the whole car? And why wouldn’t the cops notify the person who’s tags were stolen and return them instead of holding them in the evidence room? Is it true, John D, that you have a stolen vanity license plate on your car, a 1955 Nash Rambler. And is it true that the plate reads: Fancy Boy? And was it stolen from your boyhood idol, Liberace’s, Rolls Royce? Just asking!

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The “What If” Game on Afghanistan When I was a kid growing up in the late 70s and early 80s, I was heavily into Marvel comic books. Once a week or so, I’d walk down with my brother to the local PDQ convenience store with my allowance in my pocket, and browse through a rotating stand of the latest issues. My favorite comics were “The Avengers”, “Iron Man”, “Power Man and Iron Fist” and “Marvel Two-in-One,” but another one I enjoyed from time to time was “What If.”

“What If” was an anthology series that explored what would have happened if famous Marvel story-lines had gone down much different paths than the ones known by readers. For example, the very first issue was called, “What If Spider-Man had Joined the Fantastic Four?” The story inside provided an alternative origin for Peter Parker, in which he ultimately ended up as the Fantastic Four’s fifth team member, effectively making the group “The Fantastic Five.”

The stories were fun and interesting, and I’m sure the writers and illustrators enjoyed the opportunity to branch out from the confines of Marvel continuity, and get a little crazy. They were operating in an alternative universe that would come to an end with the last page of each issue. Thus, all kinds of things — from a creativity standpoint — were fair game.

I’ve been thinking about “What If” lately, and not just because Disney+ recently premiered a television series based on the comic. It’s also been coming to me in the form of the politics surrounding the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan. Lots of commentators (professional and otherwise) have been going through the strange practice of insisting how the situation might be going down differently if Donald Trump was still president.

I’m not really sure what the point of the exercise is. Trump lost the election, and it’s not as if he had a different plan for Afghanistan anyway. In fact, the failed policy we’ve been witnessing from Biden is essentially the continuation of Trump’s. Trump put the thing in motion and was preparing for an unconditional withdrawal in May, and Biden stupidly brought the plan all the way to fruition (just not quite as quickly as Trump wanted).

Biden didn’t have to do it. He chose to, and that’s why he owns this mess.

While I’m certainly open to the idea that there would have been some marginal differences here and there between these men’s management of the horrific fallout from their shared approach on Afghanistan, some of the “What If Trump Were Still President?” stories I’ve been reading strike me as pretty ridiculous.

So, I figured I’d touch on a couple this week, and try and rein in what feels like some awfully generous fan fiction.

Let’s start with a tweet from The Federalist’s :

President Donald Trump would have gotten every single American, interpreter, and piece of equipment out of Afghanistan. The man understood optics. The media’s kid glove treatment of Biden enabled this disaster. — Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) August 20, 2021

Anyone familiar with Domenech’s work knows him to be a reliable Trump defender (on pretty much everything); it’s how he ended up as a regular on Fox News. But this is a bit much, even for him.

The man understood optics? Please.

Trump wanted to invite members of the Taliban to Camp David mere days before the anniversary of 9/11 to try and charm them off of their jihad. He also declared that the Taliban was a counter-terrorism partner of the United States, and said they’d be killing terrorists in Afghanistan, on our behalf, after we left. The man betrayed the Kurds without batting an eye, and embarrassingly fawned over tyrants like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, while needlessly insulting our allies. He publicly treated the pandemic like a joke, mocking mitigation efforts, throwing super-spreader events, and turning press conferences into circus side-shows (where he workshopped ideas like injecting disinfectant into people). Heck, the guy spent months trying to overturn an election he lost, which resulted in a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol (that he was reluctant to call off).

Does that sound like someone who’d never let America look weak on the world stage? Does that sound like a guy who understood optics?

If Trump understood optics, he’d likely still be president.

Here’s another one:

Like it or not, there’s little doubt that if President Trump had gotten himself into this situation in Afghanistan, he would have instantly established leverage with the Taliban by making threats to hit them hard and relentlessly that they wouldn’t have been able to ignore — (@RichLowry) August 24, 2021

Little doubt? I like Rich Lowry, but I think I have a pretty good memory of the Trump presidency.

It might be one thing if Trump had inherited the chaos in Afghanistan, in which I could see him perhaps getting a little tough. But what we’re seeing right now are the results of Trump’s own years-long policy. He’d view a change in direction as an admission of defeat, of which he has proven quite incapable.

No, if this were happening under Trump (and it assuredly would have), Trump would much more likely be calling the reporting out of Afghanistan “fake news,” and insisting that what was really happening was the “greatest” withdrawal in history – a “beautiful” withdrawal, as “many people are saying.”

Sadly and surprisingly, that’s pretty much what Biden has been doing, and the criticism he has taken across the board for his “Baghdad Bob” impersonation has been well earned. To that point, we should all be able to recognize that Biden has done an exceptionally terrible job here without pretending that Trump was someone other than the guy we all saw in office for four years.

I know the inclination is for everyone to retreat to their partisan corners at times like these, but based on what we’ve learned of Trump and Biden, it’s difficult to find any significant difference (tangible or alleged) between them when it comes to Afghanistan. Both deemed our years of progress, and the relatively stable situation we’d achieved, unworthy of preserving. Both men wanted (and planned) to get out ASAP, conditions be damned. I suspect Trump’s secretly even a bit envious that Biden was the one who actually did it, while Biden’s probably envious that his gaslighting skills aren’t nearly as effective as Trump’s. But we’re not trapped in the “What If” universe. This isn’t a comic book. Trump’s not our president.

Joe Biden is. He owns this crisis. He should be held accountable for what has happened… and what will happen next.

Sean Coleman is back in John A. Daly’s upcoming thriller novel, “Restitution.” Click here to pre-order.

Good Thing Liberal Bias in the Media is a Myth

Editor’s Note: From time to time over the course of the year, I’m going to publish columns about how journalism has changed since my first book about liberal came out. This is my latest installment.

—

It’s been 20 years since I published my bookBias , about liberal bias in the mainstream media. Because I’d spent nearly thirty years as a CBS correspondent, and wrote about what I’d personally seen and heard, the book caused quite a stir. It was a big best seller, and over and over I heard the same thing from people who’d read it: that it confirmed what they already knew from reading mainstream newspapers and watching network newscasts – but were glad that an insider was confirming their take on the subject. Predictably, liberal journalists were not among its fans. Almost every one repeated the mantra that the whole notion of liberal bias was a fiction, an outrage, a right-wing concoction.

Over the years since, many of the bias deniers have fallen silent. After all, there is only so much even the most arrogant media heavyweight can say in the face of overwhelming and incontrovertible evidence.

So I was surprised to recently learn that Chuck Todd, host of NBC’s Meet the Press, is still at it.

Now, I should say right here that I once met Chuck at an airport and he seemed like a nice guy. Nor does he strike me, and I say this sincerely, as a fool. So I will give him the benefit of the doubt and conclude that he can’t really believe what he’s saying — that he can’t be serious when he says that liberal bias A) doesn’t exist B) never did and C) is a malicious trope invented by Republicans. But who knows, I’m not a mind reader; maybe he does believe it. Or, maybe, like a press secretary who must stand straight-faced and defend an obviously disastrous policy blunder, he’s just taking one for the home team.

After all, mainstream journalism may not be great for the country, as it continues to sow misunderstanding and ill feeling, but it has been very good for Chuck and his friends.

Specifically, what Todd said in a recent interview was that journalists did not defend themselves and their integrity vigorously enough. “We should have fought back better in the mainstream media,” he said. “We shouldn’t [have] accepted the premise that there was liberal bias. We ended up in this both- sides trope. We bought into the idea that, oh my God, we’re perceived as having a liberal bias.”

Hey, Chuck, one is tempted to reply: There’s a reason mainstream journalists are “perceived as having a liberal bias.” It’s because the mainstream journalists have a liberal bias.

But, again, that would be presuming he expected to be taken seriously. And the fact is, it’s hard to believe anybody with a pulse, let alone a big name reporter, actually still thinks the American news media play fair. The American people sure don’t. A recent Gallup poll found that only 21 percent of the public has confidence in newspapers and even fewer – 16 percent – trust TV news. That’s just about the same percentage that believe the U.S. is controlled by Satan worshippers.

Still, in a country of 330 million, (not counting those newly arrived across the Southern border) that makes more than fifty million souls still inclined to believe what they hear from the likes of Jim Acosta. So for their benefit (and possibly Chuck Todd’s), a quick recap:

In fact, let’s start with the way journalists are playing down the mess on our Southern border – the one brought on by Joe Biden, who practically sent engraved invitations to everybody in Central America inviting them to come to the United States.

While we’re on the subject, it is apparently also of little news value that the president at times seems to have trouble finishing a sentence without babbling incoherently.

Of course, what’s newsworthy can quickly change, according to circumstances. For a long time anyone who suggested the Wuhan virus might’ve come out of a lab in that city was a conspiracy-mongering right-wing nut who had to be censored – with The Times leading the charge. Now that the Wuhan lab story can no longer help Donald Trump, a writer inThe Times wonders, wide-eyed, “Did the Coronavirus Come From a Lab?”

In fact, to really see just how “unbiased” journalists are, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and contrast how they’re treating Joe Biden with the way they treated You-Know-Who. Never mind what you think of Trump – personally, I’ve got big problems with him — but does anyone outside the Satan worshipping community (and possibly Chuck Todd) honestly believe The Times gave him a fair shake?

No need even to go through the particulars, you can pick up pretty much any copy of the Gray Lady from the moment Trump went down the escalator to…well, actually today, and it hits you in the face. Case in point: On May 19, 2019, the paper claimed that Donald Trump had run an “unabashedly racist campaign” — harsh, to be sure, but editorial writers are entitled to their opinions, right? Except, wait, this wasn’t an editorial, it was presented in a page one story by two of the paper’s top political reporters, Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, as indisputable fact.

Indeed, in The Times it was simply a given that Donald Trump, his policies, and his supporters were racist, misogynistic and generally hateful.

The New York Times, needless to say, is journalism’s equivalent of the Holy Bible. So completely does it set the agenda for what other news organizations cover that — trust me, as a correspondent at CBS News for 28 years — ifThe Times went on strike in the morning, CBS wouldn’t have known what to put on the air that evening.

Little wonder that after just Trump’s first 100 days in office, a Harvard University study found The Times’ coverage was 87 percent negative.

By the way, that was topped by NBC’s93 percent negative coverage. But since NBC has Chuck Todd, that means the study was wrong, and the coverage was scrupulously objective.

Nor was Trump even allowed to defend himself. CNN attack dog Acosta might have been speaking for the entire White House press corps when he “reported,” after watching Trump respond to media attacks, that the president “was ranting and raving for the better part of the last hour.”

Then, again, as Chuck says, the problem is all perception. Like, for instance, the story from Time that went viral the day Trump took office, saying he’d removed a bust Martin Luther King from the Oval Office. It turned out the bust hadn’t been moved at all, it’s just that a Secret Service agent was standing in front of it, so Time’s guy perceived it wasn’t there.

Obviously, there’s no such thing as liberal bias in the news. Imagine how bad it would be if there were.

Bernie’s Q&A: Afghanistan, Clarissa Ward, , and more! (8/20) — Premium Interactive ($4 members) Welcome to this week’s Premium Q&A session for Premium Interactive members. I appreciate you all signing up and joining me. Thank you.

Editor’s note: If you enjoy these sessions (along with the weekly columns and audio commentaries), please use the Facebook and Twitter buttons to share this page with your friends and family. Thank you!

Now, let’s get to your questions (and my answers):

Greetings Sir Bernie. Here is what Progressive Leftist You Tube commentator Kyle Kulinski had to say about your recent article about Joe Biden’s loss of popularity being attributed to his progressive agenda.

I would enjoy hearing you debate this young man (and others like him), however at the current time I would like to know your response to his critique of you and your article that many of us here recently read. — “Critical Response” Regards From The Emperor

First, with all due respect your Holiness — and to everyone else who’s reading this — please don’t send me videos or long articles to read. My answer won’t make any sense to anybody who doesn’t read the article or watch the video. So no more links. Thank you.

But this one time, just between you and me, the guy in the video, as you say, is a hard left progressive and thinks if Joe Biden isn’t left wing enough. He thinks that if Mr. Biden moves further to the left, if he increases the size of government, if he gives more Americans “free” money for doing absolutely nothing, his approval numbers will go up. He says FDR was popular because he was a progressive. We don’t live in FDR’s time. We’re not trying to spend our way out of a depression while engaged in a world war. The further left Joe moves the better it is for the GOP is how I see it. But we’ll know more next year.

Bernie, appreciate your thoughts about Twitter, CNN and MSNBC giving platforms to the Taliban and Iranian leaders especially as they seek to silence all others (not just trump) who dare to express dissenting views to their narratives. Along the same lines, have you seen how the phrases “domestic terrorist” and “white supremacist” have been expanded to include people who express divergent views on covid, masking , etc. Given the narrative that global warming is an “existential” threat to the world , will dissent on that topic be similarly categorized in the future? While I am on the subject, how many members of MSM even know what “existential” means? — Michael F.

News organizations should give platforms to people, countries, and organizations that make news — even those many of us don’t like. But on the second half of your point … they come off as hypocrites if they silence other views they deem controversial or dangerous. As for calling people names like “domestic terrorist” for things that don’t really constitute terrorism … I can only hope most Americans see that for what it is. And if climate change is seen as a threat to the very existence of the planet, then yes, I can see views that don’t conform to “accepted” wisdom on the subject that very well could be in danger of being silenced.

Bernie: I want to give credit where credit is due and hope that it is the beginning of a changing cable news strategy. Have you watched the reporting coming out of Afghanistan from CNN’s Clarissa Ward? I’m shocked to say she has been outstanding and informative. The footage she and her crew send back from the streets is mesmerizing. This is what CNN used to do – send journalists to perform raw and only slightly-edited reporting from the hot spot in the world. I have begged increasingly for the last 20 years for objective, serious news, and this has been a breath of fresh air in this dark hour of the Middle East. Here’s hoping CNN does more and saves cable news from itself. — Steve R.

Clarissa Ward is very courageous. I hope she stays safe. But I have no great confidence that CNN “saves cables news from itself,” as you nicely put it. At some point in the not too distant future, I suspect it will go back to what passes for normal: give the audience what the audience wants. And if viewers think CNN is too tough on President Biden, they will find ways to go easy on him and go back to bashing conservatives. But for now, even liberal media aren’t giving Mr. Biden a pass. Their credibility — or what’s left of it — is at stake. If they pretend the chaos in Kabul isn’t as bad as it is, even liberals won’t take them seriously. But for now, that’s not a problem.

Bernie, do you think our leaders ever study history and learn from the past? What happened in Afghanistan happened to every nation that went there before us. Plus, we already had our Afghanistan moment back in Vietnam, right? How did this happen to us again? — Joe M.

I’m with you — totally. Afghanistan is a backward, tribal country and has been for a very long time. I said in my Off the Cuff this week that I once predicted that 10 minutes after we left — a year from now, 10 years from now or 100 years from now — it would be as if we were never there. The country would revert to what it’s always been. I knew this but the powers that be didn’t? Hard to believe, Joe. So to your question, How did this happened again? Maybe it’s because the people in charge aren’t as smart as they think they are.

Bernie, have you been following any of the vaccine drama on Fox and Friends? I’ve been checking it out mainly through websites since I don’t watch the show, but here’s the gist: Steve Doocy is very pro-vaccine, and whenever he recommends that their audience gets vaccinated (for their safety), the other two hosts suddenly get really nervous and quickly add something like “Wait! We’re just commentators! Everyone should make their own choice! You should be talking to your doctors, not listening to us.” It’s really weird, and I don’t think the other two hosts are so much worried about the health part of it, but rather about upsetting the anti-vaccine portion of their viewership. Appealing to people to get vaccinated isn’t a controversial message. At least it shouldn’t be. What is your take? — Alex D.

Pandering is the business model of cable news. So, if the hosts think there’s a significant anti-vaccine contingent in the audience, they’re going to make sure they don’t offend them. That said, I conclude that you, Alex, are probably right.

Did you see George Stephanopoulos’ interview with Biden? What were your thoughts? — Ben G.

I only saw a clip or two replayed on other news channels. My thoughts? Joe Biden is in way over his head.

Hi Bernie. I read your response to my comments from last week’s Q&A. I understand your reply about boycotting Blue States. I live in a Blue State (Illinois), and wanted to give you a little context from my experiences from traveling to Blue States.

In 2017, my wife and I landed at the L.A. airport during the “protests” (really riots) over Trump’s decision not to allow people from some dangerous countries to come to the U.S. Protesters blocking the entry to the ticket counter, swore at us as we tried to get by, and threatened us (as the police just watched). Our flight crew had to walk from the hotel because the protestors blocked all the roads into and out of the airport. In 2013, I took my family to Seattle. I went to the opera while my wife and daughter went to a park nearby. People were shooting up heroin in the park (while the police watched), and my wife and daughter were accosted before leaving (while the police watched). In 2015, we traveled back through Minneapolis. On the way out of the city, we just missed the “protest” (again really a riot) that blocked route 94 through St. Paul to our home. They blocked it right after us. This year, we flew to Cody, Wyoming (in a Red State) from Chicago. We wore our masks at O’Hare and in the plane (required by the CDC). At the Cody airport, no one else wore a mask. At the luggage claim, a woman in her 50s smiled and said “Welcome to Wyoming”. We immediately took our masks off. In Cody, we were treated to a big, patriotic 1 1/2 hour 4th of July parade down Main Street — the best one I’d ever been to. Last year, we went to South Carolina and Tennessee, and people were extremely friendly and no issues. I’d rather go to a state where folks treat me with respect than a state where they don’t. That is why I will be traveling to a Red State and not a Blue State in the future. –Jerry Groen

Thanks for the context, Jerry. It’s still a free country … so boycott blue states if that’s what you want to do. Reasonable people, as they say, may disagree.

Bernie, isn’t it safe to say that the border crisis, Delta variant, and disaster in Afghanistan are really just mainstream media distractions from the larger, far more consequential story: Hunter Biden’s antics. — John D.

I’m guessing you’re channeling the “Crazy Wing” of Conservative America — the folks who abandoned Fox because they think it’s gotten too liberal. Be careful, my friend: If they figure out what you’re doing, that you’re making fun of them, they may say nasty things about you on Twitter — and that may hurt your sensibilities, Fancy Boy. But in fairness to the nut job community: If they gave out Nobel Prizes for Snarkiness, you’d be on your way to Oslo.

Thanks, everyone! You can send me questions for next week using the form below! You can also read previous Q&A sessions by clicking here.

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