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US Politics Thread

During the election I did raise concerns that the choices for President really are poor. Hillary, Trump or a 78 year old Biden hardly inspired. Maybe Biden 30 years ago, but he is always going to commit the odd gaff here, and this seems like a rushed plan to meet his personal agenda.

What has the country come to, where they can't even nominate someone truly competent? Does it just mean the system is wrong? That the Constitution needs scraping?
 
During the election I did raise concerns that the choices for President really are poor. Hillary, Trump or a 78 year old Biden hardly inspired. Maybe Biden 30 years ago, but he is always going to commit the odd gaff here, and this seems like a rushed plan to meet his personal agenda.

What has the country come to, where they can't even nominate someone truly competent? Does it just mean the system is wrong? That the Constitution needs scraping?
I feel the same about our choices in the UK.
I posted a while back that I thought the overall level of recent intakes is so poor, and as for true statesmanlike leaders they are all oh so lacking in the ability to take hold of a situation and truly own it.
Boris just blusters and Starmer is always wise after the event.
The Labour MPs are entrenched in dogma and the Tories keep finding new ways to fall out with each other about anything.
 
A Biden of 30 years ago may distinguish himself in the present day but 30 years ago he wasn't able to as the pool was much, much better. Shows you how far standards slipped.

Biden of course ran for nomination in 1988 but was forced to drop out after getting exposed for plagiarising a Neil Kinnock speech (among other suspect revelations about his background).
 
I feel the same about our choices in the UK.
I posted a while back that I thought the overall level of recent intakes is so poor, and as for true statesmanlike leaders they are all oh so lacking in the ability to take hold of a situation and truly own it.
Boris just blusters and Starmer is always wise after the event.
The Labour MPs are entrenched in dogma and the Tories keep finding new ways to fall out with each other about anything.

Totally agree. Spin keeps winning, and the truth is lost.

I don't know how we change that.
 
A Biden of 30 years ago may distinguish himself in the present day but 30 years ago he wasn't able to as the pool was much, much better. Shows you how far standards slipped.

Biden of course ran for nomination in 1988 but was forced to drop out after getting exposed for plagiarising a Neil Kinnock speech (among other suspect revelations about his background).

Based on who they elected in 2016, plagiarism hardly seems like it's that bad now!!!
 
Not sure it can / will be changed, the elite and the career politicians have such a tight grip on it all. Just look at Rory, tried to tell the truth, level with people (no tax rises etc) during the Tory leadership campaign. He has ended up out of the club, whereas the circus acts who also ran, are all still there, one as PM.
 
This is an interesting read of the timeline involved. looks like the Taliban were never keeping their side of the agreement, right from the start, but America continued to withdraw troops. One wonders why neither Trump nor Biden responded in any way to this? Were both just so desperate to get troops out, they ignored the escalating violence?

https://www.factcheck.org/2021/08/timeline-of-u-s-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/
 
This is an interesting read of the timeline involved. looks like the Taliban were never keeping their side of the agreement, right from the start, but America continued to withdraw troops. One wonders why neither Trump nor Biden responded in any way to this? Were both just so desperate to get troops out, they ignored the escalating violence?

https://www.factcheck.org/2021/08/timeline-of-u-s-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/
The Taliban not honouring an agreement? Who would have thought? Biden isn't stupid enough to believe they would but it does make his comments from the other week barefaced lies.
 
Biden with a car crash interview on ABC including the highlight statement "no one is being killed now". Trump levels of reality denial from Biden.
 
This is an interesting read of the timeline involved. looks like the Taliban were never keeping their side of the agreement, right from the start, but America continued to withdraw troops. One wonders why neither Trump nor Biden responded in any way to this? Were both just so desperate to get troops out, they ignored the escalating violence?

https://www.factcheck.org/2021/08/timeline-of-u-s-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/

If I were to guess I'd say it goes back to that 78% number that was bandied around. If public opinion is that they want the troops out, then in the current climate both sides are just clamouring for public support.

To be a cynic, I'd say Biden just told them to get us out at all costs probably with a bit of "whatever happens is going to happen anyway" to justify it. Trump maybe would have fought back a little because he has that fake bravado.
 
If I were to guess I'd say it goes back to that 78% number that was bandied around. If public opinion is that they want the troops out, then in the current climate both sides are just clamouring for public support.

To be a cynic, I'd say Biden just told them to get us out at all costs probably with a bit of "whatever happens is going to happen anyway" to justify it. Trump maybe would have fought back a little because he has that fake bravado.

Yeah, I thought that as well, although Biden's seems to be more personal. He really wants to bring an end to America's involvement in Afghanistan, no matter the cost.

Trump basically ignored major infractions by the Taliban to his agreement, emboldening them. They were getting more violent by the day, and all they did was withdraw more and more troops. That was meant to stop if the agreement was broken.

Given they were excluded from the talks, and they saw no push back from America, is it any wonder the Afghan Government and military command just ran away?
 
This is an interesting read of the timeline involved. looks like the Taliban were never keeping their side of the agreement, right from the start, but America continued to withdraw troops. One wonders why neither Trump nor Biden responded in any way to this? Were both just so desperate to get troops out, they ignored the escalating violence?

https://www.factcheck.org/2021/08/timeline-of-u-s-withdrawal-from-afghanistan/
What a fascinating read. As you say the Taliban never had any intentions of honouring the agreement, a fact known to the Americans, and presumably passed on to us.
If not why not/and if so we have had a long enough time scale to have avoided the fiasco that has ensued.
Back in November Republicans in Congress warned of a Saigon type situation but were dismissed.
"Biden assures Americans that a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan “is not inevitable,” and denies that U.S. intelligence assessed that the Afghan government would likely collapse.
Asked if he sees any parallels between the withdrawals from Vietnam Afghanistan, Biden responds, “None whatsoever. Zero. … The Taliban is not the south — the North Vietnamese army. They’re not — they’re not remotely comparable in terms of capability. There’s going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of a embassy in the — of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable.”
The above is as recent as July of this year. What went wrong.
The above is damning with regard to Bidens judgement of the situation.
Really makes you wonder who on earth was advising him.
 
What a fascinating read. As you say the Taliban never had any intentions of honouring the agreement, a fact known to the Americans, and presumably passed on to us.
If not why not/and if so we have had a long enough time scale to have avoided the fiasco that has ensued.
Back in November Republicans in Congress warned of a Saigon type situation but were dismissed.
"Biden assures Americans that a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan “is not inevitable,” and denies that U.S. intelligence assessed that the Afghan government would likely collapse.
Asked if he sees any parallels between the withdrawals from Vietnam Afghanistan, Biden responds, “None whatsoever. Zero. … The Taliban is not the south — the North Vietnamese army. They’re not — they’re not remotely comparable in terms of capability. There’s going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of a embassy in the — of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable.”
The above is as recent as July of this year. What went wrong.
The above is damning with regard to Bidens judgement of the situation.
Really makes you wonder who on earth was advising him.

It's possible that the US Army deliberately botched the exit to make it look as bad as possible for Biden. They got a real bloody nose over there and won't be able to justify their outrageous budget without a war to fight.
 
It's possible that the US Army deliberately botched the exit to make it look as bad as possible for Biden. They got a real bloody nose over there and won't be able to justify their outrageous budget without a war to fight.
Yes I posted the same yesterday that the intelligence services had done it to deliberately embarress Biden.
Glad I am not the only conspiracy theorist on here, however this has more than a ring of truth about it.
 
Makes you think about who our president would be if we ditched the monarchy. I can’t think of a single British politician I’d support as head of state if it came to a presidential election here.
The Americans have a population roughly three or four times greater than ours yet look at who they’ve elected during my lifetime. Look at their choice during the last election.
Eisenhower to Biden. Some choice specimens among that lot.
 
Makes you think about who our president would be if we ditched the monarchy. I can’t think of a single British politician I’d support as head of state if it came to a presidential election here.
The Americans have a population roughly three or four times greater than ours yet look at who they’ve elected during my lifetime. Look at their choice during the last election.
Eisenhower to Biden. Some choice specimens among that lot.
I am sure Tony Blair would see himself as the obvious and only candidate with his gobby missus as first lady.