Kabul v Dunkirk: Even our Ability to Run Away has been Severely Degraded
By
David Gottfried
Lately I have been hearing guys in the media complimenting our military and State Department for getting 100,000 people out of Kabul airport in a little over a week’s time. Since we have left Afghanistan in disgrace, we have opted to pat ourselves on the back for knowing how to run away.
We might as well contrast this with Dunkirk. Of course, the evacuation from Dunkirk was conducted by the British, not the Americans, but America is in many ways one big “New England.” (Of course, Americans were not in the war until Pearl Harbor was attacked. To many Americans, Hitler was A okay: He hated Jews and Communists and Racism was at the heart of Nazi ideology. If you don’t believe me, sample the video I have posted of a Nazi Party Rally in Madison Square Garden)
The British evacuated their forces from Dunkirk in about 48 hours and the evacuation removed and saved over 300,000 troops. That’s a much more daunting task that rescuing 100,000 people in over one week.
Also, the British were not abandoning France because it tired of the job. They were forced out by the onrush of Nazi Panzer divisions and Stuka dive bombers reigning terror and fire over everything in their path.
The British did not leave France because they were cowardly; they left France because their French allies screwed up their defense royally by investing the lion’s share of their war preparations in the Maginot Line, a series of immovable, concrete fortifications that were useless as soon at the Germans got around them, and by assuming that German forces would never be able to send forces through the Ardennes forest, even though the Germans did just that in 1870 and Caesar did that in classical antiquity. (Why did France fuck up? I offer a biochemical hypothesis in https://davidgottfried.substack.com/p/what-the-delusions-of-trumpers-and and I offer a hypothesis based on the rise of French rightists, and their concomitant sympathy for Hitler, after the electoral victory of Leon Blum, in https://davidgottfried.substack.com/p/the-stench-of-vichy-in-the-regime )
In any event, it was hard to evacuate British soldiers from the beach of Dunkirk while it was constantly being strafed by German planes and panzer divisions rained fire on Dunkirk from the South and the East.
The Americans, by contrast, had to deal with the Taliban, and Isis K, gruesome lots of sadistic scoundrels but no match for American military might.
(This war has been going on for 20 years not because the enemy is strong but because our troop levels are exceptionally slight. Do I have to repeat what I already said in prior posts ? Over 10 million American men fought Hitler and Tojo. Trump had 2,500 troops in Afghanistan. If the Trump rioters really wanted to defend American might and prestige, they would shout, “Hang Donald Trump.”)
Of course, it is very hard getting people out of Kabul, but this is because of our sickening deference to the Taliban. Sure, the perimeter of the airport is a mess. If we had any sense or balls, we would bust through the perimeter, and take our people, and our friends, out. Of course, the roads of Afghanistan were always a mess and are now infested with Taliban checkpoints. Therefore, we should just ram through the checkpoints with tanks. Sure, this might violate an “agreement” that Trump made with the Taliban to withdraw from Afghanistan, but that agreement was far from inviolate, the Taliban already breached the agreement, and this country should consider Trump’s agreements a nullity as Donald Trump, properly considered, was not a President; he was a grotesque gangster.
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Since I wrote the preceding, a bomber killed Afghans and US servicemen at the perimeter of the airport. I send my condolences and support to our servicemen. I have no quarrel with you. My beef is with our feckless, cowardly leadership which believes in nothing but poll numbers, Washington gossip and the power of “spin” to make every defeat look like a triumph.
However, my disgust with Mr. Biden only grows. Among other things, that man seems to be the chief believer in the “touchy feely” mode of practicing Politics.
He loves to emote, and he does it all the time.
He reminds us of his suffering – and he has suffered greatly -- and the American public is dumb enough to believe that when one has suffered one magically become ennobled. Actually, the reverse often transpires.
Sometimes, when one suffers, one becomes embittered, and one wants to see other people suffer. In his childhood, Richard Nixon suffered the loss of two brothers (It was at least two; it might have been more. I don’t remember. Look it up.), who died when they were also children, from Tuberculosis. Richard Nixon was not known for a magnanimous and charitable heart. John Connolly suffered grinding poverty in childhood, and as a politician, he was a capitalist’s dream. Adolf Hitler had a bleak childhood, and I think you’ll have to agree that he was no fount of compassion.
Also, I find it truly disgusting that Biden continually talks about his son’s death, and adds that he served the US military, as he seems to be trying to capitalize on his son’s pain to boost his poll numbers. It is unseemly.
Also, I am sick and tired of his penchant for playing the part of Mr. Aggrieved Super Mourner of America. I do not want my presidents to be accomplished emoters of pain. I want them to implement policies that will reduce the likelihood of Americans getting attacked. Hell, if you want to elect a president because he is good at expressing sorrow, you would do much better by making a black blues singer from Harlem the commander in chief as she might be able to end every press conference with a rendition of “You make me Feel Like a Natural Woman” packing all the poignance and power of Aretha Franklin.