Althouse: "Don't say 'hostage' until you know it's a hostage situation. Watch out for fake news."

 Althouse  "I said in the comments yesterday, after I'd blogged about something else about Afghanistan and commenters tried to redirect me into the "hostage" situation. 

""Did WaPo report on the hostages? Seems like a bigger deal than [what you've chosen to blog about]," one commenter wrote. I've been irked by comments of the don't-blog-that-blog-this kind since 2004. Maybe you've noticed.

"Anyway. This morning, speaking of WaPo, I see this headline over there: "Blinken denies Taliban holding Americans in Afghanistan ‘hostage.'" 

"I don't trust Blinken, and I think avoiding the word "hostage" might be something you'd do if you had a hostage situation. So let's read: 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that some evacuation flights out of Afghanistan have been prevented from taking off because they included passengers without valid travel documents, an explanation that undercuts Republican claims that the Taliban is holding Americans hostage....

“It’s my understanding that the Taliban has not denied exit to anyone holding a valid document, but they have said those without valid documents, at this point, can’t leave,” Blinken said. “Because all of these people are grouped together, that’s meant that flights have not been allowed to go,” he said.... 

On Sunday, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas said he received classified briefings indicating that Americans and Afghan allies are stranded at the Mazar-e Sharif airport. Taliban militants “are not clearing the airplanes to depart,” he told Fox News on Sunday. “This is really… turning into a hostage situation where they’re not going to allow American citizens to leave until they get full recognition from the United States of America.”... 

By now, Obama would have given the Taliban a pallet of cash. 

Calls Grow to Impeach Biden Over Exchange With Then-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani

 Pelosi, Schiff and Nadler will not stand for things like this!

Legal Insurrection

“This is the phone call, instead of the one between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that should lead to impeachment.”

"According to an explosive report from Reuters, Biden asked then-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to lie about how things looked in the country before the withdrawal of American troops.

"People are starting to call for Biden’s impeachment over this, noting that Democrats impeached Trump for less.

"Miranda Devine writes at the New York Post:

Joe Biden’s call to Afghan prez is impeachable: Devine

Psst, Nancy Pelosi! Still looking for a phone call worth impeaching a president?

Do I have news for you.

Reuters has a bombshell report about a July phone call between Joe Biden and then-Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, in which the US president promises military aid in return for lies.

"The “perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things aren’t going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban,” says Biden in the July 23 call. “And there’s a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture.”

"Whether it is true or not."...

CNN's Brianna Keilar grills Caitlyn Jenner on why she has 'struggled to resonate' with California voters

 The Week   "One week ahead of California's gubernatorial recall election, Republican candidate Caitlyn Jenner is insisting her campaign is in a "good position" as she faces questions over why her candidacy has failed to "resonate" with voters. 

"Jenner, who is running to oust California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), appeared on CNN on Tuesday ahead of the state's Sept. 14 recall election, and right at the top of the interview, CNN's Brianna Keilar questioned her on why she has "struggled to resonate" with California voters. Keilar noted that the former athlete and reality TV star entered the race "with such a splash" in April but that a recent poll showed her with only one percent support. Jenner responded by arguing that the "polls have been all over the place" but that she's "in a good position," though Keilar later pointed out, "There are no poll numbers that show you in the lead." 

"Jenner during the interview also defended the fact that she went to Australia to film Celebrity Big Brother in the middle of her campaign, arguing she had to honor an agreement she previously made with the show, though Keilar described the decision to leave the country to film a reality show while running for governor as "bizarre." 

"Later, when asked for her thoughts on Texas' recent law banning abortions after as early as six weeks, Jenner came to the state's defense, saying she "probably" doesn't agree with the law but still supports Texas' right to implement it.

" 'I am for a woman's right to choose," she said. "I am also for a state having the ability to make their own laws, and so I support Texas in that decision. That's their decision. I'm okay with that.' " . . . 

Hell to pay for sanctimonious anti-harassment NGOs who colluded to defend pervy Cuomo

These sometime watchdogs and guardians of the rights of people not to be harassed -- were, as it turns out, the biggest, slimiest harassers of them all, doing it in secret, while all the while scolding and hectoring the rest of the world about its insensitivity and harassment proclivities. What a lovely bunch. 

The Week

Monica Showalter  . . . "It didn't get the attention it should have, but when New York's state Attorney General Letitia James released her report finding merit in all the sexual harassment claims being rained down on Cuomo -- that was the big report that pretty well brought him down -- the findings included a revelation that leaders of these sanctimonious NGOs, one purportedly devoted to ending sexual harassment, and the other purportedly devoted to ending anti-LGBTQ harassment, had both colluded with Cuomo to discredit Cuomo's accusers, which the attorney general's report found consisted of "unlawful retaliation."

"These sometime watchdogs and guardians of the rights of people not to be harassed -- were, as it turns out, the biggest, slimiest harassers of them all, doing it in secret, while all the while scolding and hectoring the rest of the world about its insensitivity and harassment proclivities. What a lovely bunch.

"Time's Up saw its entire board resign, while HRC saw its president booted. HRC admitted no wrongdoing, which is a pretty good indicator that this sort of hypocrisy might just happen again.". . .

Biden's ally the Taliban paint Taliban emblems on the US embassy in Kabul

 

"Most people know that when someone tells you who he is, it's best to believe him.

"But then there's Joe Biden, who continues to view the Taliban, a terrorist organization the U.S. has been at war with for 20 years, who stole $83 billion in U.S. military equipment and mocked the U.S. victory at Iwo Jima, as some sort of partner and ally.

"In the past few weeks, the Bidenites have entrusted the Taliban with names and passport information of departing Americans and trusted the Taliban to provide airport security in Kabul.  The Taliban have been called "our generous host nation" by one of Biden's generals and convinced Biden's minions, at least, that they view ISIS-K and al-Qaeda as "mortal enemies" instead of generally interchangeable terrorist coevals all on the same mission to destroy America.  Allies.  Partners.  All that.

"Now we're seeing this:"

Joe Biden Is a Total Failure › American Greatness

 

The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

Conrad Black

Barring a miracle (and they do occur sometimes), Biden will not go on for another three-and-a-half years.

"As cant and emotionalism subside, it is becoming possible to give a clear and fair assessment of the performance of the Biden Administration and of the president himself: a total failure. 

"The shortfall of 500,000 in the expected net new job figures for August shows that stagflation is upon us: employers are afraid to hire employees as they normally would coming out of the COVID recession because they don’t know if they will be able to afford them. Hourly pay scales are increasing at 7.5 percent, new car prices at 10 percent, rental accommodation at 12 percent, and new homes at 20 percent, all well ahead of the official rate of inflation, contrary to the smug assurances of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and even some Federal Reserve spokespeople, that inflation was a mere bubble. 

"Historically, the only sustainable way of fighting stagflation has been to counter inflation with increased supply and achieve that goal and the corresponding non-inflationary increase in demand through the encouragement of demand in the tax system. The present administration is committed to raising taxes and to colossal spending increases, which will exacerbate both stagnation and inflation.". . .  

. . . The Afghanistan disaster has surely taken out what little fetid wind was left in the sails of Nancy Pelosi’s Trump-hate, January 6 committee. Instead of a Monrovian “era of good feelings,” America is having and executing a time of increasing unease over bad policy failings in every important field, ostensibly presided over by an opinionated but incoherent man approaching the last extremity of cognition adequate to hold such a great office. It cannot go on like this and it won’t. ". . . 

Son of 9/11 victim tells Biden not to come to Ground Zero for 20-year memorial ceremonies

 Yahoo "The son of a victim of the Sept. 11 attacks condemned President Joe Biden as the "killer in chief" Monday and told him not to attend 20-year memorial ceremonies at Ground Zero.

"Biden displayed a lack of sympathy for the families of the 13 American service members killed in the attacks at Kabul's airport, said Nic Haros Jr., whose mother died on Sept. 11, 2001, at the World Trade Center.

" 'I am demanding that President Biden does not show his face at Ground Zero on 9/11," Haros said. "It is now holy ground, and I really don't think he has a place there."

" 'It's shameful for him, I think, to use the dead bodies as a political prop for his so-called victory lap. He is insensitive, and he shows no compassion to the families," he told Fox News. "No Joe, no victory. We are now in the Afghan War 2.0. Those resurrected victims kept America safe from harm all those years. Biden must not dishonor their grace and patriotism.' "...

Matt Gaetz Exonerated from 'Pile of Lies' After Man Charged with Extortion

Townhall "Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz has been exonerated after 62-year-old Stephen Alford was recently indicted by the Department of Justice for extortion. 

"Stephen M. Alford did knowingly and willfully devise, and intent to devise, a scheme to defraud and for obtaining money and property by means of material false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, and for the promise of executing such scheme, did cause, and attempt to cause, a wire communication to be transmitted in interstate commerce," the indictment states.

"Earlier this year, Gaetz was adamant Alford was making false allegations of sexual misconduct against him in order to extort money from his successful and wealthy family." . . . 

American Education Is Rotten from Top to Bottom -

 My oldest brother, an exceptional high school principal, refused to pursue a doctorate in education — the key to becoming a school superintendent — because he thought the courses he took to get his Master's a waste of everyone's time.

CA teacher encouraged students to pledge gay pride flag:

American Thinker  "In reading the "overview" of Dr. Jill Biden's 2006 doctoral dissertation from the University of Delaware, I am reminded just how rotten, from top to bottom, are America's schools of graduate education.  That a doctor of anything could write a sentence like the one that follows speaks to the historic worthlessness of most graduate programs in education:

Three quarters of the class will be Caucasian; one quarter of the class will be African American; one seat will hold a Latino; and the remaining seats will be filled with students of Asian descent or non-resident aliens.

"An advisory committee had to approve this mumbo-jumbo. Apparently, none of the committee members noticed that when you add three fourths to one fourth, you've pretty much exhausted all the "fourths" available — all the seats as well.  Although the temptation is to write Dr. Jill's dissertation off to the power of political pull, her dissertation, from my experience, represents something of a norm in the illiteracy, innumeracy, and race obsession of grad-level education." . . .

Gender Ideology Run Amok - Imprimis (hillsdale.edu)

How did we get to this point? How is it that we are all supposed to pretend that the only way you can know I’m a woman is if I tell you my pronouns? How did we get to an America in which a 13-year-old in the State of Washington can begin “gender affirming” therapy without her parents’ consent? How did we get to an America in which a 15-year-old in Oregon can undergo “top surgery”—elective double mastectomy—without her parents’ permission? And what can we do about it?

President Biden Press Conference | JEFF DUNHAM

 President Biden Press Conference | JEFF DUNHAM - YouTube

"Pickled press man, Bubba J and a disguised and disgruntled Wonald Grump have questions for the Biden Administration! These guys don’t relent until they get answers… sort of. Check out this Presidential presser that’s sure to get both sides talking!"

America's Dunkirk! This is the greatest loss of military equipment in warfare history: Victor Davis Hanson

This is the greatest loss of military equipment in warfare history: Hanson - YouTube

Just as Democrats strived for in the War Between the States; after thousands of deaths and fortunes spent, they tried to cease the war with no end to slavery, going back to all that this nation had before but with so many of that generation now dead and slavery still intact. Those who died would have died for nothing. TD

Is this America's 'Dunkirk' moment? - CNN August 18, 2021

The Petraeus analogy goes only so far. The British exit from Dunkirk, partly on a flotilla of small civilian boats that transformed a humiliating defeat into a national parable of resilience, was followed four years later by the Allied invasion that freed Europe from repression. Afghans facing life under the Taliban can hope for no similar liberation.

 Afghanistan Digital Dunkirk: Veterans and volunteers are still working to evacuate Afghans. (slate.com) "This week, the head of the U.S. Central Command announced that the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was complete. But the volunteer effort to get people out, known as “Digital Dunkirk,” is still going. Matt Pelak, an Army veteran and National Guardsman who’s part of the effort, says “there are thousands of American citizens, passport holders, and green card holders still in Afghanistan.” He and his fellow volunteers are working around the clock to get people from one point to another, checking Slack channels and spreadsheets, fielding help requests on social media and via text, calling friends on the ground in Kabul to find out about Taliban checkpoints, and chartering private planes. On Thursday’s episode of What Next, I spoke to Pelak about the ongoing Afghanistan recovery effort and where military leaders and the Biden administration failed in the U.S. withdrawal. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity." . . .

On that subject...Just how much military equipment was abandoned by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) during the evacuation of Dunkirk? - Quora

British Equipment losses at Dunkirk and the situation post Dunkirk (wwiiequipment.com)

In the FX Series on the Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal, It’s Not Just the President Who’s Guilty

. . . "In many ways, the entire series functions as a kind of supervillain origin story, a study of how an obscure government employee — disgusted by what she sees as the Clintons’ low-class behavior — works her way into the fulcrum of a national scandal". . .  

Yahoo  "The chief sign of whether you’re a winner or a loser — a victim or a victor — is whether you get to write your own history. By those terms, in the 1990s, Monica Lewinsky was a victim through and through. Her affair with President Bill Clinton, once exposed, made her a pawn to those who wanted to take Clinton down, a threat to those who wanted to keep him in power, a lurid fascination to the media, a joke that fed successive evenings of ugly entertainment. Everyone knew her name, and nearly everyone was implicated in her public shaming. The idea that she was human, with feelings and opinions, seldom made it into the narrative.

"In 2021, Lewinsky is fully in charge of her story, thanks to a reputation rehab that began with a Vanity Fair essay in 2014 and worked its way to the pinnacle of modern-day storytelling: a 10-part, star-studded miniseries on prestige TV. “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” which premieres this week on FX, is a production of Ryan Murphy, the creator of “Glee” and “American Horror Story,” who also retold the O.J. Simpson trial for an audience with a fresh perspective.". . .