<[link removed]>

I hope you saw my latest weekly column.



ROGER WICKER: Abandoning Partners and Blaming Others Weakens U.S. Stature
<[link removed]>



Last week, President Biden released classified and unclassified reports
outlining his administration’s decisions before, during, and after the
disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal of 2021. Instead of taking responsibility for
the damage he did to America’s international reputation in this historic
blunder, the president tries to lay the blame at the feet of former President
Trump.


The President Attempts to Hide the Truth


The tragedies of the Afghanistan withdrawal were preventable. President Biden
disregarded the on-the-ground insights of his military leaders and set an
arbitrary departure deadline that gave him too little time to plan a proper
exit.

The Commander-in-Chief has the right to ignore advisers, but that right
requires him to accept blame for his own decisions. By shifting the blame to
the previous administration, President Biden hides behind a false narrative and
papers over the damage his choices caused.


The Withdrawal Harmed U.S. Stature and Security


The withdrawal burned a series of shameful pictures into the American and
international psyche: a suicide bomber killing 13 American soldiers and over
150 Afghan civilians in front of the Kabul airport; desperate parents passing
an infant over a barbed wire fence to U.S soldiers; Afghans clinging to the
outside of a departing plane, yearning to escape the Taliban’s coming tyranny.

I said at the time and still believe President Biden’s decision to desert our
Afghan partners – who helped us for twenty years in the fight against Al-Qaeda
terrorists – was one of the most shameful abandonments of our friends in the
nation’s history. His actions exacted a terrible cost in human life and dealt a
massive blow to our trustworthiness.

Our enemies certainly noticed. Chinese media quickly claimed the United States
would not come to Taiwan’s aid in the event of a Chinese invasion. Russian
President Vladimir Putin decided the American star was fading, and he felt
confident to attack Ukraine. Putin was wrong about America, but it was
Congress, not President Biden, who took the lead in standing up to his
aggression by aiding our friends.

The American objective in Afghanistan was to uproot terror networks so they
could not attack our homeland again. We were successful: There has not been
another 9/11. However, President Biden’s decision to leave so hastily created a
situation in which the Taliban soon returned to power. Their takeover has
downgraded Afghan quality of life, especially for women and girls, created
space in which terrorists could rebuild their operations, and given China and
Russia an opening in the region.


Honest Reports Would Begin Rebuilding Trust


A principled administration would hold many people accountable for what went
wrong in Afghanistan. But Biden’s leadership team has deflected responsibility,
publishing partisan reports that fail to get to the heart of the issue.
Congress must not settle for such a misleading story.

Since the beginning of the debacle, I have pressed the administration for the
truth. I will keep doing so. They are trying to bury the contents of the
reports by giving Congress too-little time to review the confidential versions,
which contain significant new information. I am pushing the administration to
grant Congress all the time we need to conduct the necessary oversight.

Meanwhile, I am working to rebuild American credibility on the global stage.
Our allies have been encouraged by our solidarity with Ukraine, but we will
need to project more strength to reassure the world we can and will defend our
interests. That will require growth in the military budget. As Russia and China
seek to change the balance of power, fully supporting our military enables us
to be a stabilizing presence in an increasingly unstable world.



You can click here to share my Op-Ed with your friends on Facebook!
<[link removed]>



Thank you for your support,



Senator Roger Wicker


 
Donate to Team Wicker Here.
<[link removed]>

 

Please mail contributions to P.O. Box 64, Jackson, MS 39205. Paid for by
Wicker for Senate.



You can also keep up with Roger Wicker on Twitter
<[link removed]> or Facebook <[link removed]>.


Don't want to receive our emails anymore? Unsubscribe
<[link removed]>