The media implosion continues apace

Shot: "Partisan divides in media trust widen, driven by a decline among Republicans."

Chaser: "Chris Cillizza's 'Analysis' of Why Republican Trust in the Media Has Plummeted Is Something Else."

Analysis: True

Federalist: "Biden’s Presidency Is Already A Total Disaster, And It’s All His Own Fault - President Biden is not being swept along by the currents of history, he is turning every challenge he faces into crisis and disaster."

This is the end

Fox News: "Biden breaks promise to 'stay' in Afghanistan until every American evacuated." 

Prepare the pallets of cash for the Afghan hostage crisis.

Fail to the Chief

There he goes.  There he goes again.  Gateway Pundit: "Joe Biden Slams Hand on Podium: “I’m Not Supposed to Take Any Questions But Go Ahead… I’m Not Going to Answer on Afghanistan Now” 

Mr. "The Buck stops with me" blames his generals

WSJ: "Who Abandoned Bagram Air Base? - Biden says the military, but the military says he gave them little choice."

President Biden on Thursday essentially blamed his generals for the Bagram pullout. “They concluded—the military—that Bagram was not much value added, that it was much wiser to focus on Kabul,” he said. “And so, I followed that recommendation.” What Mr. Biden neglected to mention is that the President sets the constraints under which the military draws up plans and evaluates options.

The generals and Trump are to blame; anybody but Joey.

Unnamed planners and facilitators

Red State: "Joe Biden's Afghanistan Drone Strike Against ISIS-K Is a Joke, and We Are the Punchline."

Contradicted again

Fox News: "State Department contradicts Biden's remarks that there may be a 'kill list' provided to Taliban - 'That is simply wrong, simply wrong," the State Dept spokesperson said."

This is the third or fourth time over the past week that Biden has been contradicted by administration officials within a day of making a false statement.  Who is briefing this guy?  Or does he just go out in front of the microphones and wings it?

Unconstitutional order struck down

Bloomberg: "Supreme Court Lifts Biden’s Covid Moratorium on Evictions." - “It strains credulity to believe that this statute grants the CDC the sweeping authority that it asserts,” the court said in an unsigned opinion." 

The pending hostage crisis

National Review: "Biden Just Prepared the Public for Abandoning Americans in Afghanistan."  

Can't spin this

Howard Kurtz: "Media pummeling Biden from left and right as Afghanistan crisis deepens - Some disasters defy political spin."

I think most media outlets know that the full spectrum of this disaster will become evident a week from now.

Extra - Powerline: "When you've lost the NY Times, part #3." 

Ancient wisdom

The media just can't hide it

Rich Lowry: "The Media's Finest Hour."

The White House is unfamiliar with what it’s like to be on the receiving end of the kind of media feeding frenzy that Florida governor Ron DeSantis experiences every other day (almost always involving spurious storylines).

But on Afghanistan, Joe Biden in effect set out to test how much shameless incompetence and dishonesty the media would accept. The answer? Not nearly enough.

The press is blatantly biased and has become even more so over time, repeatedly propagating false narratives that have shredded its credibility. Still, there are limits beyond which even it can’t be pushed.

I must say that I feel the same way and the lack of "Republicans pounce!" articles is proof-positive.  The cynic in me would say that journalists trapped in Afghanistan are the proverbial "liberal who has been mugged."  But I won't say that and just be happy they're doing their unbiased jobs for once.

ICYMI - Powerline: "When you've lost the NY Times, part #1" and "When you've lost the NY Times, part #2." 

Even CNN can't hide it.  CNN!

Sure was nice to get an update on the infrastructure bill

Red State: "Joe Biden, With Eyes Bloodshot and Five Hours Late, Insults Everyone Watching With Surreal Presser."  

52 hostages? Jimmy Carter was a piker

Commentary: "The Largest Hostage Crisis in American History."  

The Afghanistan collapse

Pretty much says it all

Powerline quoting the New York Times:

A week later, on July 2, Biden, in an ebullient mood, gathered a small group of reporters to celebrate new jobs numbers that he said showed that his economic recovery plan was working. But all the questions he received were about news from Afghanistan that the United States had abandoned Bagram Airfield, with little to no notice to the Afghans.

“It’s a rational drawdown with our allies,” he insisted, “so there’s nothing unusual about it.”

But as the questions persisted, on Afghanistan rather than the economy, he grew visibly annoyed. He recalled Ghani’s visit and said, “I think they have the capacity to be able to sustain the government,” although he added that there would have to be negotiations with the Taliban.

Then, for the first time, he was pressed on what the administration would do to save Kabul if it came under direct attack. “I want to talk about happy things, man,” he said.

Then ice cream was served.

Respected again in the world community

Now that the adults are back in charge.  Hot Air: "Tony Blair brands "Sleepy Joe" Biden an "imbecile" over Afghanistan withdrawal."

Earlier, according to participants at a meeting of party members, Merkel said she believed the US decision to press ahead with the withdrawal was taken for “domestic political reasons” were partly to blame.

The leader of her party, Armin Laschet, went further, calling the entire Afghanistan operation a failure and the withdrawal “the biggest debacle that NATO has suffered since its founding.”

Say what you want about Joe Biden but people just accused Trump of destroying NATO.  Joe Biden gets it done.

Extra - Powerline reports that Boris Johnson calls Biden "Sleepy Joe" behind closed doors.

Nobody should, any longer, pretend that Joe Biden is fit to lead this nation

National Review: "Joe Biden Is Who We Said He Was."  

The pandemic was a godsend, allowing him to hide in his basement for months and avoid unscripted questions. He won the election by making himself as small and low-profile as he needed to be. Opinion polls for much of this year have shown him enjoying a honeymoon period with voters tired of Trump who are happy to have an absentee president for a while.

Biden’s handling of Afghanistan has exposed all of that. Presidents can remain aloof from Capitol Hill. They can send out underlings to handle public-health guidance, lawsuits, or new regulations. But foreign crises demand active, personal leadership. That has gone badly. Everyone who said for decades that Biden was a lightweight ill-equipped to handle a major crisis has been vindicated.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, one who always overestimated and oversold his meager achievements.  And, for me, that's the thing I despise about Biden.  If he had a bit of self-awareness about his limitations, I could lend some sympathy.  But this guy has been blowing his own Cornpop Horn for 50 years and now his comeuppance is here. 

"This is the worst day by far"

Hot Air: "Reporter: British troops say the scene at Kabul airport now is the worst thing they've seen in their careers."  

Never change, NY Post

NY Post: "Biden keeps digging hole deeper on his disastrous evacuation of Afghanistan."

The afterglow of media bias

UK Telegraph: "Biden was always unfit to be president but his Left-wing media cheerleaders didn’t dare admit it" - "The craven behaviour of the USA’s court media has hidden for too long the president’s deep flaws." 

You're not going to believe this: Biden lied again

Daily Wire: "Biden Will Not Expand Kabul Airport Perimeter, Press For Special Evac Missions, Even As France, UK Leave Base To Rescue Trapped Citizens."

"It just seems the reality and the rhetoric are miles apart," @IanPannell tells @DavidMuir.

"I'm not quite sure what advice the president is receiving. But the truth on the ground is that these people who are in fear of their lives can't get through." https://t.co/PCh0P9Jg9R https://t.co/xhbnbveuOO

— ABC News (@ABC) August 20, 2021

Here comes the empathy reboot

Hot Air: "Third time's the charm? Biden to explain himself *again* at 1 ET."

Ed Morrissey has it exactly right here: this is damage control to inject some empathy into the discussion which has been defined by "that was five days ago, man!"

Dateline: July 13th, 2021

Wall Street Journal exclusive: "Internal State Department Cable Warned of Kabul Collapse" - "July memo shows that administration officials were cautioned about Taliban’s quick advance."

WASHINGTON—An internal State Department memo last month warned top agency officials of the potential collapse of Kabul soon after the U.S.’s Aug. 31 troop withdrawal deadline in Afghanistan, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the document.

The classified cable represents the clearest evidence yet that the administration had been warned by its own officials on the ground that the Taliban’s advance was imminent and Afghanistan’s military may be unable to stop it.

Keep lying, Joe.  These stories are just going to proliferate.  

That was...something

ABC News: "Full transcript of ABC News' George Stephanopoulos' interview with President Joe Biden."

Jim Geraghty: "Something Is Wrong with the President."  

It get worse

Fox News: "Biden admin moved to dismantle protections for citizens trapped overseas months before Kabul’s fall: memo." 

But...but I've been told a new President can't reverse policies set by his predecessor.  

See you Friday

I'm offline for a couple days.  Enjoy the latest from Red Velvet:

Looks like the internal polling is in

Twitchy: "White House lifts earlier lid in anticipation of President Biden’s return from Camp David this evening." 

Joe lied

Remember that July 8th press conference where a reporter asked about intelligence assessments and Joe Biden said "no, they didn't say that."?

Q    Mr. President, thank you very much.  Your own intelligence community has assessed that the Afghan government will likely collapse.

THE PRESIDENT:  That is not true. 

Q    Is it — can you please clarify what they have told you about whether that will happen or not? 

THE PRESIDENT:  That is not true.  They did not — they didn’t — did not reach that conclusion. 

Uh, yes they did.  NY Times: "Intelligence Warned of Afghan Military Collapse, Despite Biden’s Assurances."

Drew Holden has the receipts

Federalist: "The Media Can’t Hide From Their Terrible Afghanistan Reporting" - "Biden's failure to fulfill corporate media's promises of his competence has made them look deeply foolish as he displays the folly they predicted of Trump." 

I have to say though: the media has been pretty brutal on Biden over the last 24 hours.  It's almost like they're trying to regain some credibility.  

Europe: Bring back the mean tweets

Politico Europe: "Disbelief and betrayal: Europe reacts to Biden’s Afghanistan ‘miscalculation’."

Until Sunday, Europe thought Joe Biden was an expert on foreign policy.

Now, the American president’s decision to allow Afghanistan to collapse into the arms of the Taliban has European officials worried he has unwittingly accelerated what his predecessor Donald Trump started: the degradation of the Western alliance and everything it is supposed to stand for in the world.

Across Europe, officials have reacted with a mix of disbelief and a sense of betrayal. Even those who cheered Biden’s election and believed he could ease the recent tensions in the transatlantic relationship said they regarded the withdrawal from Afghanistan as nothing short of a mistake of historic magnitude.

i'm sure glad "the adults are back in charge." 

Biden to Afghanistan: Drop dead

That's tomorrow's editorial in the Wall Street Journal: "We had hoped that Mr. Biden would accept some responsibility and explain how he would fix this mess. He did none of that, making it clear that he himself is the main architect of this needless American surrender. It does not bode well for the rest of his Presidency."  

Biden to address the nation this afternoon

Federalist: "No, Biden Can’t Blame Trump For The Afghanistan Withdrawal Disaster."

It would be insanity for Biden to try to pin this on Trump, even if he sincerely believed it.  Biden would look weak, trying to pass the blame on to the guy who left office seven months ago.  A better man would realize that he's got to eat the s--t sandwich, but I doubt Joe Biden is that man.

Update - Well, Joe blamed three previous Presidents and the Afghan army but also said "the buck stops with me." 

More - Hot Air: "But Biden’s guilty of the same rhetorical trick that Tony Blinken pulled yesterday and was properly challenged on by Jake Tapper. He tried to change the subject in his speech from the gross tactical debacle that led to the scenes playing out today at the airport to his more defensible strategic decision to withdraw. I can’t ask our boys to die for their country when their own boys won’t do it, says Biden." 

That's why Biden ran away after his remarks and took no questions from the press.

Drunk Nancy Pelosi

C'mon Nance, it's not even noon yet.  Daily Caller: "Nancy Pelosi Praises Biden After Taliban Advances Into Kabul"

"Any political settlement that the Afghans pursue to avert bloodshed must include having women at the table. The fate of women and girls in Afghanistan is critical to the future of Afghanistan. As we strive to assist women, we must recognize that their voices are important, and all must listen to them for solutions, respectful of their culture."

FFS, it's like she doesn't even know who the Taliban are.  Here's a hint:

At a park in Kabul, transformed since last week into a shelter for the displaced, families told the AP on Friday that girls riding home in a motorized rickshaw in the northern Takhar province were stopped and lashed for wearing “revealing sandals.”

Drunk, stupid, and botoxed is no way to go through life, Nance.

Hogging the Camp David ice cream machine

PJ Media: "Where is Joe Biden?"

True to form

Charles C. W. Cooke: "President Biden’s Afghanistan Predictions Were Disastrously Wrong." - "If one wishes to, one can argue that this wasn’t Biden’s fault, or that he inherited a bad situation, or that it’s far more complicated than it looks. One can even argue that what’s happening doesn’t change the rationale for Biden’s decision. But, under no circumstances, can one argue that this is turning out how the president imagined it would."  

Flashback: "Gates Stands By Statement That Biden Has Been Wrong On Nearly Every Major Foreign Policy Question."  

Extra - Axios: "Rarely has an American president's predictions been so wrong, so fast, so convincingly as President Biden on Afghanistan." 

If you were wondering if Joe Biden would blame Afghanistan on Trump...

...well, come collect your prize.  Breitbart: "Joe Biden blames Donald Trump for Afghanistan collapse - despite calling Taliban takeover 'unlikely' in July."

The media is dutifully advancing that narrative with their "gosh, this has been going on for years" schtick, a blame-spreading story they surely would have run if Trump were still in office.  /sarc

If you're wondering where Joe Biden learned this technique, well, he learned it from the Master: "President Obama took credit in 2012 for withdrawing all troops from Iraq. Today he said something different."

For much of that election year, Obama had included a line of celebration in his standard stump speech, one that among an electorate exhausted by more than a decade of war always drew a rousing applause: “Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq,” Obama proclaimed in Bowling Green, Ohio, in September 2012, and did nearly every day after until the election. “We did.”

Take a wild guess what happened when it all went south and ISIS rushed into the power vacuum:

On Thursday, Obama addressed reporters in the White House Briefing Room about Iraq’s latest crisis. “Do you wish you had left a residual force in Iraq? Any regrets about that decision in 2011?” a reporter asked. “Well, keep in mind that wasn’t a decision made by me,” Obama said. “That was a decision made by the Iraqi government.”

Because, gosh-darn-it, Obama just couldn't do anything about the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that Dubya had negotiated back in 2008.  It's not like he's Commander in Chief or anything.  Truly a Profile in Courage.

The final word:

There seems to be a fun consensus forming that Biden was under some obligation to keep Trump's deal with the Taliban in place, while jettisoning every other executive order Trump made.

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) August 15, 2021

Resetting expectations

 

US intelligence agencies who said just 4 days ago that Kabul could fall in 90 days have revised the figure to 72 hours
https://t.co/v2XUuPVcKX

— Bruno Maçães (@MacaesBruno) August 14, 2021

This chaos is more chaotic than expected

Hot Air: "Collapse: Marine vanguard to Kabul."

In multiple provinces, the Taliban have already begun burning down schools that accepted girls as students. In Takhar province earlier this week, three women who were riding home in a rickshaw were stopped by Taliban fighters and lashed and beaten in the street for wearing “revealing sandals.”

It’s still possible that we’ll pull off this evacuation without any additional loss of life to Americans or the Afghan workers inside the green zone. But it’s also possible that we won’t. As I’ve said here in the past, right now is a time for action, but when all of this is said and done, we will need to have full congressional hearings to determine how the planning for this exit was botched so badly and who should have had the foresight to know that the Taliban was always going to do precisely what they are doing right now.

In response, CNN is gonna CNN: "CNN reports that Afghanistan unraveling ‘threatens Biden’s legacy’."

What? Did they run out of ice cream?

Hot Air: "CNN: Boy, Biden sure is facing a lot of crises all of a sudden."  

What's going on in Afghanistan?

This National Review story "Afghanistan for the Layman" links to this Vox piece "How is the Taliban gaining so fast in Afghanistan? - An expert on the Taliban’s sweep and what it means for Afghanistan."

One thing to note is that, yes, the Taliban is gaining in these remote regional capitals but it's not like there's a strong government presence there anyway:

One Afghan government official told them some of these districts fell when 10 Taliban fighters showed up. A lot of this was just the collapse of government authority, and if it could collapse in the face of 10 Taliban fighters, we have to be honest: It was barely there to begin with.

I'm with Joe Biden with this one: we've been nation-building in this no-win country for two decades.  The United States has poured billions into propping up the Afghan forces.  Time to step up or slide back into the 12th century again. 

A sophisticated crowd

What's wrong with these uneducated, anti-science rednecks in (checks notes) Martha's Vineyard?

Ace: "Covid Cases In Dukes County, MA -- Where Martha's Vineyard Is Located, Ground Zero for Obama's Celebrity-Studded Super-Spreader Soiree -- Rise +1,829%"  

Must be all the motorcycle rallies.

Journalism 2021

“We reported 5,800 in one week. It was actually 783 in 6 weeks.” https://t.co/czrAFDATzl

— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) August 12, 2021

About that inflation blip

Hot Air: "CNN: Inflation has already wiped out wage gains from stimulus/relief bills." 

The science is settled

Don't wear a mask.

Wear a mask.

Wear two masks.

If you're vaccinated, you don't need to wear a mask.

If you're vaccinated, wear a mask.

You won't get sick if you're vaccinated.

You might get sick if you're vaccinated.

Axios: "The study found the Pfizer vaccine was only 42% effective against infection in July, when the Delta variant was dominant. "If that's not a wakeup call, I don't know what is," a senior Biden official told Axios."

Coming soon: You're going to need a booster shot every three months.

Free speech for me, not for thee

National Review: "Washington D.C.’s Free-Speech Double Standard Blesses BLM but Punishes Pro-Lifers" - "Your ability to exercise even basic constitutional freedoms increasingly depends on how much those in authority share your moral and political point of view."  

Chicago snub

Daily Wire: "Chicago Cops Turn Backs On Mayor After Female Cop Killed."

Cuomo is out

I remember when OJ Simpson was sent to prison for stealing sports memorabilia or something, Saturday Night Live quipped: "OJ Simpson went to jail this week for theft...but really murder."

That's how I feel about soon-to-be-ex-governor Cuomo: "Andrew Cuomo resigned his office for sexual harassment charges...but really for killing Grandma."

Anyway, the relentless New York Post is taking a victory lap.  

Musical interlude

Wow, this great song came up on my shuffle and I don't think I've heard it since 1984.  Chaka Khan's smooth ballad "Through the Fire" only hit #60 on the Billboard chart and got overshadowed by her megahit "I Feel For You" (written by Prince).

But this song is smoooth and soulful.  Check it out.

You know what this means: pouncing and seizing

Washington Examiner: "Obama seen dancing maskless at booze-filled birthday bash." 

Extra - From Powerline: "It has been obvious from the beginning that the rules that CDC and Democratic governors inflict on the rest of us do not apply to liberal elites. Chuck Todd is not a journalist, and “Doctor” Fauci is not a scientist. No wonder so many people don’t bother to listen to either one." 

Why we can't have an honest debate

Hot Air: "Malcolm Nance vs. Ben Shapiro really encapsulates the non-debate the left insists on having over CRT in schools."

The video embedded in this story is really wild and a perfect example of the kind of "debate" we expect from the Left on critical race theory.  If you ever wonder why this kind of debate happens so rarely, this is why.

Police for me but not for thee

Peasants.  PJ Media: "Is Cori Bush the Biggest Hypocrite on All of Capitol Hill? This Video Says 'Yes!'."

Professional CNN hack Chris Cillizza is all over the real scandal here: "Cori Bush just handed Republicans a 2022 gift."

There go those Republicans again with all their pouncing and seizing. 

Impeach Biden

National Review: "The Eviction-Moratorium Decree: Why It’s Unconstitutional"

Consequently, by unilaterally decreeing a moratorium extension in the teeth of that ruling, President Biden is acting in bad faith. It is now a constitutional offense. Specifically, and in blatant violation of his solemn duty to execute the laws faithfully, Biden has usurped Congress’s legislative authority and declared the power to legislate. He is running roughshod over the separation of powers, which is the foundation of our constitutional framework, limiting power and preserving liberty.

That is why this is a constitutional violation, one even more profound than a theorized violation stemming from the Commerce Clause — since Biden has been admonished by the Supreme Court that what he is now doing would be wrong. Moreover, the administration publicly conceded on Monday that there was no “legal authority for even new, targeted eviction moratoriums.”

There is also no doubt that Democrats, who twice impeached President Trump for abusing his office, would be calling for the impeachment of a Republican president who did such a thing.

Even the Washington Post can't paper over this impeachable offense and note the double standard:

If the Trump administration had ignored a direct warning from the Supreme Court, Democrats would rightfully line up to condemn the president. Mr. Biden does not get a pass on the rule of law because his heart is in the right place.

Oh, liberals love their good intentions: it's a free pass to do whatever they want "for the children."  This must be the return to normal we were told about.

In a sane world, impeachable. https://t.co/KXjAWs2A0G

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 5, 2021

CNN's wasteland

PJ Media: "CNN Achieves Embarrassing Viewership Milestone."  "Things haven’t been going well for the network, particularly without Donald Trump in the White House, and it has now gone an entire week without reaching 1 million viewers."  

11th out of 12

Red State: "More Go Woke, Go Broke: Olympic Hammer Thrower Gwen Berry Goes Down to Humiliating Defeat."

For the record, I called it a month ago that the U.S. Trials would be the last time we'd see her.  But good luck to her in the Woman's Professional Hammer Throwing League (WPHTL).  

Fredo must go

MSNBC: "Biden calls on Andrew Cuomo to resign. He's not the only Cuomo who needs to go."

Is there any way than CNN can sink any lower?

"Hold my beer" - Stephen Collinson

So this is where we are

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the CDC's eviction moratorium was unconstitutional and would have to end this past weekend.  Then this happened today: "President Biden Announces on Live TV That He Intends to Break His Oath of Office."

President Biden knows that the CDC’s eviction moratorium is illegal, having, per Gene Sperling, “not only kicked the tires,” but “double, triple, quadruple checked.” He also knows that the Supreme Court has ruled that it is illegal, and that the majority of the legal scholars he has consulted think that the Court is correct.

And yet, because a bunch of progressives have spent the day complaining, Biden announced just now that he intends to violate his oath and reissue the order anyway. “The bulk of the constitutional scholars,” Biden admitted at his press conference just now, “say it’s not likely to pass constitutional muster.” Then he said that he was prepared to try his luck anyway.

Big day for the “norms” crowd.

Biden is a weak President and basically he got worn down by left-wing brow beating.  The Executive branch is supposed to execute the laws, not look for procedural loopholes:

In other words, he knows it’s unconstitutional and it wouldn’t be upheld but he knows that legal action against this extension will take time, so he’s going to try to do it anyway and then blame others and the courts when he’s sued and he loses. Can we talk about how wrong this is? He doesn’t care that it’s illegal. He knows it’s contrary to what the Supreme Court has already indicated yet he’s flying in their face anyway, something that just defies belief.

The CDC is now writing laws.  How Looney Tunes is this?  Yeah, big day for "norms" and "restoring order."

The unvaccinated in NYC

I thought this statistic from New York City was kinda shocking:

Still, city employees, including police officers and firefighters, are heavily represented among those who’ve yet to get vaccinated against COVID-19, which has already killed more than 33,500 New Yorkers.

Some of the city’s largest agencies have lower vaccination rates than the general public. Of NYPD’s 54,000 uniformed and civilian workforce, only 43% are vaccinated, the New York Post reported last week, also finding that the FDNY has a 55% vaccination rate. Roughly 42% of city Department of Correction workers are vaccinated, the agency told THE CITY, based on information it has about those who were vaccinated in the five boroughs.

Both the city’s 135,000 public school employees and 42,000 public hospital workers have a 60% vaccination rate.

Less than half of New York's Finest?  This squares with this Politico story: "Biden's talk of vaccine mandates sends labor into disarray."