The news coming out of Afghanistan over the weekend was so gutting it can only take our collective breath away. For those of us who were adults when 9/11 happened, recalling clearly the ensuing invasion of Iraq and troops into Afghanistan, it all feels so inevitable. A crisis postponed by three prior administrations now unfolding, the political finger-pointing abounds.
Unfortunately, as with nearly every other crisis (and today, there are too many), Big Journalism is designed to fail. In the information economy, newspapers and pundits alike report without providing necessary context. Which leaves us, even the savviest consumers of news, with far too shallow of an understanding of the history and significance of what we’re experiencing.
The speed of information dissemination on Twitter and Facebook all but guarantees that the loudest voices (and, frankly, the least reliable) are amplified and all nuance is quickly swept away in the torrents and eddies of the information ecosystem.
Below the surface of my heartbreak for the women and children of Afghanistan is my abject rage at the hypocrisy of Republicans and the media that enables them. I may not be an expert in international relations, but I do know that without Reagan and George Bush, we would not be in this terrible situation. The sheer audacity of elected Republicans, 16 of whom voted against evacuating Afghan interpreters and their families. The unmitigated gall of any of them to say one word, when the plan to withdraw in 2021 started with Trump and Pompeo. The truly infuriating cognitive dissonance of preaching about the terrorism of the Taliban, while remaining silent or, worse, denying the terror of the insurrection of January 6th. And the rank hypocrisy of claiming somehow that remaining in Afghanistan would be a mission to protect women's rights when a central tenet of their political platform is to steal bodily autonomy from American women. And we know what comes next, the weaponizing of any discussion around Afghan immigrants.
What political cost will this have for the Biden administration or upcoming midterms? To be determined. Various polls show a majority of Americans support withdrawing from Afghanistan. But the fallout and criticism have been swift. Perhaps even too swift as Margaret Sullivan points out in her column.
As a business owner, I know that leadership often means making difficult decisions, and being prepared for the fallout that can ensue. I know that, unfortunately, the media has made it a practice to platform even the most absurd and dangerous GOP talking points. I also know that more often than not, there are no “perfect” answers to almost any leadership challenge.
It’s important that our country and our media discourse acknowledge that there are no perfect answers, and push back against pundits and partisan yellers who wish to heave blame on everyone but themselves and their representatives. It's equally important to put a critical lens on media that quote dishonest brokers. When outlets rely on commentary from the likes of Karl Rove or John Bolton, without acknowledging their role in current affairs, it's disingenuous at best. When outlets report on Biden's (or even Trump's) role in what is happening without mentioning George Bush or Donald Rumsfeld or Dick "Haliburton" Cheney, it's frankly journalistic malpractice. Allowing the press to obfuscate history all but ensures we repeat it.
And as for Biden, undoubtedly there seem to be miscalculations around predicting the collapse of the Afghan government and forces and speed of the same, but accountability as a President means deciding that the buck stops with him, regardless of the fallout. This is a no-win situation, and he’s said "enough". He will not kick the can down the road anymore.
In the coming days and months, there will be many an OpEd slicing and dicing the who what how why of all of this. There will be more memory-holing by reporters of the original architects. Mistakes will be made. Blame will be cast. But we elected a leader, and he’s chosen, against all odds, in the most unenviable situations in any near history, to lead. Let’s hope the people will follow.
COVID laid bare the moral rot of our nation. Building back better means acknowledging that our systems have always been broken.
and
double standards.
Four years after #MeToo, abusers and their sycophants are still pulling the strings in newsrooms, while victims and survivors are marginalized as untrustworthy, and it’s utter garbage.
Not so fast. Many disabled folks around the country who can’t make it to a pharmacy are still waiting for someone, anyone, to give them the jab.
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