Biden has a narrow window to do something great

Trump left Biden a gift, and he only has to follow the instructions in order to cement his legacy. The question is - will he?

The Pentagon said Monday that it has not decided whether to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, as Washington considers a potential end to America’s longest war.

“Everybody here is mindful of looming deadlines,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters during a press briefing. “And I cannot today sketch out for you what specific planning is going on when there hasn’t been a decision made yet about future force posture in Afghanistan,” he said.

In February 2020 the United States brokered a deal with the Taliban that would usher in a permanent cease-fire and reduced further the U.S. military’s footprint from approximately 13,000 troops to 8,600 by mid-July last year.

By May 2021, all foreign forces would leave the war-weary country, according to the deal. There are about 2,500 U.S. troops currently in the country.

First of all, the Pentagon shouldn't be making this decision. Matters of peace should be handled by the president and Congress.
Secondly, we have a deal in place. President Trump made the decision. Breaking a peace deal requires justification. Any justification can't be logistics, because we only have 2,500 troops there on a couple major bases.
Lastly, this is actually a good sign. Why? Because the Pentagon doesn't want peace, EVER. NATO has vocally denounced any peace deal with the Taliban. So if there is "indecision", that means they are having trouble getting Biden on-board with breaking the peace deal.
Biden already withdrew US support for the genocidal Saudi-led war on Yemen.
A few days ago Biden made an equally important decision.

President Joe Biden has suspended drone strikes outside of war zones where US forces are operating, reversing the policy of his predecessor Donald Trump, who had given the military free rein in countries such as Somalia.

Now there are some big caveats to this order. Such as the White House can still order drone strikes. The difference is that the Pentagon and CIA can't do drone strikes unilaterally anymore, except to help US troops on the ground.
Either way Biden is showing backbone against the Pentagon that Trump never showed, except at the very end of his administration, and Obama never showed at all.
My expectation for Biden couldn't have been lower, so if he manages to get us out of Afghanistan, then he'll exceeded all of my hopes.
Former Afghan President Karzai came out in support of the latest US peace proposal today.

Possibly just as important was a peace proposal today by Iran-backed Iraqi militias.

After frantic meetings in Baghdad, Beirut and Tehran, Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitaries have agreed to stop attacks against US forces in Iraq on the condition that Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi formally demands an American withdrawal, officials and faction commanders told Middle East Eye.

Kadhimi must tell Washington that the pullout has to be completed within 12 months, they added. Sources said it is likely that Kadhimi will comply and make the formal request.

On 1 March, the armed factions announced the end of an unofficial armistice with US forces in Iraq that had largely held since October, despite a few violations.

Like Afghanistan, we only have 2,500 troops in Iraq. So logistics are no obstacle to withdrawal.
Now it should be noted that the Iraqi government has already, formally and officially demanded last year that we withdraw our troops from Iraq. The Trump administration response to that perfectly reasonable demand was to say, “discussing how to best recommit to our strategic partnership - not to discuss troop withdrawal, but our right, appropriate force posture in the Middle East.”
Or in english - "FU".
Hopefully, Biden will agree to recognize Iraq's sovereignty.
Plus, if we pull our troops out of Iraq, then the position of our troops in our illegal occupation of eastern Syria becomes untenable.

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Shahryar's picture

and then it becomes clear

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13 users have voted.

@Shahryar
As for the imperialists...

he Joseph Biden administration has named Richard Nephew as its deputy Iran envoy. As the former principal deputy coordinator of sanctions policy for Barack Obama’s State Department, Nephew took personal credit for depriving Iranians of food, sabotaging their automobile industry, and driving up unemployment rates.

Nephew has described the destruction of Iran’s economy as “a tremendous success,” and lamented during a visit to Russia that food was still plentiful in the country’s capital despite mounting US sanctions.

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Pricknick's picture

The powers that be have not whispered into into his ear yet.
Once they explain to tell him of the lost donations that such a move will unleash, all will be as the mic wants.
Money talks and the dem party has an open ear.

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17 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

@Pricknick
He may not care about the money as much, if he doesn't plan on trying to get re-elected.

Oh, and the GOP is at least as bad.
It's Republicans in Congress that are currently leading the push to sanction Russia for something or other. They are complaining that Biden isn't rattling sabers enough.

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Raggedy Ann's picture

about his dementia @gjohnsit .

They are complaining that Biden isn't rattling sabers enough.
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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

usefewersyllables's picture

@Raggedy Ann

the fact that someone has their hand up his ass and is wiggling his arms and flapping his jaws as if he was some sort of obscene, undead meat-puppet. Which he basically is.

Whoever controls that hand is most assuredly a warmonger of at least HRC's heft, if not worse. So while the idea of withdrawing troops and drawing down from an eternal war footing is a pleasant fantasy, it still remains just that- a fantasy. Too many powerful people wouldn't make the money that they want to make from eternal war, if we were to somehow put a stop to it...

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Twice bitten, permanently shy.

@usefewersyllables
Watch uyr! out! The next one is Nero.

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17 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

usefewersyllables's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

of a spectacle when it all goes down. The Romans called 'em sarmentitii and semaxii. Won't be long now, and it won't matter one bit to the person cast as the torch whether the lighter is held in a red hand or a blue hand...

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10 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

@The Voice In the Wilderness his "invasion" of Britain

He marched his troops to the northern shoreline of Gaul as a prelude to the invasion of Britain but then ordered them to collect seashells there, which he called the spoils of the conquered ocean.
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Pricknick's picture

@gjohnsit
that you think that what he does has anything to do with what he thinks.
The hand up the ass controls the dummy.
And I love the comparison to the republicans.

Oh, and the GOP is at least as bad.

I have no need for the lessor of two evils argument.

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10 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

@Pricknick
I'm not going to ignore the small, but still measurable differences between the parties and politicians just to avoid your ridicule.

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5 users have voted.
Pricknick's picture

@gjohnsit

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4 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

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expect not that his bidenship will steer a course
to neither peace nor tranquility before his narrow mind
evaporates from the effort of thinking.

Jesus on a popsicle stick, how do these clowns float
to the top of a cesspool state anyway?

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20 users have voted.
RantingRooster's picture

Why pull out when we can keep over paid PMC's employed?

According to the CRS, Congressional Research Service,

For the fourth quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2020, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) reported 43,809 contractor personnel working for DOD within its area of responsibility, which included 27,388 individuals located in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

From FY2011 to FY2019, obligations for all DOD-funded contracts performed within the Iraq, Syria,and Afghanistan areas of operation totaled approximately $187 billion in FY2021dollars.

In late 2017, the DOD stopped reporting the number of U.S. military personnel deployed in support of operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria as part of its quarterly manpower reports and in other official releases. These data remain withheld.

The Afghan people, who actually cares about them right? I mean, after all, we are not even supposed to be in Afghanistan the first place. The very people we are fighting we funded to fight against the Soviet Union, under Osama Bin Laden.

Heck, we are not supposed to be in any of these countries militarily at all.

We're back to bombing Syria with no "legal" authorization at all and people are still waiting on their "survival checks" that were promised to go out immediately, that were promised to be 2K.

Crazy

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C99, my refuge from an insane world. #ForceTheVote

That said I doubt that senile joe is calling the shots. His foreign policy team is obama 3.0.

This is what we are left with.

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@humphrey He could, but he won't. It's not what he's there for and it's not what the people pulling his strings want. The Syria bombing doesn't bode well, imho.

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Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

Narrow window, or ass crack? Pick two.

Syria: Oil refinery attacks raise fears of ‘grave escalation’

11 Mar 2021

Attacks on rural Aleppo that caused severe damage to oil facilities have been described as “state terrorism” by the Syrian opposition, in what is a possible message to Turkish-backed forces in the region.

The deadly attacks last Friday, reportedly launched by Russia from warships and by forces aligned with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, hit makeshift oil refineries in al-Hamran near the town of Jarablus and the village of Tarhin near al-Bab in eastern Aleppo.

The attack caused huge fires, especially in Tarhin, destroying more than 200 oil trucks and taking 20 hours to bring them under control, according to Syria’s volunteer civil defence, known as the White Helmets.

I forget which side Turkey is on. It makes me sick and I'm not even there. War curtains suck. Her knee is jerking to pull Grampy's strings and bomb something/anything real soon now. Who's next?

--- pushing levers pulling strings making noises
On healthcare, Grampy Joe will pivot to the optimistically cure cancer act, he has completed the pandemic act in fifty days by golly, only once forgetting the words live on air.

President Joe Biden is "optimistic" that progress can be made in the battle against cancer, convening a meeting in the Oval Office with a group of bipartisan House and Senate members to push for more action. (March 3)

As Medicare4All becomes a distant memory lost in the fog of warheads, like poor son Beau. Gimme a bucket.

--- 420 NOPE
Because Mexico is on the verge, and oh looky there goes Thailand! I thought Gramps would maybe go on ahead and compete with the world with some of our own fine terpenes, but NOPE. He and his VP are cop friendly, and what would cops do if weed was really legal everywhere? Tase themselves? LOL

As soon as any politician says "legacy" you know you are screwed up the ass royally, because it's about them now, not you, not we, not us. HIM. He stinks like Jerry Brown in reverse, and look how great California stinks now. PU and BOHICA. Get some therapy.

Does little old USA still consume 25% of global resources? OINK

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Lookout's picture

Biden has a long history of warmongering. I doubt that will change, but appreciate your hopefulness.

To my mind, nothing is more important than ending US aggression all around the world! But I'm not holding my breath...in fact I'm rather pessimistic about the possibility.

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16 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Jen's picture

Why do people keep referring to Joe Dementia like he still has all his marbles? Do you or anyone really believe he's the one pulling the strings or that he even comprehends what's going on most of the time? He's not all there. I'm not saying this to keep people from voting for him, he's already king puppet. I'm in no hurry to see KH crowned but it's inevitable. Because between her and old Joe, only one of them still has a fully functional brain.

It also cheapens the story that's being sold. When credit is given to Biden for doing anything, it makes me wonder how much of the rest of the story is total bullshit too.

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19 users have voted.

Is it great yet?

@Jen

as if, a half a brain plus a quarter
still won't buy a decent cup of java

these duncans rule by fiat
no fault to F/U the world if thinking
is clinically absent. Puppeteers hiding.
Heard this excuse before with ray gun.

Remove the power of the ruling class then
they can no longer put the blame elsewhere.

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of Afghanistan will be screwed will be his excuse to stay in. They are already pushing it in the media.

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"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

@Fishtroller 02

less help for the paying class

when does it ever end?

perhaps a bomb in their laps

will stoke change?

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Lily O Lady's picture

Defense. The first retired military man in what is supposed to be a civilian position, a person who sat on the board of a major defense contractor sets the tone for what lies ahead.

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16 users have voted.

"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

@Lily O Lady
I thought I read that he had a special dispensation to stay as long as he "recuses" himself.
Like an aide wouldn't know what he wants.

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5 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Lily O Lady's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

MIC all the way.

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7 users have voted.

"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"