Commentary

“Unlike the policy of the last few years (the Trump era), we will be able to rally the rest of the world behind us on key foreign policy and national security issues.” – Jake Sullivan, November 2020

Along with the criticism of President Biden’s botched withdrawal of Afghanistan, comes questions of the advice provided him by Secretary of State Blinken, National Security advisor Sullivan and Generals Austin and Milley.

While General Austin offered that the intelligence people had given options leading up to the withdrawal, Biden was in denial.  In separate briefings for the media, Blinken and Sullivan proved to be inept.

During a cringe-worthy interview by Savannah Guthrie on the Today Show, Sullivan was relentlessly grilled over Biden’s earlier statement that there would be  “no circumstance where you will see people lifted off the roof of an embassy of the United States in Afghanistan.”

Sullivan tried to push back, saying the use of a helicopter as a mode of transportation to the airport was common, but Guthrie interrupted with “it’s not the helicopter.  It’s the last-minute scramble when the assurances from the president himself were this is not what we were going to see.”

As a news wonk, I am somewhat familiar with Sullivan’s background.  He’s a retread, having worked in the Obama state department and White House. He was involved in the Iran nuclear deal.

Later, he joined Hillary Clinton at State as her chief of staff and director of policy planning. He was “up to here” in her bringing down the Qadhafi regime in Libya, and the later cover-up of the Benghazi attack.

That was followed by a stint as Vice President Biden’s national security advisor before he became Hillary’s senior policy advisor to her presidential campaign in 2016.

When the left-leaning Politico inquired about his plans after being selected by Biden to be his national security advisor in November 2020, he took a gratuitous slap at the Trump administration, saying, “Unlike the policy of the last few years, we will be able to rally the rest of the world behind us on key foreign policy and national security issues.”

He may want to begin in Europe, where officials have reacted with a mix of disbelief and betrayal, viewing the withdrawal from Afghanistan as nothing short of a mistake of historic magnitude, according to Matthew Karnitschnig in Politico.

“The more you reflect, the more you realize the speech (Biden) gave last night was grotesque,” said Simon Clarke, a former British minister. “An utter repudiation of the America so many of us have admired so deeply all our lives – the champion of liberty and democracy and the guardian of what’s right in the world.”

As Mike Pompeo left the Trump administration, he appropriately mocked his successors – Blinken and Sullivan – as living in “a bit of fantasy world” for practicing “multilateralism for the sake of hanging out with your buddies at cool cocktail party.”

The Trump Era

You will recall the criticism that followed the 2016 election of Donald Trump, the outsider with no political experience and the difficulties he encountered in filling and keeping individuals in key cabinet positions like secretary of state, secretary of defense, national security advisor and chief of staff.

Previous presidents had turnover, too, but Trump made it different. He made his disdain of bureaucrats known, and that he was going to drain the swamp.  As a result, he faced a Deep State, entrenched people who worked against his administration.

In addition to the turnover, Trump was plagued by rivalries, competing media leaks, and backstabbing by the likes of Tillerson, Mattis and Bolton.

Even so, it is generally recognized that the president is entitled to the staff that he feels comfortable with, staff he can trust and staff with similar values.

Toward the end of his term, at least two key individuals, Mike Pompeo at State and Mark Meadows, as chief of staff, were serving Trump well.

While Trump had his moments with Generals Kelly, Mattis and Milley, 235 military officers, including eight four-star generals and admirals, 42 three-star generals and at least one Medal of Honor winner, retired Marine Maj. Gen Jim Livingston, signed a letter endorsing his election in 2020,

They warned that “electing Joe Biden would lead to a growing influence in government by socialists and Marxists.”

Perhaps now, Generals Austin and Milley will take seriously the job of defense through strength, and shelve instruction of diversity and critical race theory.

Now, more than ever … may God continue to bless the United States of America.