Originally posted by Robtard
American's have been dying in Afghanistan year after year since America went in in 2001. But now, just now, it's unacceptable to Trumpers.Also the 10's of thousands of civilians who have died as a direct result of the war.
Trumpers are conflicted.
On the one hand, they are loath to contradict Trump, who was so desperate to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan that he stuck a controversial deal with the Taliban.
But they are also aware of polls showing many Americans wanting to bring troops home.
But on the other hand, Republicans are also eager to condemn a Democratic president and exploit critical coverage of the administration in the wake of the Taliban reclaiming power.
The result is a narrowly tailored talking point, embraced by much of the party: GOP officials have spent a couple of weeks attacking Biden, not for withdrawing our forces, but for withdrawing our forces in problematic ways. The message has focused less on the "what" and more on the "how."
Which is why it came as a surprise when House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy contradicted Trump yesterday, saying at a Capitol Hill press conference that he "would have kept American troops in Afghanistan."
When the reporter followed up, asking what the troops' mission should be and how long McCarthy would want to see troops deployed to Afghanistan, the GOP leader could not answer directly.
When asked whether Trump was "wrong to agree to withdraw our troops," McCarthy could not answer that question directly either.
In February 2020, after the Trump administration announced its deal with the Taliban, McCarthy applauded the former president for "working toward closing this chapter."
Now, McCarthy think we should leave U.S. troops in Afghanistan until, well, some point in the future.