Addressing the nation, President Biden said, “After 20 years of war in Afghanistan, I refuse to send another generation of America’s sons and daughters to fight a war that should have ended long ago.”
That speech has drawn mixed reviews, with most of it staying on party lines.
Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) served in Afghanistan and went on MSNBC to praise the President’s remarks.
“In a war that was defined by commanders in chief passing the buck to their successors, the buck stopped with Joe Biden. He made the high integrity call that he was going to hand Afghanistan over to the Afghans because the United States could not win this war and we could not justify the sacrifice of U.Ss service members any longer.”
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) gave the speech a thumbs up on Twitter.
The foreign policy consensus loves military adventurism. The American people do not. And Joe Biden knows who he works for.
Great speech, Mr. President. https://t.co/Dhtqs1g08u
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) August 31, 2021
On the other hand, Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) thought it was awful.
If we needed more proof that Biden has no shame, no dignity, no ability to lead, it was in his speech today.
He should resign in disgrace.
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) August 31, 2021
Republican Congressman Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma, who is accused of threatening Tajikistan Embassy staff while trying to enter neighboring Afghanistan earlier this week weighed in on Instagram, saying, “President Biden and his [a]dministration are absolutely lying to the American people about Americans and our friends being left behind.”
The feedback didn’t fall entirely along party lines. Biden did receive some support from conservatives and some criticism from progressives.
Former Republican congressman Joe Walsh tweeted, “The American people will like it. Because the American people, like Biden, wanted out of this mistaken, unwinnable 20 year war.”
And on the other side, the group Code Pink tweeted, “Biden‘s speech fails to mention or mourn the countless Afghan lives that have been lost and destroyed by the US war on Afghanistan.”