Editorial by the Outlook’s Dave Schmidt

NOTE: This is an opinion piece expressed by the author. It is up to the reader of this editorial to decide what they believe or don’t believe…you absolutely have that right to agree or disagree.

(9-29-21) Yesterday and today three key figures, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and head of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, testified before the House Armed Services Committee on the withdrawal from Afghanistan. All three contradicted President Biden on the process in several key areas.

Wednesday morning Milley called the war in Afghanistan a “strategic failure” for the United States during testimony and warning that the Taliban “remain a terrorist organization” and maintain ties with al Qaeda. All that contradict what the Biden administration has been claiming.

President Biden and White House officials have said repeatedly that no military leaders advised him to leave a small military presence behind, with the president telling ABC News in August that “no one” recommended a 2,500-troop presence that he could “recall.”

Both Milley and McKenzie testified that their opinions and recommendations to leave behind a force of 2,500 troops went ignored by the president.

McKenzie said-

“I will give you my honest opinion, and my honest opinion and view shaped my recommendation [to the president]. I recommended that we maintain 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, and I also recommended earlier in the fall of 2020 that we maintain 4,500 at that time. I also have a view that the withdrawal of those forces would lead inevitably to the collapse of the Afghan military forces and eventually the Afghan government.”

Meanwhile…the ‘business like’ Taliban is causing havoc, Americans are still stranded and no apology or actions have been taken to punish those who are in charge.

Except for one –

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller Jr. is currently in pre-trial confinement in the Regional Brig for Marine Corps Installations East aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune pending an Article 32 preliminary hearing,”

Capt. Sam Stephenson, a spokesman for Training and Education Command.

“The time, date, and location of the proceedings have not been determined. Lt. Col. Scheller will be afforded all due process.”

He asked the very same questions of what the officers in charge are now facing in congress were thinking during the Afghan withdrawal. He made none of the decisions or had prior input to the withdrawal, so why is he on the ‘hot seat’? Someone in charge wants Scheller silenced. Any guesses why ?

This is just one of the many issues facing a President who seems to have caused more trouble then he can handle…his approval ratings are quite low. What we all now know is critical to this country’s future…what we don’t know about what is going on is quite scary.

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