Nolte: The Disastrous Neocon Ideology Dies in Kabul
If you want a good laugh, watch America’s residual neocons now that their 20-year experiment has failed, collapsed, and died all in a single day.
In Afghanistan, America spent trillions of dollars, lost thousands of precious lives, and toiled for 20 years to make the neocon fantasy of nation-building come true. World peace is easy! they told us. We need to liberate oppressed peoples, build schools and roads, and give them the right to vote. If we do that, peace will break out all over!
For 20 years, these fools have been telling us the fruition of their fantasy was right around the corner. For 20 years, our country poured blood and treasure into their stupid experiment, and in one day — a single day — it all fell apart.
In one day, the Taliban took Afghanistan back.
The neocon experiment is such a failure that after a 20-year investment, it only took one day to prove it a failure.
Of course, our army didn’t lose to the Taliban. Of course, our technology is superior. No one doubts that. But we still failed for one simple reason… Too many Afghans chose the 7th century over the 21st century. Too many Afghans chose their barbaric way of life, their barbaric customs, their warlords and tribal leaders over self-determination and democracy.
As a reformed neocon, as someone still embarrassed over his support for this stupid idea that American lives and tax dollars are well-spent spreading democracy in countries full of cavemen, the remaining neocon dead-enders are really something to watch today … to the surprise of no one, not a single one is willing to admit this whole debacle began when America’s mission in Afghanistan evolved from wiping out the terrorists who hit us on 9/11 to turning a barbaric country into a thriving democracy.
There’s no question that back in 2001, we needed to go into Afghanistan and take care of business. For it was there where the international terrorists who hit us on 9/11 were allowed to plot and scheme and find safe harbor. That threat had to be eradicated, and our victory against that threat occurred in just a couple of weeks. On October 7, 2001, Taliban rule collapsed. That’s when we should have left with a victory in hand, our heads held high, and the world warned not to fuck with us.
Instead, we stayed and stayed and stayed and stayed, and 2,448 of our soldiers died, including two just this year (at the hands of the Taliban), all under this ludicrous neocon idea that the Afghans are all a bunch of Thomas Jeffersons yearning to be free. And now, instead of walking out of Afghanistan strong and victorious on October 8, 2001, we are skedaddling with our tails between our legs. We’re humiliated and not only look foolish and cowardly, but we are now a country no one should trust to keep our promises to stay and protect those who ally with us.
Well, those promises never should have been made to begin with. It is not in our national interest to waste any time, money, or lives to reform cavemen. And only fools such as Jonah Goldberg, Bill Kristol, John Bolton, George W. Bush, Max Boot, Liz Cheney, and Steven Hayward can look at the breathtaking results of the incontrovertible failure of their beliefs and say different.
Yes, there is plenty to criticize about His Fraudulency Joe Biden’s catastrophic and inept withdrawal plan, but that doesn’t change the fact that this disaster began on October 8, 2001 — the day after the U.S. met its objectives and stupidly decided to listen to the neocons and stick around for another 20 years.
This catastrophe in Afghanistan only ended with Biden. Let’s never forgot it began with a failed neocon ideology that deserves a place on the scrapheap of history right next to communism.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
