When truth and reality fade, from the views within institutions; when the virtue required to maintain a Republic wanes, the rot merely becomes more visible. Legitimate authority becomes much, much harder to maintain.

Oh, there always have been horse-tradin’ types, somewhere between used car-salesman and admirable men sacrificing their liberty for the rest of us. There were always assholes and charlatans, glad-handing lifers, as well as principled men sticking their fingers into the political winds for their turn at the wheel.

Gathering some views on the Afghanistan ‘withdrawal’, and the current clusterfuckery.

About that Haqqani network.

I am waiting for the @CENTCOM briefing on how the U.S. military will execute a retrograde while in the middle of an evacuation.

It isn't too late for a general to stand up and resign rather than attempt to execute this mad (as in insane) policy decision. https://t.co/03HjHdKFRo

— Bill Roggio (@billroggio) August 24, 2021

https://t.co/FxxNC4evQp

To a lot of people overseas, the Afghan debacle just looks like the latest example of American strategic incompetence. That's the real credibility crisis we face, and it's serious.

— Walter Russell Mead (@wrmead) August 23, 2021

What say you?