The Kabul Attack Calls for Unity
Thursday was horrific. Thirteen U.S. service members and dozens of innocent Afghans are dead and scores more injured in the wake of a craven terrorist attack at the Kabul airport. As America moves forward in the final stages of a war waged by four consecutive administrations, two Republican and two Democratic, the importance of national unity has never been more clear.
Last week, former Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair, a No Labels Legal Board Member, said the U.S. “has a responsibility -- to our Afghan allies and to the American people -- to come together around a strategy that protects American diplomatic and military personnel, that secures critical American interests in the region, protects the lives of innocent Afghans and that prevents Afghanistan from once again becoming a haven for terrorists.” Thursday’s tragedy underscores his point.
Sen. Arthur Vandenberg (R-MI) famously said that “politics stops at the water’s edge.” This week, the House Problem Solvers Caucus reiterated that principle, saying in a statement, “We stand united in our commitment to protecting U.S. citizens, diplomats, intelligence officers, and our foreign partners who are currently attempting to flee Afghanistan. In this time of tremendous danger, politics must be put aside to advance our common goals.”
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), No Labels’ National Co-Chair, writes in the New York Post, “The president’s priority now to evacuate as many Americans and friendly Afghans as soon as possible is, of course, the right one. But there is something else he can do now for our country and himself. There is an urgent need for President Biden to initiate a review of the decision-making process of his White House and administration in this matter.”
As Blair said, “In the difficult months ahead, we’ll have plenty of time to debate how a country we invested in across 20 years and four presidents, two from each party, collapsed in a weekend. But right now, our leaders in Washington need to come together -- Democrats and Republicans -- to forge a unified response to this crisis. … With lives on the line and American wisdom, values and tenacity on the line, it is not the time for finger-pointing and partisan attacks, but for bold action and bipartisan resolve.”