Like many Americans, I am shocked and heartbroken, appalled and angered by the chain of disasters unfolding in Afghanistan. We are witnessing a tragedy of truly epic proportions. Even worse, as of this writing, at least 13 Americans have paid for its mismanagement with their lives. They are in addition to the nearly 2,500 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice over the past 20 years, along with thousands more who are maimed for life due to injuries sustained there. My prayers are with every family touched by it.
We watch the gut-wrenching plight of countless Afghans desperate to flee the torture and tyranny about to be inflicted on their country. Many dedicated years trying to transform Afghanistan into a culture of understanding. They now face the very real prospect of being martyred for their optimism.
This calamity was both predictable and preventable. We are learning more details each day about how the Biden administration ignored red flags warning of impending trouble from the security community, and then worsened matters by making bad decisions. Now, thousands of people are left scrambling for their very lives in a desperate race against the clock to flee Afghanistan before the Aug. 31 U.S. withdrawal.
This isn’t a red or blue issue; it’s an American issue. And it must be addressed with American determination and urgency.
During last year’s campaign, Joe Biden told us he wanted to work in bipartisan cooperation. He now has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do just that.
For the sake of our countrymen in harm’s way, it’s time for Biden to live up to his word and turn to trusted hands who know how to get the job done. I call on Joe Biden to set aside political differences and, in a spirit of true bipartisan cooperation, appoint Donald J. Trump as his special envoy to oversee the Afghanistan withdrawal.
During this crisis, Biden must use every resource available to get our people home.
This isn’t politicizing a catastrophic situation; it’s offering a practical solution to provide help. Whatever Americans may think of President Trump, he has the executive experience necessary to successfully navigate this crisis.
When such expertise is available, it just makes sense to utilize it. Because conservatives and moderates, liberals and libertarians alike, all share the same desire: To bring our people home safely.
Reaching across the partisan divide in times of peril is not unprecedented. Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Republican Wendell Wilkie in the 1940 presidential election. Then, just a few months later and with the Battle of Britain threatening that country’s survival, Roosevelt asked Wilkie to go to London and deliver a personal letter of support from FDR to Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In true bipartisan cooperation, Wilkie did just that.
In the aftermath of World War II, Democratic President Harry Truman called on Republican former President Herbert Hoover to supervise the distribution of food to starving people in Europe. And by setting aside partisan differences, the Hoover-Truman partnership fed 3.5 million people.
In times of peril, there must always be an all-hands-on-deck response. President Biden should immediately reach out to his predecessor and enlist his help. Today.
Because all Americans want to see our people come home safely.
