To the editor:

While watching the testimony of Secretary of State Antony Blinken before Congress about the Afghanistan withdrawal, I am struck by the spinning and evasiveness of the secretary. The excuse that the Trump administration made a deal with the Taliban, but left no plan for the withdrawal, and is therefore to blame, is transparently stupid. Biden had eight months to make plans, but apparently did nothing? Mr. Blinken basically admitted there was no plan, nor any contingency plans.

The excuses that things were not anticipated reflects badly on the intel agencies, and instead of simply telling the Taliban that we will remain until all U.S. citizens are out, from a position of power, they went hat in hand and begged the Taliban to let our people go. They claim those left behind did not get to the airport on time, but did nothing to break up the checkpoints that prevented them from getting there.

All they had was a date and an order, but apparently no viable plans of any kind. So they left U.S. citizens, green card holders and some folks that had helped us behind, and failed to destroy military equipment. Giving 160,000 people a ride on an airplane is meaningless if they are the “wrong” people. This amateurishly conducted withdrawal will be a stain on this administration for years to come.

John McQuitty,

Lawrence