CBS host Norah O’Donnell described the Thursday terrorist attack outside the Kabul airport as the “worst day of the Biden presidency.”
O’Donnell was joined by CBS Chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes, who also referred to ISIS-K’s terrorist attack — which claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members and wounded 15 more, in addition to killing at least 60 Afghans — as President Joe Biden’s worst day in office so far.
“It’s the worst day of the Biden presidency, Norah, and it’s the deadliest day for U.S. service members in Afghanistan in a decade. Since August of 2011 when 30 Americans lost their lives when a helicopter was shot down,” Cordes said.
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Cordes added that Biden had spent “a couple of hours” in the Situation Room with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. (RELATED: ‘They Gave Me A List’: Biden Says Out Loud ‘The First Person I Was Instructed To Call On’ Before Fielding Questions)
“This is the ultimate nightmare scenario. President Biden wanted to get out of Afghanistan. He wanted to end our commitment after 20 years,” O’Donnell said. “[Y]et this effort to withdraw has become extremely chaotic. They succeeded in getting 100,000 people out but now it resulted in 27 casualties.”
The New York Times’ Peter Baker appeared Thursday on MSNBC, where he lamented American troops’ “body bags coming home” and criticized Biden for failing to admit to making a mistake that enabled this situation.
NYT’s Peter Baker: Biden “did not admit any mistakes” as “body bags coming home.” pic.twitter.com/KSEg6MXrUA
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) August 26, 2021
“It undermines the very mark of success … the Biden administration had set in the first place. They said, ‘We are accomplishing this extraordinary evacuation without any American lives’ costs.’ Now, in fact, it has cost American lives,” Baker said.
“He [Biden] did not admit to any mistakes. He did not offer any change of course,” Baker added.