Afghanistan and Why Joe Biden Can’t Change the Subject

In the news business, it is commonly called "burying the lead." In real life, it is known as trying to ignore the elephant in the room. Despite Herculean efforts, the legacy media can't seem to turn the page from the messy U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. These Biden-friendly news outlets seem quite desperate to change the subject: Hurricanes, COVID, almost anything these media elites run up the flagpole does not appear to be capturing the interest of the American people. The upcoming 20^th anniversary of 9/11 will not help those in the media carrying water for Joe Biden, and the event is likely to accentuate the chaotic and deadly Afghanistan exit. Here are a few reasons why.

Cut – That's a Wrap

It did not go unnoticed by conservatives that the crisis in Afghanistan spawned the first real questions the Biden administration had to face from its friends in the media. The White House was so shocked, in fact, that the president began to take on a defensive tone and posture. However, this criticism of the highest-ranking Democrat was short-lived, almost as if a buzzer went off across major news outlets as in "Bzzzz, time's up." But even with the director calling "Cut, that's a wrap," there was a major miscalculation, i.e., you can't end a movie in the middle, or the audience will howl.

The Media Research Center (MRC) meticulously catalogs what stories the national media cover, how much time each topic is given, and what is left out. As MRC's Dan Gainor recently noted, "The press is doing what it always does with bad news for the left — it's burying it." Last Thursday (Sept. 2), every major media outlet – from NBC, ABC, CBS, down to the lower-rung leftist organizations like CNN and MSNBC – omitted incriminating news on the leaked July 23 phone call between Biden and then-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Media critic and Fox News contributor Joe Concha called them out, saying, "These 'news organizations' engage in activism through the bias of omission in serving at the pleasure of the White House communications team."

However, the sin of omission is only one methodology utilized by the Biden propagandists – the other is to carry water for their man behind the Resolute desk. Unsurprisingly The New York Times gave this approach the old college try on Sept. 4 when an article written by five reporters pieced together a sop about the "emerging" Biden Doctrine. So transparent was The Times' effort, it became the subject of ridicule and was openly mocked by critics. Public comments ranged from "Did Joe Biden write this?" to "Thank God there's a paywall to prevent me from reading this garbage."

It was not the Old Gray Lady's finest hour.

Another method the media employ to drive the news cycle is to push forward other topics to capture the interest of readers or viewers. So, they lead with such issues as "COVID Numbers Are Spiking" – yawn; “Hurricane Ida Hits Landfall" – sad but whatever; or "FDA Approves Vaccine" – mild interest for a day or two. Despite all efforts to change the subject, the aftermath of the troop withdrawal has sparked a riveting humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan that people cannot ignore. Larry Gill at American Thinker pinned the tail on the donkey when he wrote, "To all appearances, the Afghanistan evacuation seemed to be a rolling snowball of chaos and mismanagement." Unfortunately, the national news media have not gotten this message and endeavor to soldier on with any other topic they can drum up.

Why We Won’t Let It Go

It is true that the American people, in large numbers, wanted an end to the war in Afghanistan. But this is only part of the truth. The larger truth is that the people of these United States do not like to lose. This national character trait is something President Donald Trump tapped into and intuitively understood. Unfortunately for the Biden administration, its hasty withdrawal made losing the Afghan war a national disgrace, including but not limited to a loss of honor, excoriation from allies, and, let us not forget, the deaths of 13 American warriors.

By all accounts, it is a devastating loss on all fronts, and trying to erase the humiliation from the national consciousness too soon will only result in the wound festering rather than healing.

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Read more from Leesa K. Donner.