‘Fellow Americans… it is with a sad heart that we witness the gradual fall of Afghanistan.
We went there 20 years ago to root out Al Qaeda and find Osama Bin Laden. In the process we connected with the Afghan people. Heard their stories, their fears of being ruled by a repressive regime. We opened schools and a university and tried our best to share our values, the right of every human being to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We spent an enormous amount of money building up their armed forces, and our brave soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder with them against the Taliban.
Nearly 2500 of our soldiers died in the struggle.
I wish I could now tell you that what we did was enough. I wish I could now tell you that what we did has a chance to grow into something lasting. I wish.
The reality, however, appears to be different… and we have to face it.
The Taliban keeps making steady advances and conquering city after city.
We continue to assist the Afghan Army by providing aerial support from our bases in the region, but it is not enough.
What happened?
We accomplished our goal of tracking down Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attack on our nation. We accomplished our goal of putting a check on Al Qaeda. But we were not able to change the core of that country in a way that makes it unlikely Al Qaeda will mount another attack on us. So, as always, we must be on guard.
What I have to say now is not easy for me. In spite of all our efforts, we could not instill in the majority of the Afghan people the will to unite, to overcome their differences and present a solid front to fight and defend themselves against the Taliban.
Twenty years we spent there and we now are leaving. We have to. It pains us to do so because unless the Afghan army and the people push back and mount a strong defense, Afghanistan will fall to the Taliban and so many Afghans will find their dreams and aspirations ruthlessly trampled upon.
But why do we have to leave?
Because we have to rebuild our nation. Yes. Our nation.
We have to raise the level of productivity in our citizens. The level of education. We have to change the social conditions that foster so much dysfunction and animosity in our land.
How is it possible that, on January 6th, a group of our fellow citizens felt entitled to plunder our Capitol in violation of our basic rules? What led us there?
We have to invest in better caring for each other so we stop those senseless acts, and the senseless killings in our cities and towns.
I know we can, if we put our hearts and minds to it.
As we do, we will grow stronger and wiser.
The road ahead is long and arduous but the good news is that we are on our way.
As the world watches, our standing must be a reflection of how free we are to be the best we can be.
My administration is committed to laying down the foundation to achieve that goal.
And with the help of our fellow Republicans, it is well within our reach if we stay on task.
We can do it, I assure you. It is urgent that we do. United we rise, divided we fall.
The story of Afghanistan teaches us a great deal.
We have to constantly keep building bridges to each other. We cannot stop.
Build bridges from the urban to the rural. From the wealthy to the poor, from the well educated to the less educated, from people of one color to people of another. Build bridges from the Right to the Center and to the Left, for we are all Americans who need each other and have to trust each other to confront the challenges that life will continually bring us.
There is no time to rest. We must act.
It remains my fervent hope and prayer, that the Afghan people and their Army, will find in themselves the needed strength to resist and overcome the forces of repression and darkness that the Taliban represent. But it is up to them.
Meanwhile, we will continue to provide aerial and tactical support.
My fellow Americans, let us pull together… strive with all our might… and I assure you our nation will lead by the power of our example.
Good night.’
Oscar Valdes. Oscarvaldes.net
