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You didn’t really expect the Taliban to behave like anything other than the Taliban, did you?  And they’re calling the tune at this square dance in Kabul.  Aleman left.

This all could have and should have been both predicted and avoided. Deflective partisan attempts to rationalize this fiasco are just that—deflections. Yes, we had to get out of Afghanistan. We all get that. True, there is no good time to end an endless war. Roger. Yes, chaos was inevitable amidst an exit and evacuation. Nobody’s arguing otherwise.

But Biden apologists have been reduced to this twisted spiral of pretzel logic. They argue that because some chaos was inevitable, that then any steroid strength quantum level of chaos and lack of planning should be acceptable.

I can’t go for that. No. No can do.

Then like dyed-in-the-wool football fans, they contend that we can still pull this one out of the fire. Hey, let’s hope so. No American should want us to fail further. There are lives—lots of lives—at stake.  But let’s extend their faux football analogy. If a team somehow rallies to win after their quarterback throws four early interceptions to put his guys in a 28-0 hole, those four brain-dead picks were no less four brain-dead picks.

Biden telegraphed this. And the Taliban took it to the house.

And that’s why this fuckup can not honestly be described as anything other than a fuckup. We are helpless right now. The United States should never be helpless. The first objective of any American president must be to make sure our country is never in a helpless position. We are dependent on the “honor and integrity” of the Taliban.

You didn’t expect the Taliban to behave like anything other than the Taliban, did you?

No reprisals?  Death sentences are already being issued to our Afghan interpreters and their families. The Fog of War has descended on the Kabul Airport. Folks are shooting, and nobody really knows who’s shooting at whom. That Special Immigration Visa (SIV) program initiated to try to get our Afghan friends out of that hell-hole? Nah. Now those folks won’t be allowed to get into the airport even if they somehow manage to get to the airport.

Oh, and if terrified Afghans somehow manage to head-fake the Taliban, now they also have to juke ISIS-K.  Which I presume is even nastier than ISIS A through J.

Even our own staffers—our own staffers—from the now-abandoned U.S. Embassy in Kabul currently have no way to reach evacuation points.

The world is taking note. You can’t count on us.

“Fiasco.” Look up the actual dictionary definition.

But enough about depressing foreign developments. We don’t have to look all the way over any large stretch of water to get depressed (and embarrassed). Our own house is like a rabbit cage that hasn’t been cleaned in a month.

Congrats. We are now once again averaging 150,000 new COVID cases per day, up 200 percent from a month ago. And Delta Dawn will turn your ass to Delta Dusk.

Any encouraging signs? Maybe this one. School districts and other local jurisdictions around Texas are now telling Abbott to go screw himself with a rusty chainsaw.

And as a legal and practical matter, there’s not one thing he can do about it.

Hey, it’s in the dress code. And we ALL know you don’t dare jack with the dress code.

But, sadly, keep an eye on what’s going on in Iraan. It’s a horror show that could easily be repeated all over our state, and in a matter of days.

Just one more thing before I jump over to the sports side. Don’t let the door hitchya, Cuomo.

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Paul's Bio

I clearly have the attention span of your median fruit fly.Look! Airplane!

Sorry. I’m back.

It’s both a curse and a blessing. I’ve never bought this stuff about, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I do think that a wide range of life experiences helps us grow as people, and helps us better relate to other people. I’ve been fortunate. And I am beyond grateful.

I show up on time. I go like hell. I’m a good listener. I hold myself accountable. I own my mistakes. And I have a natural and an insatiable curiosity. I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t. But then I try to find out.

The flip side is I’m a lousy ballroom dancer and my clothes sometimes fit me funny.

Stuff matters to me. I care. But while I take that stuff seriously, I try hard to never take myself seriously. As a result, I have sometimes been told, “Paul, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just having some fun. Which is it? Serious or fun?”

My answer is “yes.” But I think that is a legitimate criticism. I promise I’m going to work on that.

This has been the quickest and strangest half-century I’ve ever experienced. During that period, I’ve been afforded amazing opportunities in news and sports journalism across all platforms. I have taught wonderful students at the high school and collegiate level. Always, I learned more from them than they did from me. I’ve been a high school administrator. I spent ten seasons as a high school varsity football coach. I’ve been an advertising executive. I’ve hosted nationally syndicated television entertainment shows. In maybe the biggest honor I ever received, I was selected by NASA to be “Chet The Astronaut” for the “Land The Shuttle” simulator at Space Center Houston. (All I can say there, is “Do as I say, not as I do.” I put that thing in the Everglades more often than not.) Most recently, I just wrapped up a decade as a television news director, during which time our teams distinguished themselves in holding the powerful accountable, achieving both critical and ratings success.

What does all that mean? It means I am profoundly grateful. It also means I’m ready for “next.” So here we are. Radically Rational. It’s an idea I woke up with in 2017. I scribbled “Radically Rational” on a piece of notebook paper and used a magnet to stick it on our refrigerator. I saw it every day, and it just would not leave me alone.

I am second in charge at Radically Rational, LLC. My wife, Jo (also known as BB), is the president. Clearly, I have failed in my attempt to sleep my way to the top of this organization.

I hope you will learn that I’m loyal as a Labrador. But I will admit that this doggie can bite every now and then. My promise to you? I will show up on time. I will go like hell. I will listen to you earnestly and attentively. I will hold myself accountable. I will never be the least bit hesitant to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

But then I’ll try to find out. Let’s do it.