The only reason Biden chose Sept. 11 as the date on which the last U.S. troops must leave (and turn out the lights) was so he could give a purely political victory speech saying the war was over on the 20th anniversary of its beginning. He decided the timing entirely because he wished to leverage the anniversary of the epochal terrorist attack on America to his own advantage and announce a new vision for counterterrorism operations throughout the world that we are asked to accept.

Biden’s promise of an Afghan exit conducted “responsibly, deliberately, and safely” has been completely shattered, a fact that cannot be concealed by his sickening bravado and his minions’ drumbeat of disingenuous denials.

Biden knew his rationale for removing U.S. forces by Sept. 11 was collapsing or he would not have scheduled a second speech and press conference on July 8. It was then that the “leader of the free world” accelerated the rout, moving up the exit date to Aug. 31 because, he claimed, “speed is safety.”