Sounding like a petulant child, frustrated that he cannot understand why things aren't done the way he wants them done, Peter Doocy completely froze up when faced with facts that exist in "reality world," as Jen Psaki so calmly explained to him.
Whining that Pres. Joe Biden is actually dealing with the people in control in Afghanistan in order get our people back home, Doocy could barely formulate a coherent question in his eternal quest to stump Psaki.
"There are now more terrorists wanted by the FBI in the new Afghan government than there are women. Does the president think that is a foreign policy success?" he asked.
When did anyone suggest the Taliban's values were in line with Justin Trudeau's, FFS? When did Pres. Biden ever say the Taliban taking over Afghanistan's government was a "foreign policy success?"
Psaki asked the same thing, then insisted that no one in the Biden/Harris administration has ever suggested that the Taliban were "respected and valued members of the global community. They have not earned that in any way, and we have not assessed that."
She continued, "What we are working to do, is to engage with them because they oversee and control Afghanistan right now, to get American citizens, legal permanent residents, SIV applicants out of Afghanistan. We have to engage with them."
That's what's tying Doocy up in knots, though. He can't understand why can't we just go in there and blow up the entire country to get our people out, like Rambo-style and sh*t. He continued in the "Why are we engaging with them? They're BAD GUYS!" vein, when Psaki answered him with a question that accomplished the something truly impressive...it rendered him even more incomprehensible than usual.
Psaki asked, "Should we not talk to the people who are overseeing Afghanistan, and just leave it, and not get the rest of the American citizens out?"
To which he responded, "What are you waiting for them to do?"
Um...
"They just formed their government," he said. "Are you waiting for some..." at which point he trailed off, kind of choking on his own words.
"Waiting for what?" she prompted him, allowing a bit of amusement to show through, and who could blame her?
This gave him some time to pivot to a different question about recognizing their government, which was much nicer of her than I would have been, but I don't think I need to beat THAT dead horse about why I work here, and she works there.
She tied it up with a bow, like a good teacher does, with the following summary:
"As we've said many times, the international community is watching. The United States is watching. It's whether they let people depart the country who want to depart, whether they treat women across the country as thy have committed to treat them, how they behave and operate. And therefore, we are not moving toward recognition," she explained.
"At the same time, we're dealing with a reality world, here, and we have to engage in order to get American citizens and others out of the country."
Well, some of us are dealing with a reality world, Jen. Some of us.
