Ann Morrill

I’ve watched Washington Week since the 1970s and have enjoyed the many moderators and panelists for their variety of perspectives and opinions. However, the 8/20/21 episode was hands down the most appallingly awful show I’ve ever seen. It consisted entirely of an over the top pile on of garbage thrown at President Biden for the entirely unavoidable chaos of trying to evacuate people from the Kabul airport in the wake of the Taliban takeover of the country. The panelists as well as the moderator indulged themselves in emotionally inflammatory rhetoric designed to sway public opinion rather than to educate and inform. No mention was made of the background to the chaos, ie Bush abandoning the effort to chase after illusory WMD in Iraq, Obama caving to Republican rhetoric that democrats were weak on defense, Trump making a deal that released several thousand battle seasoned Taliban fighters to join the fight, our military’s failed attempts to build a competent Afghan fighting force, the total lack, after twenty years to set up a functional, non-corrupt government. When Yarmiche Alcindor returns, I’ll watch again in the hopes there may still be professionalism, competence, and journalistic integrity associated with the show. However, another show like this past Friday, and I’ll call it quits for the program.