Republicans either can't figure out the message on Afghanistan — or can't stop themselves from lying: conservative

After years of lying to the American people, conservative columnist Max Boot said Wednesday that Republicans simply can't stop themselves from continuing to do it.

In his column for the Washington Post, Boot argued that Republican officials can't decide where they stand on President Joe Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan. Some wanted him to exit faster. Others decided Biden shouldn't have exited at all.

He specifically cited the hypocrisy of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) who celebrated Biden's withdrawal, saying the troops should have been pulled out by May 1. But by August, Hawley demanded Biden's resignation after Islamic State terrorists killed 13 American soldiers.

Republicans also are confused about whether they wanted Afghan allies to be left behind or rescued and brought to the United States, Boot said. What they do know, is that everything Biden did was bad.

Over the past several weeks, Fox "News" hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham have been using the white supremacist "replacement theory" to claim that Afghans are being brought to the United States to replace white Americans.

Boot cited Carlson's Tuesday night claim that "thanks to meticulous and thoughtful planning, Operation Change America Forever came off precisely according to plan." Boot noted that the U.S. has 333 million people and 120,000 refugees couldn't replace the existing Americans.

Then there's the matter of equipment left in Afghanistan. Former President Trump claimed that $85 billion in equipment was handed over to the enemy. The reality, however, is a little closer to less than one-third of that amount. What was left, he said was also mostly inoperable or obsolete.

"Why make so many contradictory, deceptive and downright dishonest criticisms of Biden?" Boot asked. "The reality is grim enough, but, after years of demagoguery and falsehoods, Trump and his followers simply can't help themselves. In the process they are making clear that the GOP still cannot be taken seriously on national security matters."