Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Max Friday marks the one-year anniversary of an explosion outside Kabul airport in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. soldiers and an estimated 170 Afghan civilians. The Pentagon said this past February that an additional 45 U.S. troops were wounded by the suicide vest bomb that blew 5-milimeter ball bearings into the crowd assembled outside Abbey Gate – one of the last gateways out of Afghanistan amid the chaotic exit. Chief of staff RON KLAIN called Aug. 26 “the darkest” and “worst” day inside the White House during an interview with RYAN LIZZA last week . The administration followed that tragedy with a retaliatory strike that misidentified the target and killed 10 civilians, including seven children. Last year, for the top of this newsletter, we asked military members and veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq: What would you tell the White House today? We reached out to the same people this week and asked them the same question. Some declined to comment, and others wished to remain anonymous. We also posed the question to an enlisted Marine who was in Kabul last August during the evacuation. Here’s what they wanted to tell the White House, lightly edited for clarity and length. An ER physician who served in Kandahar, Afghanistan: I remain convinced that the U.S. leaving was the least bad option. We had sacrificed enough lives. There was no “winning” that war. Ever. As a woman, what is the most painful to watch is the rapid reversal of women’s rights. However, there are some glimmers of hope as I read stories of strong Afghan women who remain, still persevering for a better future for their country. The continued commitment of the U.S. to fund programs and initiatives that promote women is a decision I support without hesitation. Active duty marine and Afghanistan veteran: Despite your best efforts, we haven’t forgotten. And the American People haven’t forgotten. We haven’t forgotten the shameful way you capitulated in our longest war, and we haven’t forgotten the thousands of Americans, Afghans, and allies that you abandoned to the Taliban. JEFF PHANEUF, a Marine Corps veteran who joined No One Left Behind, an organization aiding U.S. combat allies from Iraq and Afghanistan, as director of advocacy: My friends lost marines at the Abbey Gate, and I spent the last year working to honor their sacrifice. There are three things the president could do today to save the Afghans who fought alongside U.S. troops. First, increase the throughput of evacuations for visa-eligible Afghans by opening additional lily pads [military stations] and surging consular services to Pakistan. Second, offer categorical parole to Chief of Mission-approved SIV [special immigrant visa] applicants - let them finalize their SIV in safety. Third, elevate the mission to aid our Afghan allies to an NSC-level task force with the authority to make the interagency process work. Finally, Congress needs to make the SIV program permanent and bring our combat allies home. Democratic congressional staffer and U.S. Army veteran: I'm torn, insofar as I am pleased that the administration has clearly learned from the experience of the evacuation in their handling of Ukraine, which has been a masterclass. And I am still hurt and shocked and outraged that hundreds of staffers, volunteers, and professionals have been working on Afghanistan for the last year and there appears to be no end in sight. I appreciate State and White House efforts moving in the right direction, but it is all far short of what is needed to help our Afghan allies. RAY GOBBERG, U.S. Air Force reservist who spent time on Provincial Reconstruction Team - Zabul in Regional Command-South in Afghanistan (2010-11): A lot changes in a year, but also, a lot stays the same. For example, my immediate anger, hurt and embarrassment is still there, but instead of boiling over, it's been pushed down from the surface. It sits there, simmering, only slightly blunted by experiencing veterans, their communities and volunteers at non-gov organizations rallying together, fighting to evacuate and resettle the ones we hastily left behind. These folks are saving lives and showing what's possible if you focus resources, prioritize action and demand policy change. However, while the impact of these efforts is meaningful, the pace will continue like a leaky faucet unless we solve the massive backlogs of eligible Afghans waiting for SIV approval and limited evacuation routes through allied countries. Leaders in the White House, State Department and Congress need to know that what we do in Afghanistan still matters. Sgt. JOSEPH LAUDE, a veteran who served in Kabul last August as part of the 2nd Battalion 1st Marines Echo company and founder of Operation Allies Refuge Foundation: The burden of war has always been endured by the youth. We see it at the top, this constant spiraling of blame and the jostling of finger pointing where the buck stops at no one. This is nothing new, it never will be, but America thinks the war is over, and for many who are returning from Kabul, the war is just beginning. We cannot wait for Washington to start caring. Like all wars before us, the cause is never greater than the brother or sister on the left or right flank of you. As a marine that is our priority, forever. PROGRAMMING NOTE: West Wing Playbook will be taking a week-long break starting Monday, Aug. 29. We’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Try not to miss us too much. MESSAGE US — Are you a veteran of Afghanistan who has a message for the White House? We want to hear from you and we may publish your response tomorrow. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com.
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