The 2,500-troop option for Afghanistan? Never heard it, says Biden

Not only all military people in the US were recommending that 2,500 American troops should stay behind in Afghanistan as a long-term visible presence in Kabul to deter the Taliban after the rest of the force had gone home. But every commentator with any decent US military sources, including myself, was also making it clear that the military wanted an abiding presence in Kabul as a safeguard for the future and as a reminder to the Taliban that if they were genuine about a shared government they had to get on with it and that US trops would be there to make sure it happened. But no, says Joe Biden, he has no recollection of ever being advised by the military that this number of troops should stay in Kabul. So where the hell was the president when all his advisers were talking about it? How can he now say it's the frst time he has heard of it? The White House says life is more complicated and it's never black and white and the military advisers had not been so specific. But Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley and General Frank McKenzie HAD been specific because they said as much in Congress yesterday. And, most importantly, it was confirmed that General Scott Miller, the guy in charge of US forces in Afghanistan, had made exactly the same request. So everyone at the top in the military were unanimous. No division, no splitting hairs. Yet Biden has no recollection. What I could have understood was the president saying, "Yes, ok, the military wanted 2,500 troops in Kabul but for a number of reasons I rejected that advice and went for the total withdrawal and I stand by it." The reasons could have been, for example, "I thought, what could 2,500 troops do that would deter the Taliban if they came full throttle into Kabul to seize power, and if they did would I be forced to send reinforcements in which case the war goes on for ever and I promised to end forever wars." As an explanation I think that makes reasonable sense and, as president and commander-in-chief, he is in his right to make such a decision. He's the boss. But to say, "I have no recollection." That takes the biscuit, as we say in Blighty.