Notes From All Over -- Sunday, August 15, 2021

Updates

August 18, 2021: Taliban "presser." At time this story was posted, President Biden had not yet scheduled a "presser," and had only given a short speech blaming his predecessors for what happened in Afghanistan.

August 18, 2021: note date this news story was posted --

Later, 1:58 p.m. CT: Baghdad Bob re-surfaces, making Dr Fauci look like an Einstein:

Later, 12:53 p.m. CT: we're starting to see helicopters over Kabul; fires, etc, over at CNN. Video footage from Reuters. It took me a few seconds to figure out if I was watching current video from Kabul or stock footage from the fall of Saigon. Seriously. No hyperbole. 

Later, 12: 52 p.m. CT: a reader wrote me about China's sphere of influence following this Afghanistan debacle. My not-ready-for-prime-time:

You are correct about China's new sphere of influence as we always called it in the military.

It will be interesting to see leaked reports from the Pentagon this next week -- if it turns out the Pentagon had a better plan and Biden nixed it .... wow ..... I can guarantee you the DOD / Pentagon does not want to be the "fall guy" for this debacle.

Biden and his staff are doing everything to keep this debacle at arm's length .. and the Pentagon doesn't want to take the fall for this. First to to go? SecDef? Then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff? I have no idea who either of them are any more.

But their may be more heads rolling in Washington, DC, next week, than in Kabul.

Later, 12:45 p.m. CT: one of the great things about modern technology, one can find original sources quite easily and quite quickly and don't have to listen to news through a filter / through a talking head / through a producer. For example, the theme today seems to be that what is going on in Kabul right now is an unmitigated (whatever that means) disaster. 

Interestingly "everyone" agrees that the Taliban would have eventually persevered once the US left. The only point of disagreement was how fast. The new question: would it be better for this to play out over the next six to twelve months with fighting among many factions, or is it best to have this come to an end within a week or so? 

Original plan: 3,000 troops back to Kabul to guarantee safe and orderly withdrawal (not "evacuation").

Plan B: about 24 hours later -- to add another 2,000 troops.

Plan C: about 24 hours after Plan B -- additional troops are being considered. My hunch: there is great concern that the extra 2,000 troops are no match for a horde of tens of thousands of Afghanis rushing the airport. And the real risk, of course, is the entire 5,000 troops + the US citizens + LES being overrun by the Taliban.

Later, 12:39 p.m. CT: apparently gunfire at the Kabul airport.

Original Post 

First time I've watched Face The Nation in decades (?). 

Why? Because Hulu makes it so easy. LOL.

Lead stories over at Face The Nation:

Fauci's fifteen minutes:

• southern states overwhelmed and under-vaccinated, though they may be getting religion;
• most interesting: what was not mentioned -- the super-spreading events -- Sturgis Rally, now nearing its end; August 5, 2021 -- August 14, 2021 (yesterday); the birthday bash; the Iowa State Fair (has just opened its doors to an anticipated million visitor; no mandated masks or vaccinations).

Tale of two states:

Taliban's fifteen minutes:

• looks like it could be a peaceful takeover of Kabul;
• optics out of Kabul looked less concerning than optics out of southern US (Covid-19)

Scalise's fifteen minutes (R-Louisiana, Republican whip):

• Afghanistan: Biden's Saigon moment; that GOP talking point won't have legs
  
• didn't seem particularly concerned
• US has set up embassy operations at airport and orderly withdrawl of US citizens and LES will be processed 
• no helicopters off the US embassy in Kabul
  
• Covid-19 in Louisiana: admits he just got vaccinated last month --
• says he had antibody prior to vaccination; then saw the delta virus
• two-thirds of the state remains unvaccinated
• wow, I did not know this -- two hundred days into Biden administration and the president has not yet appointed a new head of the FDA -- speaks volumes about how serious movers and shakers really feel about Covid-19?

Afghanistan analysis:

• why no US DOD spokesperson interviewed?

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Lana Del Rey

Streaming and bootlegging: I've talked about this before. Who's being played? Who figured this out? Winners and losers? Fascinating story.

• Bootlegged: Lana Del Rey, Sun Star, "Premiered July 24, 2021." The entire album, 54+ minutes on YouTube. Uploaded by Étienne L, with 955 subscribers. 

• Bootlegges: Lana Del Rey, Lost and Loved, "Premiered June 23, 2021." The entire album. 47 minutes on YouTube. Uploaded by Étienne L, with 955 subscribers. 

Wiki says:

• seven released albums
• most recent: March 19, 2021
• Blue Banisters, TBA, to be releasesd
• neither of the above albums at the wiki site

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