John Kirby’s Email Blunder Sparks Outrage Among Veterans Over Afghanistan Withdrawal – Guy D. McCardle
A Tone Deaf Response on the 9/11 Anniversary
In a recent WTF moment straight out of the Twilight Zone, White House National Security Council adviser John Kirby found himself neck-deep in a swamp of backlash after an email—meant for the cozy confines of internal White House staff—was accidentally sent to a Fox News reporter. The email, dismissively blowing off concerns from veterans critical of the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, stated there was “no use in responding” to what he flippantly referred to as a “handful of vets” who are “all of one stripe.”
Timing? Perfect. This diplomatic debacle arrived right on the anniversary of 9/11, stirring up a shitstorm of rage that only government incompetence can brew.
The Fallout From Afghanistan’s Botched Withdrawal
The withdrawal from Afghanistan was a flaming train wreck in slow motion, leaving 13 U.S. service members dead in the chaos of the Kabul airport evacuation. It’s been a rotting thorn in the side of veterans and political leaders alike as they watch in disbelief at the administration’s bungling of a 20-year war’s closing act. Critics like Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), a fellow Army veteran and a man who’s seen enough blood and sand to smell bullshit a mile away, didn’t hold back. Mills torched Kirby, accusing him of covering for an administration that seemed more concerned about looking good in the press than actually, you know, having a plan. Political optics, not military strategy, drove the whole debacle, Mills charged, and the fallout keeps coming.
Mills also said this line, which I absolutely love:
“The bottom line is that the Biden-Harris administration chose politics over strategy, and Kirby, who I wouldn’t trust to guard my grocery list, is now trying to cover for them.”
Veterans and their families—especially those who’ve been gutted by the loss of loved ones in that unwinnable mess—were incensed. Outrage poured out across social media, fueled by Kirby’s tone-deaf brush-off. X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, a modern-day coliseum, saw post after post slamming Kirby and the Biden administration for treating veterans like yesterday’s news. The firestorm of criticism painted Kirby as a bureaucratic puppet with no sense of what those sacrifices actually meant. To us veterans, this wasn’t just an email slip—it was a spit in the face.
When I say “us veterans,” Kirby is right there with us. The man was in the Navy for 28 years and last served as their Chief of Information. He’s a bit of a Blue Falcon among Bald Eagles.
A Tone Deaf Response on the 9/11 Anniversary
In a recent WTF moment straight out of the Twilight Zone, White House National Security Council adviser John Kirby found himself neck-deep in a swamp of backlash after an email—meant for the cozy confines of internal White House staff—was accidentally sent to a Fox News reporter. The email, dismissively blowing off concerns from veterans critical of the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, stated there was “no use in responding” to what he flippantly referred to as a “handful of vets” who are “all of one stripe.”
Timing? Perfect. This diplomatic debacle arrived right on the anniversary of 9/11, stirring up a shitstorm of rage that only government incompetence can brew.
The Fallout From Afghanistan’s Botched Withdrawal
The withdrawal from Afghanistan was a flaming train wreck in slow motion, leaving 13 U.S. service members dead in the chaos of the Kabul airport evacuation. It’s been a rotting thorn in the side of veterans and political leaders alike as they watch in disbelief at the administration’s bungling of a 20-year war’s closing act. Critics like Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), a fellow Army veteran and a man who’s seen enough blood and sand to smell bullshit a mile away, didn’t hold back. Mills torched Kirby, accusing him of covering for an administration that seemed more concerned about looking good in the press than actually, you know, having a plan. Political optics, not military strategy, drove the whole debacle, Mills charged, and the fallout keeps coming.
Mills also said this line, which I absolutely love:
“The bottom line is that the Biden-Harris administration chose politics over strategy, and Kirby, who I wouldn’t trust to guard my grocery list, is now trying to cover for them.”
Veterans and their families—especially those who’ve been gutted by the loss of loved ones in that unwinnable mess—were incensed. Outrage poured out across social media, fueled by Kirby’s tone-deaf brush-off. X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, a modern-day coliseum, saw post after post slamming Kirby and the Biden administration for treating veterans like yesterday’s news. The firestorm of criticism painted Kirby as a bureaucratic puppet with no sense of what those sacrifices actually meant. To us veterans, this wasn’t just an email slip—it was a spit in the face.
When I say “us veterans,” Kirby is right there with us. The man was in the Navy for 28 years and last served as their Chief of Information. He’s a bit of a Blue Falcon among Bald Eagles.
And yet, like any good Washington official, Kirby doubled down. In follow-up interviews, he waved away the critics, calling the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s report “one-sided” while offering up the administration’s usual line: Biden faced a tough choice when he took office—either stick with Trump’s deal with the Taliban or risk pouring more American blood and treasure into the bottomless pit of Afghanistan. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but Kirby swears it ended the forever war and somehow made the U.S. safer. Tell that to the families still mourning. And tell that to the members of the Taliban, a terrorist organization that is stronger than ever and still firmly in control of Afghanistan.
This isn’t just a screw-up—it’s the latest in an ongoing saga that lays bare the festering tension between the Biden administration and the veterans who feel utterly betrayed by the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Kirby’s email is a brutal reminder of how deep the scars run in the wake of America’s longest war—and how tone-deaf leadership can still twist the knife.
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