We should've left long ago. I'd say after about 6 (probably fewer) or so years of, ahem, occupying--or whatever word you want to use to indicate a sustained military presence in a foreign land--Afghanistan, most Americans wanted our troops to come home.
Let's be honest with ourselves, we go to war with the intelligence services, generals and politicians we have, not the ones we want. Leaving Afghanistan would have always been messy, whether we left in 2001 or a few months ago.
Maybe Biden screwed up, I mean it'd be hard for a man that age to not screw something up. I don't think Trump would've fared better, but I know Trump's response would've differed, for good or ill.
This will probably come back to bite us, someday. "This" being staying way too long and leaving so hastily, with an intelligence service that couldn't see it coming after 20 years there. The whole situation oozes with complacency.
When the right-wing blames Biden, I'm not very swayed (even though the image above is rather cogent). But when they point at military and intelligence engaged in political and social activism while failing terribly in Afghanistan, it's rather persuasive. People need to be fired, and military and intelligence reforms are overdue.
