This is Brian Laira's Daily Politics Podcasts from WNYC Studios.

It's Monday, August 23rd.

I'm Nancy Solomon filling in for Brian today.

The crisis in Afghanistan continues to grab dramatic headlines. And as you might

expect, the Sunday morning news shows were filled with a defense by Biden administration officials

who insist they haven't made a huge mistake and that the U.S. military is running a successful

evacuation. Republicans have gone on the

attack. On Face the Nation, the former ambassador to Afghanistan under President Obama

offered a take that neither defended nor completely blamed the president. Ryan Crocker says

the pullout has been nothing short of catastrophic.

President Biden didn't create this whole scenario. President Trump did by engaging the Taliban

in talks without the Afghan government in the room. That began a process of delegitimization

of the state and its security forces.

That was a huge contributing factor to where we are now. I mean, that said, President Biden owns it.

He's taken ownership of the policy. He has taken ownership of the envoy who negotiated this thing. So lots of blame to go

around here. Crocker says this isn't just a humanitarian crisis, but the swift victory of the

Taliban will now emboldened extremists across the region. It has created a global crisis,

quite frankly. It has emboldened violent Islamic radicals. And I think we're all going to see the fall out of that. Certainly in Pakistan. They championed the Taliban because they felt they had no choice. Well, the Taliban victory, the narrative of defeating

the great infidel, empowers radicals in Pakistan.

Joining us now to talk Afghanistan and the fight in Washington over infrastructure spending

and the federal budget is Susan Page, USA Today Washington

Bureau Chief, and the author of Madam Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and The Lessons of Power.

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