America After 9/11: Ben Rhodes (interview) | FRONTLINE

Ben Rhodes served as a deputy national security adviser and speechwriter for Barack Obama. He is the author of “After the Fall: Being American in the World We've Made.”
The following interview was conducted by FRONTLINE’s Jim Gilmore on May 3, 2021. It has been edited for clarity and length.
This interview is being published as part of FRONTLINE’s Transparency Project, an effort to open up the source material behind our documentaries. Explore the transcript of this interview, and others, on the FRONTLINE website: www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/in...
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[@frontline]

Portions of this interview with Ben Rhodes appear in “America After 9/11,” an epic, two-hour re-examination of the decisions that changed the world and transformed America. WATCH THE FULL DOCUMENTARY: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2bMc6uslsSjo5o

[@caninesfirst214]

what an eloquent clarification of the last 20 years.

[@videogreats4442]

100% lies and bullshyt

[@tonymadden9021]

@@videogreats4442 you don’t like intelligent discussion of recent events?

[@videogreats4442]

@@tonymadden9021 To you, they're intelligent, but I know better than you what is truth and what is lie. Enjoy your brainwashing session.

[@picilocarnal]

“Presidents don’t get credit for the mistakes that they don’t make.”

[@Sheila612Miller]

I can't believe that in 6 days it will have been 20 years since that dreadful day. Time waits on noone. 20 years that's crazy.

[@videogreats4442]

911 was done by cia mossad blackops. Wake up.

[@samblackwell8308]

This man is so intelligent. The way he has connected events and explained how dominoes fell…how we got to where we are now. Wow, well done Ben

[@resorbence2790]

He's an idiotic pro-Iranian analyst

[@videogreats4442]

Educated people know how to make 100% lies and bullshyt sound delightfully intellectual. All mainstream media is actual fakestream media and you will defend them until your dying day....

[@matthew-jy5jp]

He was there for it all mate. He is very good at explaining and wording in a way normal people can understand

[@hrelle23]

Indeed.

[@cbskwkdnslwhanznamdm2849]

hes a narrative driven buffoon. To blame 9/11 on geopolitical blowback is pure degeneracy. What of the main victims of Islamic fascists? Namely other Muslims, religious minorities, homosexuals, etc. Shame on Ben Rhodes for falling for Osama’s anti Americanism. Osama Bin Laden was psychotically wrong. Ben quotes him as if whatever Osama says makes it an objective truism, its disgusting. Osama said America was waging war on Islam, it was dumb, does it make it America's fault he thinks that? Hitler blamed the jews, does that mean it's the jews' fault? No further further explanation offered, just "osama said it so that's how it is..." Vile. Get it in your head, Osama Bin Laden was wrong. The fact that such an idea is unfathomable to some people just shows how thoroughly they've lost the plot, too steeped in their therapeutic need to hate America.

[@bw3622]

PBS Frontline is the very best media production source available today! Always fact-based, trustworthy reporting that is fair and balanced.

[@AnLe-fk2mn]

Documentary should be observational, it's turned into something else

[@edmunda9573]

It actually is complete opposite of what you've described.

[@__anonym0us__]

this guy said everything medias been afraid to say for 20 years in 1 hour

[@johnnyleopard2668]

captivating, rational, and eloquent conversation. Such a great interview.

[@alfabravo80]

“When you lose wars you, go in search of the enemy within who, you can blame for the fact that you didn’t win those wars.” Hmmm…I wonder how this play out in 2021

[@donnacrandall9065]

Love this show, refreshing to see the actual truth being reported

[@dertythegrower]

lol not even close. WION News, farther ahead by far.

[@donnacrandall9065]

@@dertythegrower your opinion......

[@kansas6263]

Ben Rhodes and “truth” doesn’t belong in the same thought.

[@donnacrandall9065]

@@kansas6263 I am talking about the show in general 🙄🙄

[@sharonz3337]

I like this show too😊😊 and have watched it for many yrs now since I was a teenager. I think they do a good job on things going on in our world and issues

[@denversdabsc6073]

I love Frontline

[@christopherursino4281]

Honest investigative reporting, with great analysis. Class A.

[@ImZeroDayz]

I think you're confusing Grade A and First class. Lol. Either way I agree with your comment. Have a good day!

[@statesk8r]

@@ImZeroDayz Class A-+ comet? 😏🥴😉

[@ImZeroDayz]

@@statesk8r are you drunk?

[@statesk8r]

@@ImZeroDayz lmfao nope was poking fun at the OP

[@BooBoo-pu1jh]

The last 20 years of top leaders (Defense, Military) need to resign in shame and disgrace

[@picilocarnal]

I hope you are including ALL top Defense Military leaders from ALL over the WORLD. It’s the same or WORSE all over the world. And to tell you the truth, the people making up those countries are not any better many times. Just look at all the innocent people dying on our streets by targeted or random attacks perpetrated by juveniles looking for a thrill. 🙇🏻‍♀️😿🤷🏻‍♀️

[@gracegood3661]

Two points- that’s was an example of quality journalism and that author provided a brilliant synopsis for America’s decent into madness.

[@edwardb7811]

Absolutely brilliant!

[@wtmpotus994]

The wound forever open

[@arlenewipfler5475]

Joe Biden just started the healing process.

[@Sammydx1]

Days after 9/11 I was hired by the NYPD. It's now been 20 years. I'm 41. And now I retire. Crazy when you think about it

[@Russread2]

You lived your working life in the shadow of the murder of 3500 people. And still you havent gotten to the bottom of who did it, or why. There must be a reason that America has suspended a real search for the truth, and consequent accountability, since Kennedy. And why the truth has eluded America. I suspect until you manage to answer that, America will not retrieve its soul, ir its unity.

[@charlesleger6787]

@@Russread2 damn thats deap. America is finished or what ??😅

[@Russread2]

@@charlesleger6787 many Americans think so, not just the rest of the world. Look around, they are intelligent and everywhere. Such a shame... this is not the America your founding fathers either wanted or envisaged. Their vision was pure, this is a travesty of division and internal conflict, us is feeding on itself. Its the poor people I feel for... . 😢

[@charlesleger6787]

@@Russread2damn you hold on to ur riffles and make à prayer i guess?

[@charlesleger6787]

@@Russread2 may peace be with you my brother this war wasnt worth it lets rebuild the trust then

[@rainerader1182]

I was 35 when 9/11 happened. My youngest son had been born 1 month and 5 days before. On 9/11, I was watching news CNN, holding my baby feeding him, talking to my sister when the first plane hit, we both screamed and dropped our phones. I looked up and my 17 year old son was standing there tears steaming down his face. On Jan 6, I watched my youngest son, jaw hanging open, silent tears falling down his face

[@me0wadays]

This is great

[@SeekingFreedom369]

This is incredibly insightful, interesting and downright depressing all at the same time.

[@mpetry912]

Ben is a very insiteful commentator and his book is excellent !

[@whiteheart6827]

This guy is just brilliant. I wish we could get a guy like this as president.

[@greggf6831]

Don't call a guy brilliant just because he says what you agree. He so smart? He backed Saudi Arabias military action in Yemen, but was against it when Trump was president. He was for the disastrous Iranian nuclear deal and opened diplomatic relations up Cuba and got zero in return. Trust me he's just speech writer and its easy to sound brillant when talking about something that happened years ago and armchair quarterback it. I'm not impressed

[@whiteheart6827]

@@greggf6831 well I know think your brilliant lol I guess I’m fickle and a little annoyed by myself for even using that word. I actually hate when I see others use it. It implies I must also be brilliant to recognize brilliance. And the war in Yemen is just a slaughterhouse and I fought with my best friend from Saudi when he agreed with it.

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

​@@greggf6831I am not impressed at all of him.

[@matthew-jy5jp]

Great interview. Always top notch journalism. Thank you pbs and frontline

[@fbenbow2197]

Kissinger, Bolton, Powell and JM Keynes' geopolitical and non social capitalism philosophy influenced this as well. Highly thoughtful and conciliatory analysis. Watching this during the war in Ukraine. Respect and thanks especially to Rhodes and also to this programme.

[@MattMcClary]

Congress singing God Bless America will forever be etched in my mind

[@AG-hc1sw]

I loooooooveeeeee this channel

[@sumitkar2704]

These interviews are absolutely brilliant - engaging, educational, captivating and immersive. I have watched the entire series and Ben’s two part interview and Megyn Kelly’s are my favorite - so eloquent and passionate

[@carolutley6523]

Tuning in for Ben's always keen insight 👓

[@abdulrahmanyousef7686]

Where can we find the full documentary? I can't seem to find it.

[@nilsanarvaez7947]

Tuesday 9/7 at 9pm

[@adamdymke8004]

@@nilsanarvaez7947 Also probably a VPN

[@joebob7552]

Just, remarkable. Absolutely remarkable. What an interview.

[@oneWORMarmy]

Ben Rhodes is a shining example of how acting in DC is far more lucrative these days than in Hollywood.

[@adamdymke8004]

How so? Like I get that he is a partisan pundit, but I don't think he has made himself particular wealthy from it.

[@peterbirdie6491]

Americans are just now finding out, what we knew in Europe 19 years ago?

[@dertythegrower]

no you didnt, you were there until last week.. still are... get a clue lol

[@Sheila612Miller]

You can't speak about all of us Americans nor can u even speak of all your own people in your country. The topic is something that happened to us not y'all. In addition this was something very traumatic to us so we since day 1 wanted to know everything. There are people in countries on your side of the world if you ask what happened 9/11 and they are clueless, truly clueless and have no idea even by looking at pictures . You ask any American where they were when the 1st plane hit,then 2nd, and so on and we all will never forget. Even kids that weren't even swimming in their dads ball sack yet know about 9/11. So you can't say y'all know more about this topic than we do.

[@valos85]

also check out his book "after the fall" it is also a great piece of work

[@bongiwe]

It's always so amazing how Americans ESPECIALLY white Americans have such a romanticized notion of what America is and it's history. You like to boost your own self image in history with a highly sanitized version. And always shape yourselves to be the good guy in any conflict. When more often the opposite is true.

[@deborahedelman2659]

Well said!!

[@lucianobanuelos5943]

WOW ..!!!!!

[@peterbirdie6491]

"Wars on terror" have always been about one thing...revenge, retribution and retaliation.

[@carolutley6523]

War on terror is an oxymoron

[@mohit1350]

Business

[@Ottee2]

No, no you're right, the proper posture toward acts of terror should be forgiveness, aid, and sympathy.

[@sharonz3337]

And people taking advantage of it by making profit off it🤔🤔

[@picilocarnal]

@@Ottee2 🥴😹

[@andypotanin]

I liked his book - The World as It Is. it’s on audible.

[@RockNRollJeezus]

That was the last time I cried

[@alanbourbeau24]

Where was I on 9/11? Well I was in junior high school as a 8th grade student and when I heard of the twin tower attacks, I was shocked and speechless and emotionally torn apart as well. And at that time, I didn't know anything about terrorism, Islamic terrorists, Osama Bin Laden and American politics because I was too young. But now as a young man in my 30's, I'm old enough to understand American politics and I've studied both sides.

[@tdanz8608]

"We've got work to do". Now, where to start.

[@specialk5994]

I 💜 Ben, "Pod Save America", "Pod Save the World", and Crooked Media

[@Sheila612Miller]

Pod? What the Hell does Pod mean,?

[@Tresorthas]

@@Sheila612Miller Pod, as in podcast

[@TK-nc3ou]

I love when former political staffers become "media", so refreshing!!!

[@conzmoleman]

🤢🤮

[@TK-nc3ou]

@@conzmoleman horrible

[@conweez]

@ 25:44 : Rhodes says, "when you lose wars, you look for enemies within that you can blame for the fact that you didn't win that war." Totally agree. History repeats itself. The other day I was just talking about the consequences of how the Tsarist Russian government scapegoated its Jewish population following its loss against the Japanese Navy in the Russo Japanese War. Sadly, this resulted in the death of 60,000 Jews. Governments never want to admit their own mistakes and would rather escape the spotlight and shift the narrative by falsely blaming "the Other".

[@akabancopop]

Ben is a real one for wearing the same outfit as his last interview.

[@davia-f2207]

So what happened to the Losing Afghanistan doc? First is was "restricted in my country" and now it's completely gone.🤔🤔 At least I got to see it...

[@ramzanalimir2896]

Still searching but they remove I don't know why

[@8877robert]

First 15 min. Makes concrete what the problem was...why forever war. We're all responsible journalists, voters, defense industry... very few were prescient enough to have it right...say a Michael Moore...

[@vee985]

"Remember the Maine", the Pueblo incident, gulf of Tonkin incident, operation Northwoods, Iran Contra, 9-11.

[@kerrymarris4260]

I can't believe that people believe in this propaganda.

[@deutschpanzergrenadier7990]

Remember Operation Divine Wind. Oct/44-Aug/45.

[@andreeaalexandru7811]

So many people in these comments see him as brilliant. That says a lot about the level of knowledge of people. Is not even sad, is just disgusting.

[@deleonemuruthi4060]

Is America listening this, because this is what you're missing,

[@MerkleAkrunphleuphle]

Fuck the burden of leaving, think of all the damage we have done and kids lives we have ruined and enemies created…. We need to help these people instead of murdering their parents

[@marvincolon]

What about the 28 pages missing from that report?

[@saqibjawed2804]

America of my ideals and my dream really had chosen wrong path after 9/11

[@basedgodstrugglin]

Ben Rhodes went from driving in NASCAR to being a political analyst. Cool! 😂

[@trefader32]

2 completely different people.

[@basedgodstrugglin]

@@trefader32 You don’t say. Thought he just morphed 20 years depending on what he had planned for the day.

[@Ibn_Abdulaziz]

Building 7

[@rainerader1182]

Ben Rhodes is an intelligent, empathetic man.

[@pedrovieira-ri7lk]

1:02:44 - 1:15:03 That is fasciniting

[@chrissnape9537]

Canadian: I never believed there was weapons of mass destruction. I believed there was gas and nerve agents, I am proud we went to Afghanistan but not Iraq or Vietnam

[@picilocarnal]

What Russia gets away with in terms of nerve agent weapons is so much worse and criminal.

[@russelconor8704]

@Ian Henderson He wasn't talking about you. He meant people who were full adults at that time and made important choices and decisions. But other than that, blaming one another is not wise and cannot be any valid conclusion or solution. All generations make mistakes, not because they are mostly evil or because they want to, but because people always see reality through the prism of their experiences at a given time, this is a very complicated matter, not black and white. As humanity, we can only predict events to a certain extent, and our assumptions or ideals always violently clash with the ugly realities of life. This comment of yours is just very immature.

[@greenbike9475]

How about the US mess in the world starting wars and sterling resources ? Look at Irak, Syria, Libia, Afghanistan etc etc. Frontline should make a documentary why you start wars and the mess you leave behind. BTW we love Frontline.

[@Bram45639]

If you can’t spell, I can’t take you seriously 😐

[@ncb5455]

Where you from Daniel, just out of curiosity?

[@larryg5698]

Russian

[@picilocarnal]

And what about Russia and China? Talk about torturing your own!!!

[@Bram45639]

@@picilocarnal (and murdering)

[@starblazers01]

He should have been our Secretary of Defense.

[@boeingdriver29]

The kind of freedom and democracy the U.S. spreads nobody needs.

[@mrp9498]

A horrible end is better than horrors without end. I’m glad the Afghan war is over!🙏

[@deborahedelman2659]

Well said!!

[@MrOppes-tl4pn]

30:34 ......Moral failing as a country, really? We collectively failed because we collectively tortured people indiscriminately? I do not recall being asked to approve it nor do I think if you had asked people on streets throughout this country would you have found them supportive of it. Packaged and presented to us as the only way to protect ourselves, we might have accepted it after the fact but is that the same? Accountability is only useful if it can be narrowed down to the people that made decisions they should not have and knew better than to have. Holding everyone accountable for actions of a few seems similar to the broad stroke approach employed in justifying torture.

[@whiteheart6827]

I think you Mr. Oop's just made yourself guilty of your tirade.

[@MrOppes-tl4pn]

@@whiteheart6827 Could be I did....I will try to see why you think so, thanks for pointing it out.

[@whiteheart6827]

@@MrOppes-tl4pn Firstly I think if you asked many on the streets of New York for example many would would want the terrorists hung by the balls on the streets of New York till their bodies decayed. Secondly that’s not what Mr. Rhodes was saying. He was saying that our elected officials take their cues from the loudest voices in society because their job depends on it so therefore we have actors running our government ruling by the anger in our voices. And we as a society’s were beyond livid. Therefore we have to except some responsibility even though it is really their job to think beyond that. One woman in congress Barbra Lee opposed the war she got over 60,000 death threats after that opposition.

[@MrOppes-tl4pn]

@@whiteheart6827 Thank you

[@Ward413]

We live in a representative democracy brother. We elected the people to vote on our behalf and most of them voted for it. It’s on us. You get the people you deserve every time. If people actually cared, they’d vote… but they never do. Congress has a 10% approval rating yet 90% of them get re-elected, sometimes unopposed. Then people have the audacity to wonder why shit doesn’t change.

[@russelconor8704]

@Michael O. I agree with this, it's a mixture, although in many respects I lean towards the liberal side, I don't agree here with this particular, more liberal view. (but I am really an independent, I just assess issues specifically, according to solutions, not parties). I think Rhodes simplified it too much here, although then he immediately added that the whole issue of the war on terror after 9/11 just turned out to be much more complicated than what Bush originally presented. Therefore, perhaps he actually put too much emphasis on foreign policy, but to anyone with a brain, it's clear that it was even more complicated, and of course, radical Islam mattered here too.

[@luzalgarin9518]

Soon the fulfillment of Isaiah 2:4 will take place: "He will render judgment among the nations and set matters straight respecting many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore." We will enjoy absolute peace, for all the tragical events will be forgotten, according to Isaiah 65:17: "For look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be called to mind, Nor will they come up into the heart." And there is more...

[@tektako]

Lol what are you even quoting? Shakespeare? Coz it ain’t in any legit ‘bible’ that’s for sure

[@luzalgarin9518]

You will truly value this promise recorded in Psalm 37:9-11: "For evil men will be done away with, but those hoping in Jehovah will possess the earth. Just a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more; you will look at where they were, and they will not be there. But the meek will possess the earth, and they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace." For how long? The answer in recorded in verse 29: "The righteous will possess the earth, And they will live forever on it." Would you not like to live for ever on Earth, made a paradise, with no evil doer hurting our neighbors?

[@luzalgarin9518]

@@tektako I am quoting from the Bible. Here are two more promises: This promise is recorded in Psalm 37:9-11: "For evil men will be done away with, but those hoping in Jehovah will possess the earth. Just a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more; you will look at where they were, and they will not be there. But the meek will possess the earth, and they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace." For how long? The answer in recorded in verse 29: "The righteous will possess the earth, And they will live forever on it." Would you not like to live for ever on Earth, made a paradise, with no evil doer hurting our neighbors?

[@seeit360]

I find it fascinating that religious extremism, from any sect, historically and currently, becomes the pure destructive force that does the most damage to the nations that house them. And in the same token when religion does not engage in the political process, it can be a calming force for the people that make up the nation, even for those who do not identify with a religious sect. The breaking of America can be traced back to Reagan. His election strategy in mobilizing Christians into politics fractured the role Christianity had in being a positive force behind the scenes. Now, half of Americans ironically identify as militantly religious, not unlike the militant religious extremists in foreign lands they have opposed in the past.

[@samkelokey4656]

Am I the ONLY person who's noticed it's hard to find any Documentary on 9/11 nowadays ??

[@ohthebill]

no, they're all over every streaming service. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon.

[@whiteheart6827]

Barbra Lee opposed the wars.

[@learkingofalbion8520]

Maybe Mr. Rhodes acts the way he does because he is aware that, if he were to obey a law that mattered, which would have resulted in my having an office, he would not last a minute in it. He gets to remain the “caring expert”. Times change, Also, IMHO There is no lawful rationalization for the “echo chamber” strategy of selling the Iran deal’s structure as a way to obviate constitutionally mandated Senate consent. His bragging helped.

[@drejlangseth2579]

Why we ditched Democracy for autocracy because fear was the rule that stamped out reason.

[@driedbrainfreeze2149]

It was horrible bldg 7. I can't believe they told us to get out before bldg 7 collapsed. Thank God for the eff bee eye

[@DavesView]

50:25. No drone strike didn’t happen perfectly, notoriously killed innocent Afghans complete failure by the US

[@picilocarnal]

The mistakes made by American politicians are typical of the condition of being human. I hope America takes the lessons learned seriously. WE are ALL a work in progress. These mistakes will continue to be made, every generation has to learn on its own, it seems. I hope political scientists help us remember lessons learned.

[@jaredlewis8689]

Being 23 sucks ass because fwiw I never got to experience this “America” before 9/11. Just politics, fraud, mass shootings, school shootings, and natural disasters occurring more frequently (compared to the 1900s) and the student loan debt, with a little collective generational depression and anxiety. Oh and we grew up with access to just about as much information about anything one can wish, for better and worse. Did I forget the pandemic and it’s effects on higher education? Just a lot going on lol.

[@Ko-iu3jk]

This man is why America is going down. Shame

[@KingsOfSpins]

The US people (and the world population) have been misled and lied to be a series of Presidents for the last 6 decades at an incredible cost in lives, wasted budgets, world position and loss of upgrading domestic infrastructure which is now extremely vulnerable to the devastating damage from an extreme and unpredictable Climate. $Trillions and US labour could have been urgently focused on building defence systems around the US coasts (not the waste-of-money wall in the desert). The full vulnerabilities of the USA as an entity are very real from so many levels. Maybe that's a program the excellent FRONTLINE should produce - The Real Future Of The USA.

[@hazelwray4184]

Iran has been emboldened? It's neighbouring countries were destabilised. Keeping out of the unfolding chaos was hardly an option. As a predominantly Shia country, it has security issues; and would have, regardless of it's present theocratic state structure. It played a significant role in defeating ISIS in Syria. Regarding the Taliban and Bin Laden, it initially offered to work with the US.

[@johnhopper6521]

Surprised Obama didn't claim the term fake news before Trump.

[@bonnienero9415]

this creep; don't want to hear anything he has to say!

[@LehuaUHH]

An interview is a vague perception of the past: annotating a history would be more appropriate. There is remnant investigative witness present, yet no citation of enveloping concern. In the denouement of witness present, no hope of redemption. It's blatant; this guy got the boot.

[@yoshiki7757]

This is the most obvious dumb person trying to sound smart sentence I think the world has ever seen.

[@LehuaUHH]

@@yoshiki7757 dontiki kuzai no

[@stephanieadams3747]

I wonder what Mr Rhodes thinks about the drone strike that killed 7 civilians in Kabul as we were leaving Afghanistan.

[@Stephen..]

LMAO 🤣

[@MrYame-ej1yl]

merica yupp get sum, pop smoke

[@maidenfan237]

Bernie voted against that war

[@terencewinters2154]

There are 0 examples of counterinsurgency successes where cross border safe havens exist. So as pakistan had those waziristan safe havens and to a lesser extent iran the taliban defeated the Petraeus counterinsurgency plan . Iraq and the surge were not afghanistan and the surge. Obama's failure was embracing the Petraeus strategy in a far different environment . Obama's success was taking out OBL. unfortunately these decisions were taken almost simultaneously as the GERMANS were turning the Taliban toward their own peace agenda with America. Germany I believe has too much influence on American Foreign Policy.

[@boeingdriver29]

God bless America. If there is a God he would have nothing but utter condemnation for the U.S.

[@mausambi613]

No susbtitles. 😔😔😔😔

[@harrysmith2299]

How does this liar get on television all the time?

[@Wakeywhodat]

I"ll watch this for the lol'z

[@boeingdriver29]

Let’s talk numbers. In Iraq there has been between 184,382 and 207,156 innocent Iraqi civilians killed by direct violence since the start of Bush’s invasion. In Afghanistan there has been an estimated 241,000 killed in total with approximately 71,000 of these being innocent Afghani civilians. These numbers are conservative due to the censorship of the reality by the U.S. military and CIA. These figures do not include deaths from elevated rates of disease due to lack of clean drinking water, malnutrition, poor sanitation and vastly reduced access to health care. These numbers should appall anyone with a functioning moral compass and I believe the U.S. and it’s allies in these illegal wars of aggression owe massive reparations to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

[@postscript5549]

In my opinion, Bush Jr. was not intelligent or truly educated (despite his degrees). His language was so disordered that I never trusted his ability to think. (He was the master of malapropism for one example.)

[@paulmancini3363]

GW was bush-wicked by Fathers close advisors that he brought on, Cheney, Rumsfield, Libby, Wolfowitz,Bremer and on and on and didn’t have the intelligence to think things out Post 9/11, GW is a good man with a good heart but he wasn’t bright enough to understand the Complexities of Keeping and maintaining a “World Order” like his Father did (George Sr) or even Clinton did .. their Foreign Policy was a disaster

[@8877robert]

Free dr Shakeel Afridi

[@proletar-ian]

"We all did this" I was in high school when this shit-show started. Boomer and Gen X did this (mostly boomers).

[@joeyboedeker7205]

You're welcome. The last few years will be your good old days.

[@proletar-ian]

@@joeyboedeker7205 my good old days will start when boomers lose political power

[@brucelee4996]

Don't blame us for the doltish decisions you made in your life. Stop crying. Make your own path. Mommy didn't kiss your boo-boos? Go to college, or get an apprenticeship. Stop being a snowflake. 😭😭😭

[@triplederby]

@@proletar-ian And don't so soon forget Gen X in that also -- or anyone older than you for that matter. But YOUR generation is somehow uniquely elevated, and better. Prove it. Please. You've got a little time. This show started well long before your arrival; you've only glimpsed the last few acts.

[@BlueBaron3339]

Looking for people to blame misses the point, Ian. Saying that, somehow, people born between 1946 and 1964 are the problem is too much like astrology. What about someone born in '45 or '65. Are they immune? 😂 There was no Greatest Generation either. Are they to blame for Vietnam and Korea? It's an old misconception that even Plato was guilty of. All people sieze the opportunities available in their time. There may have been more immediately post WWII but they didn't diminish because of "boomers."

[@geraldmaxwell3277]

I very much disagree. The vast majority of the world had already experienced even worse terrorism events than 9/11. The only ones that were making a lot of noise against the War on Terror were Human Rights groups. However, at the national level, apart from the Caribbean nations and nations that had no Muslim populations or a low percentage , much of the world was on the side of the United States, even nations that did not like the US that much at the time like India ,which had its own Islamists to deal with was not that bothered by the actions of the United States. Nor were African nations or most of Asia The worst mistake however was invading Iraq. Saddam was a secular leader. He was no Islamist. In fact, his grip on power in Iraq was the reason why Al Qaeda never had a haven there until his ouster. It is better to have a secular leader, brutal as they are in power, because they will focus on staying in power at home, not sponsor terrorism abroad. That is why it is preferable for Assad to stay in power in Syria. We have seen what happens when such leaders are removed in Iraq and Libya.

[@jeravincer]

Haha - why would I believe a word Ben Rhodes says? Pass.

[@tektako]

Why WOULDNT you is your first problem.

[@jeravincer]

@@tektako he’s a professional liar and propagandist for the Obama Democratic complex.

[@provocateurplus173]

@@jeravincer so what’s the lie? Tell us the lie and while at it tell us your version of truth and not the garbage from your dear leader.

[@jeravincer]

@@tektako nope.

[@brianambrosemcmahon8531]

Because he’s knowledgeable rational and objective. A breath of fresh air in explaining foreign policy in the USA during the past 20 years .

[@paulwheeler6609]

It's funny how our national policy of Indian genocide didn't hurt our willingness to talk about human rights in the world. Why is that?

[@deutschpanzergrenadier7990]

Something European cololnials did 16-17th centuries. What does that have to do with Saudi terrorisim since 1970?

[@paulwheeler6609]

@@deutschpanzergrenadier7990 Apparently you didn't listen closely to the dialogue. He mentioned how our escapade in the middle east hurt our ability or willingness to speak of human rights to the world. I just found it ironic that our own American policy of native genocide throughout the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries never seemed to stop us from dictating to the world about human rights.

[@deutschpanzergrenadier7990]

+@@paulwheeler6609 America did not exist until 1776. What does tribal warfare from centuries ago have to do with Jihadists???

[@paulwheeler6609]

@@deutschpanzergrenadier7990 Nevermind. It's fairly obvious you don't want to share a conversation.

[@ChrisJohnson-pq2tu]

Very interesting interview for sure! However, I don't understand Rhodes' distaste for using drone strikes to kill known terrorists. Is it impersonal? Yes, but we're killing a terrorist, so who cares? God I hope I'm that lucky to die so quickly and without the fear of expectation or prolonged pain. Also why does everyone call Afghanistan an 'endless war' when the number of troops in actual combat is minimal (no American troop deaths in Afgan since Feb 2020, until last week's attack during the pullout), overall troop presence in the region is minimal, and our role in the has been one of support (mostly air support) and military training for most of the last decade. By those standards we have MANY endless wars around the globe (anywhere there is an US Embassy or US troop presence). Sure, we've learned that 'nation building and 'spreading freedom' (spreading democracy) is not only VERY costly, but ultimately futile in most cases (though we should have known that after Vietnam). However, America WAS able to 'free' and empower many civilians in Afganistan (women and children, specifically), and we've had ZERO attacks since 9/11 while establishing some level of stability in the region over the better part of the last decade. But now we pull out with haste with zero to minimal planning, leaving BILLIONS worth of American military equipment to the Taliban in the process, and ultimately we have nothing to show for the time, money, and lives lost in Afghanistan. Strange the Rhodes didn't seem to have a problem with that, even after working on Middle East / Afgan policy for so long since 9/11 Lastly, the Trump questions towards the end of the interview highlights the obvious political bias of the interviewer and Rhodes himself (if that wasn't obvious already). I'm NOT a big Trump fan, but it isn't an opinion to say that before and after Trump, MOST Americans (even MOST on the right), aren't against Islam or immigration. MOST are just against RADICAL Islam and ILLEGAL immigration. Rhodes knows this, but he couldn't pass up an opportunity to bash Trump and Trump supporters. The fact that we're STILL talking about January 6th (a couple thousand loonies storming the capital cause boo-hoo Trump lost) and treating it like an ACTUAL attempt at insurrection, AND the fact that Rhodes mentioned Jan 6th and 9/11 in the same sentence further clarifies his political bias, his hate for Trump, and his disgust those that may have voted for him. Trump Derangement Syndrome is REAL folks, if you don't know that already. I mean, I understand a little political bias in any interview pertaining to politics, but the Trump questions / statements towards the end kind of devalues everything that Rhodes said prior, especially when you consider his lack of criticism for Biden's foreign policy (on Afghanistan specifically and on pretty much ANY matter of foreign policy over the last 40 years, for most of which Biden has been on the wrong quite consistently). Just felt cheap and unnecessary. Trump is easy to hate, and often it brings out the worst in people

[@hyperqprime]

Illuminuts

[@artbell2915]

Totally obvious of pubs intervier.such a joke

[@leoamery]

Great display of contempt by PBS for the people who pay for its survival. Might as well have had J. Edgar Hoover lecturing on what civil rights REALLY means.

[@deancj1]

By telling the truth?

[@leoamery]

@@deancj1 From the WasingtonPOST 6 May 16, Ben Rhodes on journalists: "“All these newspapers used to have foreign bureaus. Now they don’t. They call us to explain to them what’s happening in Moscow and Cairo. Most of the outlets are reporting on world events from Washington. The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old, and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns. That’s a sea change. They literally know nothing,” Rhodes told the New York Times magazine." That's what Rhodes thinks of journalists. He's as contemptuous of PBS viewers. Why not? Like journalists, they know nothing, and can be led around by the prejudice ring in their noses. Ever read THE LOOMING TOWER by Lawrence Wright? Do so, see what 200 proof truth looks like. Before you start shrieking 'extreme right Faux News Trumpist' consider that Wright is a Pulitzer prizewinning NEW YORKER staff writer. Those credentials should---but won't---silence your objections.

[@deancj1]

@@leoamery I couldn't care less what he thinks of journos........ The content of what was being said is and was true. These things happened. Go write another essay on it somewhere else chump.

[@leoamery]

@@deancj1 "I couldn't care less" Barnum was right.

[@deancj1]

@@leoamery blah blah blah..... Let me focus on something completely irrelevant instead of the words coming out of dudes mouth. Gfy

[@HopeWins777]

When candidate Obama was challenging those Democrats who voted for the war and then tried to backpedal saying it was strategic, it makes me look to Joe Biden again today and questioned the pivot instead of admitting the failure to get out as many lives this spring as he could. My entire continued frustration as a Biden Republican his dad he keeps sidestepping the truth and redefining the question into something people claim that was never debated by most of us who are still upset. We don't want to be in a 21-year war. We want as many people alive as we could have gotten and we didn't get that because he failed for 5 months expedite and acts like the families of all of those people who didn't make it out and could have like they are just numbers instead of human lives. We wanted Biden because he was compassionate but his compassion was only for the military not for his voters left behind in Afghanistan fighting to get out with appropriate paperwork and with a few more months getting all the other ones out maybe they would have made it in time. We care about the total number that were missed! American voters American citizens and all of our allies who have been brutalized since we've took our flag and ran. Biden made the military leave before the citizens got out . Does he really think the military didn't notice that they were valued ahead of those who are left helpless and Stranded now? I bet most of them would have volunteered to stay if they had been allowed . We see it . We saw it for ourselves. We are not so easily LED as the current Republican team. There are many Cheney and kinzinger constituents wandering and greatly Disturbed at the lack of humanity for those who struggled for months to get out and we're unable to before even the May deadline. Stop ignoring them and acting like it doesn't count because every life does matter. We are Americans. We were not well represented we are using our right to protest to make sure there are no more catastrophic oversight in the rest of the Exodus including every Ally who's been trying to get out for months and years before Aug.

[@jacqdanieles]

That word salad is incomprehensible.