to withdraw US forces. That’s why we’re still there. We were clear-eyed about the risks. How many more generations of America’s daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghanistan’s civil war when Afghan troops will not?
With a small twist to his mouth, the President raises his voice to ask this life-and-death question. The briefing room then pulses with clicking sounds of cameras and reporters firing out question after question. He responds to each of these questions with the same answer in a soft yet monotonous tone: it's time for American troops to come home.
heat shimmer
thud thud thud of Afghan men
falling off a plane
