Fact checkers respond to Biden comments with non sequiturs
By Curt_Anderson August 23, 2021 1:09 pm Category: Fact Check (0.0 from 0 votes)
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On FOX News Sunday Chris Wallace showed a clip of Biden saying "I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world". Wallace said that Biden was "flat out wrong" and then followed up with a quote of a German who called the withdrawal a "debacle" and somebody in the House of Parliament criticizing Biden for saying the Afghanistan military offered little to no resistance to the Taliban.
ABC New drew a similar conclusion:
'I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world.' [Biden said]
An easily disputable statement from Biden came in response to a question that asked for his response to American partners who have criticized the conduct of the U.S. withdrawal and questioned America's credibility on the world stage. [ABC fact checkers' response]
In both cases of fact checking follow-ups intending to refute were non sequiturs. That the withdrawal was criticized and considered a debacle isn't the same as having our credibility questioned. You can say that somebody performed poorly at something but still believe them. If my wife burns dinner I don't suddenly announce she isn't credible.
As for the British parliamentarian, I don't why he thought it "shameful" that Biden said that Afghan military offered next to no resistance to the Taliban. That Brit was apparently putout, but that's also not questioning American credibility. If Biden made the opposite point and said the Afghan military performed admirably and they were worth the billions we paid them, I'd be calling out Biden on a lie.
Credibility means believability. If anybody is going to fact check Biden on his statement about our credibility, then they need to show quotes of foreign leaders saying they don't believe us or saying we are untrustworthy or that they are skeptical of America and/or Biden. Not that they didn't like how the withdrawal has conducted. That's a non sequitur.
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Comments on "Fact checkers respond to Biden comments with non sequiturs ":
On FOX News Sunday Chris Wallace showed a clip of Biden saying "I have seen no question of our credibility from our allies around the world". Wallace said that Biden was "flat out wrong" and then followed up with a quote of a German who called the withdrawal a "debacle" and somebody in the House of Parliament criticizing Biden for saying the Afghanistan military offered little to no resistance to the Taliban.