Biden’s critics, especially Republicans, are exploiting yesterday’s tragedy in Kabul to ramp up criticism of his decision to pull the plug on an interminable and unwinnable war – a war that should have never been fought in the first place. But their purpose isn’t to express their moral indignation or register their opposition to the pullout. Truth is they have bigger fish to fry.

Itching to return to power in Washington, they have cynically jumped on this tragedy, like flies to shit, with the intention of impugning Biden’s character and competence, derailing the many positive features of his agenda, exacerbating fissures in the Democratic Party and the larger coalition that elected him, and, above all, regaining the upper hand in next’s year’s elections.

All of which, they believe, and they are probably right, would set the stage for them to recapture the White House in 2024. If that doesn’t scare and motivate you to defend Biden’s withdrawal decision, it should.