To my knowledge, Cacklin’ Kamala Harris hasn’t been seen since the Afghanistan crisis exploded. This silence contrasts with her attitude in April, when she suggested that she shared responsibility for Joe Biden’s Afghan policy, since she was “the last person in the room” when Biden made the decision to withdraw.
So, where is Kamala? Preparing to depart on a trip to Singapore and Vietnam:
Harris is due in Singapore on Sunday. She will be the first U.S. vice president to visit Vietnam and arrives in the country on Tuesday and departs next Thursday.
What message will she bring? At the beginning of this month, before the debacle in Kabul, she was arrogant:
Vice President Kamala Harris is set to travel to Singapore and Vietnam later this month, becoming the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit Asia so far.
“Her trip will build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s message to the world: America is back,” her office said in a statement.
I’ve never understood that theme. Was America somehow away during the four years of the Trump administration, some of the best years this country has ever experienced? Maybe she means the swamp is back. In any event, her speechwriters will have to tweak that message in light of recent events.
Harris can’t pretend to ignore the fiasco in Afghanistan:
The [senior White House] official on Thursday said Harris would continue to work on issues tied to Afghanistan while on her Asia trip.
“It’s been an overwhelming focus and priority of the whole team including the vice president. And she will continue to work on those issues, and be in constant contact with Washington and her colleagues during this trip,” the official said.
If Harris has had an “overwhelming focus” on Afghanistan over the past weeks, and has worked on “issues” relating to that country, her contributions have been kept quiet so far. I suppose that will change when she gets to Asia; she can’t possibly avoid answering questions about Afghanistan from local reporters. Can she?
We will soon find out.
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