Republicans scent blood as Biden assailed over Afghanistan pullout |

When a suicide bombing in Kabul on Thursday killed 13 US troops and dozens of Afghan civilians, Republicans were careful to begin their official responses by paying tribute to the heroism of the fallen. Some, however, went on to demand the resignation of the commander-in-chief.

“It’s not a day for politics,” responded Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary.

But in truth the politicking had already begun, indicating how Republicans intend to exploit the Afghanistan crisis to diminish Joe Biden and defeat him at the polls.

The president’s decision to withdraw US forces by the end of August precipitated the collapse of the Afghan government and army far quicker than he predicted, a takeover by the Taliban and a chaotic evacuation. Biden has expressed no regret or remorse, noting that after 20 years there is little public support for continuing America’s longest war.

But Republicans smell blood, having until now struggled to find an effective line of attack against Biden as candidate or president. Although foreign policy rarely decides US elections, the critiques have fuelled a pre-existing narrative that the 78-year-old does not have “the right stuff”.

Monika McDermott, a political science professor at Fordham University in New York, said: “If they’re smart, they’ll use it as a cudgel to beat him with, because at this point in his tenure as president, this is really his biggest mistake so far.

“He’s getting criticism from both sides of the aisle so it’s not a partisan issue necessarily. The Republicans can certainly gain some ground on this one, and the American public seems pretty upset with what’s going on, so Republicans are likely to gain some traction if they use this against him.

“There’s a danger in using the deaths of American military personnel in this way but it’s his main weakness at this point.”

The Biden White House cruised through its first hundred days and beyond, achieving legislative success and mass vaccination that appeared to be curbing the coronavirus pandemic. Any risk of complacency was dispelled, however, by the lightning Taliban offensive that tested Biden’s perceived assets of compassion and competence.

The president has been quick to defend his actions by pointing out that he inherited a deal from his predecessor, Donald Trump, that would have seen US troops leave by May. The White House also sought to regain the narrative by highlighting the evacuation of more than 100,000 people, one of the biggest airlifts in history.

Even so, the turmoil playing out nightly on TV news and dominating the national conversation has given Republicans a chance to unite in common cause.

Trump has described the retreat as “the single greatest humiliation in our history” and called for Biden to quit. Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader often at…