GOP Rep. Mast: Biden’s Optic Obsession ‘Goes Back to the Same Tune as the Obama Administration’

On Sunday’s broadcast of FNC’s “The Next Revolution,” Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), a 12-year Army veteran and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, explained how the Biden administration got it wrong on Afghanistan.

According to the Florida Republican lawmaker, part of the problem was President Joe Biden’s prioritization of “optics,” which he said was something that was a hallmark of the Obama administration, which Biden served as vice president.

“One reason, very simple: This goes back to the same tune as the Obama administration,” he said. “Optics are their most important protocol. They want to make sure, as they said before, this was important to Jennifer Psaki. This is not a combat mission. They don’t want it to appear as a combat mission. They’re going to do everything to stay away from that, even though they had to bring in triple the troops that were in there previously. That’s how people really get hurt is by worrying more about the optics than unleashing the most capable military force on the planet, our Special Operations Forces, our Rangers, our others, our Marines, everybody on the ground there.”

“They’re chomping at the bit to make sure that they live up to the one thing that all soldiers live up to,” Mast added. “We don’t leave our men behind. They’re chomping at the bit to make sure that that takes place.”

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