M.A. Kleen

For a candidate to not acknowledge our troops overseas not only disparages their service, but treats the American people like children who don’t deserve to know the truth about ongoing military operations.

The September 10th ABC News debate between presidential candidates Vice President Kamala Harris (D) and former president Donald Trump (R) was filled with wild moments, hyperbole, and outright lies and fabrications from both sides, although it seemed only Trump was fact-checked by the moderators in real-time. As usual, the American public was the biggest loser in the whole spectacle.

If asked to pick the worst moment or biggest lie of the evening, most people would probably say it was when Trump said Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating dogs and cats, a rumor that has been circulating online for a few weeks. Whether or not it’s false, an example of mass hysteria, or a minor incident that was blown out of proportion, I think we all can agree it’s not great for a presidential candidate to spread rumors like that on national television.

For me, however, the most egregious lie that was spoken on stage was when Vice President Kamala Harris said there are no active-duty U.S. troops in combat zones after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. That is simply and unequivocally false.

Her exact quote was:

“Well, I will tell you, I agreed with President Biden’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan. Four presidents said they would, and Joe Biden did. And as a result, America’s taxpayers are not paying the $300 million a day we were paying for that endless war. And as of today, there is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone in any war zone around the world, the first time this century.“

This statement is either a bold-faced lie, or constitutes appalling ignorance by someone who is the current vice president and who wants to become the commander-in-chief.

When Trump remarked on the pet-eating rumor, David Muir, one of the ABC moderators, immediately jumped in to say that ABC News had reached out to the Springfield city manager to verify the rumor, and that it was false. However, after Harris spoke about our troops not being in “a combat zone or any war zone”, Muir said, “Vice President Harris, thank you.” No fact check. No request for clarification.

On August 31st, ABC News reported that seven U.S. soldiers were wounded in an operation in Syria targeting ISIS terrorists. In January, ABC News reported on a drone strike on a base in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members. This summer, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Group was in the Red Sea fighting off missile and drone attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. And as recently as two days ago, a joint Iraqi and U.S. raid killed a senior ISIS commander.

There are multiple operations ongoing in the Middle East fighting on multiple fronts, whether it be against ISIS remnants, Houthis in Yemen, or Iranian proxy militias. Earlier this year, the Military Times reported we have around 40,000 personnel deployed throughout the Middle East, where our soldiers, sailors, and airmen are at risk.

The ABC News moderators know these facts. Their own news organization reported on it. So how could they let Harris’ statement slide?

It’s not good for a presidential candidate to amplify internet rumors, but pet-eating is not a national security issue. Lying about, or being ignorant of, the disposition of our U.S. armed forces overseas and the danger they face, is. As commander in chief, shouldn’t the president be honest about our military operations overseas? We don’t always have to know the exact details of every operation, for obvious reasons, but the fact that our troops are in harms way shouldn’t be hidden from the public.

Harris went on to say:

“And get this — no, get this. And the president at the time [Trump] invited the Taliban to Camp David. A place of storied significance for us as Americans, a place where we honor the importance of American diplomacy, where we invite and receive respected world leaders. And this former president as president invited them to Camp David because he does not again appreciate the role and responsibility of the President of the United States to be commander in chief with a level of respect.”

In 2000, President Bill Clinton met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, a former terrorist leader, at Camp David to try to negotiate peace. This was hailed as a historic presidential summit. Is Harris not aware of the 2000 Camp David Summit, or is she, again, being purposefully disingenuous?

When Harris accuses Trump of not appreciating the role and responsibility of the President of the United States to be commander in chief or treating it “with a level of respect”, does she not fail her own test by failing to treat the American public as a partner in foreign affairs, capable of knowing and understanding the risks involved in military operations overseas? Of not lying to us and treating us like children who can’t understand that sometimes even unsavory characters need to be negotiated with to achieve peace?

Those 40,000 service members deployed throughout the Middle East, at risk every day from drone attacks and missiles, surrounded by enemies and potential enemies, and their families here at home, deserve much better than to have their sacrifices unacknowledged to score points in a political debate.