Mr Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser is a fascinating figure who straddles the line between schadenfreude and pity because Washington has always been enthralled with falling star stories.
In a 2015 wedding that seems to have taken place in a far-off Democratic utopia, Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, wed Margaret Goodlander, who is currently Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s counsel. Donald J. Trump was viewed as a sideshow, Hillary Clinton was the future president, and Mr. Biden would soon depart as a well-liked vice president.
When Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the commander of the military’s Central Command, was given a sheet of paper on August 26, Mr Sullivan, who was presiding over a briefing on Afghanistan in the White House Situation Room, witnessed him become pale.
The general informed the room that four American service men had been killed in an apparent attack at the airport, three were critically injured, and scores more were hurt. He was speaking via video from Kabul, where the civilian evacuation was in progress. Mr. Biden winced and looked straight ahead for a few long seconds, causing gasps around the table.
Mr Sullivan’s reactions about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Mr Sullivan, who oversaw this daily conference and was sitting directly to the president’s left, was responsible for completing his hour-long agenda. In the end, 13 American service members were killed.
Narratives of fallen stars have always enthralled Washington. Because of this, Mr. Sullivan has become a fascinating figure in recent months, straddling the line between schadenfreude and pity.
Mr Sullivan’s supporters perceive two structural issues with his position. First of all, he has limited authority but a great deal of responsibility. In her memoir, Condoleezza Rice, who served as President George W. Bush’s secretary of state and national security adviser, referred to the position as “rarefied staff.”
Mr. Sullivan is also a member of Washington’s exclusive foreign policy establishment, a group whose long-standing endorsement of forceful American foreign policy actions has lost support from a wide range of political groups following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The White House was able to bank some good achievements, such as a global agreement to set minimum corporation tax rates and a climate agreement to decrease methane emissions, during Mr. Biden’s recent trip to Europe, which Mr. Sullivan played a major role in organizing. Following the international outcry over the pullout from Afghanistan, White House officials expressed relief.
For the three weeks of the August crisis in Afghanistan, Mr. Sullivan functioned on an average of two hours of sleep per night.
Mr. Sullivan’s most frequently cited defense regarding Afghanistan was that Mr. Biden was intent on leaving quickly and that the national security adviser’s job is to carry out the president’s directives.
A lot of criticism was directed at the chaotic and sad retreat, not the least of which came from allies who claimed they had not been consulted. On this, Mr. Sullivan has strongly objected, claiming that supporters were kept updated at every stage and implying that they were unhappy with Mr. Biden’s decision.
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