"The bug is a feature, by design" ...in today's politics - Aug 18, 2021

 

In software engineering, explaining away a defect ("bug") as a feature which is there by design (vs by accident) is a common joke. Today, we sadly saw it playing out with respect to the horrific conditions in Kabul arising from the US troops pull-out.

Biden was asked by George Stephanopoulos whether the current chaos was "priced into the pull-out plan," Biden unequivocally answered, "Yes." SO, THIS CHAOS BUG WAS A FEATURE, BY DESIGN!

How the situation has got to what it is will be the subject of much post-mortem - AAR (after-action review, per Gen Milley's vocabulary). It is now time for the Biden administration to adopt the line popularized by Trump - "It is what it is" - and stop continuing to play the worn out record justifying the pull-out.

In statistics, there is a concept of Conditional Probability - it represents the probability of an outcome given a certain condition. As of today - Aug 18, 2021 - the Kabul condition "is what it is." The remaining degrees of freedom are diminishing by the day, and the people in charge will exercise them in their best judgment - there will be some successes, some failures, and some unfulfilled promises/ expectations.

However, when it comes to Biden's standing in the country, around the world, and in the mind of the insignificant Democrat writing this note, it has suffered irreparable damage. The more he attempts damage control, the more he comes across disconnected from reality. 

So, here is what I advise Biden to do: 

• Say "mea culpa" and step down in grace sooner than later - this can save him the disgrace of investigations and their outcomes.
• Hand over the reins to Harris, let her apply her administrative skills to the remainder of the Presidential term
• Let Harris present herself to the world with the "I-am-not-your-father's-Oldsmobile" attitude

Maybe she will succeed. If she does, it prepares her for 2024 and can help with Democrats' chances in 2022 and 2024 for the Congress. If she doesn't, it can't be worse than what we have now.

Let us call this bug a bug - such acceptance is a prerequisite for its resolution.