Media top headlines August 24
In media news today, critics express outrage as Biden again takes no questions on Afghanistan, DeSantis blasts Associated Press in an open letter, and Psaki gets panned after saying it's 'irresponsible' to say Americans are 'stranded' in Afghanistan
Political commentator Matthew Dowd went above and beyond with his gushing over President Joe Biden, making the case during his CNN appearance that he should be praised for his handling of the turbulent military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Dowd began by dismissing the dramatic plunge in the polls Biden has had in recent weeks, insisting the "small drift" in his approval numbers are actually tied to the coronavirus pandemic with American voters who "disapprove of the situation" and are taking it out on the president.
But when pressed on whether Biden is "making the right bet" with the withdrawal despite the chaos that has erupted, Dowd reiterated his support for the president "from the very beginning."
"He was dealt a horrible situation and as of today, he has done an extremely good job in this situation," Dowd told CNN anchor Kate Bolduan. "There were many people over the last seven days that said there's no possible way he could get 50,000 people out… he's gotten out 70,000 people in the last eight days."
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"I actually think the president, for what he was dealt and for what he has done over the last week, should be congratulated on the way this was done," Dowd added. "And he's the first president in four presidents to actually get done what the American people wanted to get done in Afghanistan, which was to get out."
The left-leaning Dowd, a former aide to George W. Bush, previously slammed the media for its "way over the top" coverage of the Afghan crisis in defense of Biden. Dowd left ABC News this year after a long tenure at the network and now frequently appears on CNN and MSNBC as a sought-after anti-Republican former Republican..