‘The Daily Show With Trevor Noah’ Talks About The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Of Wars

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Trevor Noah and The Daily Show crew usually are up for a few laughs on the serious topics they tackle. But tonight, it was more about rueful laughter, as they discussed the Washington Post’s blockbuster story that showed three different presidential administrations lied about American progress in the war in Afghanistan.

“It’s the Grey’s Anatomy of wars,” said Noah. “We thought it ended years ago, but somehow, it’s still going strong.” He went on to detail that for 18 years, US officials lied about the Afghanistan war, painting a rosy picture that everything is well – a tactic used by every failing couple on Instagram, he noted.

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The government lied about every detail of the war, even spinning suicide bombers as a sign of success. That, Noah noted, is like touting yourself as a catch in online dating because you have your own room in mom’s basement.

“What makes it egregious is that they lied about even having a plan,” Noah said, showing clips from politicians who noted that, “We didn’t know why we were there or how we could get out…..we didn’t have the foggiest notion of what we were doing.”

“Not knowing who they were going to fight – that’s a strategy for drunk dudes in Boston,” Noah said. The people in charge didn’t know how to define success – “Like what they did with Game of Thrones.”

He went on to detail the various boondoggles, including a $34 million effort to grow soybeans in a country whose soil and climate were not a fit, or $28 million for forest camouflage uniforms for the Afghan army in a country that’s mostly desert.

“Now, you might be thinking, ‘Who can we be mad at?'” The answer is the last three administrations. “They all exaggerated American success,” Noah said. In a time where partisanship has split the country, “It’s nice to learn that something brings leaders together: lying about war.”

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