Andrew Exum, The Atlantic: The Dangerous Politicization of the Military
By asking active-duty personnel to lobby Congress in their own self-interest, President Trump crossed an important line.
Last week, the head of the French armed forces angrily resigned after disagreements with his new president, Emmanuel Macron, over the defense budget.
This was the first resignation of its kind in France in six decades, but it was enough to remind me how much Americans take healthy civil-military relations for granted. Unlike the French, for example, who have had some terrible episodes between their civilian and military leaders over the years, Americans have never had to disband a parachute infantry regiment because it literally threatened to drop onto the nation’s capital and depose the elected government.
That’s not to say we haven’t had our issues, but aside from Douglas MacArthur’s repeated (and successful) attempts to embarrass himself and his profession, Americans have rarely had to worry about the U.S. military and its leadership as a threat to the Republic.
Current and former U.S. military officers take great pride, in fact, in the way in which the active-duty officer corps is seen as being above politics.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: OMG!!!!! .... a politician acting as as politician when he is in the company of military personnel. For as long as I can remember every U.S. President has tried to use the military to promote his political agenda .... sadly but not surprising .... President Trump is doing the same thing. As to U.S. military personnel now running out and obeying President Trump by calling their elected representatives by saying that he told them to do so .... please .... I am willing to bet that when all was said and done, these military personnel were more interested in going home to their loved ones than calling their Congressman/woman.
Update: I just noticed that I wrote "these military personnel were more interested in going home to their loved ones and then calling their Congressman/woman". What I meant was "these military personnel were more interested in going home to their loved ones than calling their Congressman/woman".
This is what happens when you post something without double checking.
22 comments:
I am not aware of any president in modern times asking an assembled military group to suppiort a political issue in congress. Can you supply the instances you claim is so often used? The reverse of course is the military asking for political action, ie, Gen McCarthur in the Korean War. He was relieved from his command for this
Scout's dishonor! Boy Scouts of America faces backlash from leaders and parents after President Trump turns their Jamboree into a political rally that may even have broken the group's rules
It's almost as if Pres. Trump is a raging dips#@t..... almost.
Come on cry babies whats the next big story it might be the one that brings the big bad trump down lol pathetic!!!
are you saying no one should comment about the posted article unless they approve of what you and Trump ok?
Nope keep it up we need a good laugh everyday lol
President Obama telling US soldiers they must question the authority of Presidents weeks before Donald Trump was to be inaugurated (MacDill Airforce base December 6, 2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkvL2lMnd6o#action=share
President George Bush's telegraphing "Mission Accomplished" speech on an aircraft carrier that were then (justifiably) used against him in later political battles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BIW6qyrdu4
The political battles over DADT under President Bill Clinton.
etc.
Lol dang got em now they gotta move on to the next bs story
I will listen to the video time permitting. I did read the article. Suffice it to say the article is full of crap!! Actually the word that properly describes it is much more colorful.
This author wants the military "knocked down a peg." The US military has essentially been treated like crap (stronger word really needed) by the politicians, the bureaucrats, and the American people for many long decades. A few parades, a few pats on the backs, and few token fundraisers do NOT make up for how badly these people have been treated. These token items are done so people can alleviate their guilt while doing essentially NOTHING!!
Knock them down yet another peg and the leadership really will have a coup/rebellion on their hands. How dare an elected leader suggest that military personnel might want to think about lobbying their elected representatives? How dare these people exercise the same basic rights that everyone else takes for granted?
In the minds of this author, military personnel do not have the same basic rights as normal people. This is the mindset of politicians as well. Whether most Americans want to admit this or not by their actions towards these people they suggest this is their mindset as well. As for the American people, they may be beginning to finally get it. As for the politicians, bureaucrats, and media personnel not so much.
As such, it is blasphemy for military personnel to behave as though they have rights and doubly so for the elected official who would dare suggest such. This seems to be what is going on here.
Again, I will try and listen to the video as time permits. With that said military personnel should be able to lobby in masse for anything they wish be it for against a military operation, better VA benefits, or any social issue they desire. As politicians, bureaucrats, and media pundits routinely encourage Americans to lobby for things with other branches of the government, we should expect to be no different for the military.
These are very smart people and will not do something just because POTUS tells them to. to suggest they would is to insult them in the extreme. Of course Americans especially the government and the media are used to insulting and mistreating our military. As such, the diatribe by the author of this piece while disappointing and infuriating is hardly surprising.
for chase jones ONLY
http://bit.ly/2tHqduY
I just noticed that I wrote "these military personnel were more interested in going home to their loved ones and then calling their Congressman/woman". What I meant was "these military personnel were more interested in going home to their loved ones than calling their Congressman/woman".
This is what happens when you post something without double checking.
Lol how crafty you forgot one tho "winning"
WNU
beragging about what you accomplished, be it Obama or Bush, is NOT the same thing as telling enlisted military to call congressmen to support an agenda is hardly the same thing! And you are very smart and know this.
http://www.moaa.org/uploadedFiles/MOAA_Main/Main_Menu/About_MOAA/Leadership/standards.pdf
Yup, WNU Editor has been desperately and disingenuously trying to "normalize" and excuse Trump since the "Pussy Grab tape",
https://newrepublic.com/minutes/138720/insidious-psychology-normalizing-donald-trump
https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/889800510106107904
https://www.someecards.com/news/politics/donald-trump-boy-scouts/amp
https://mobile.twitter.com/TedGenoways/status/889639153092186113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fstorify.com%2Fweinenkel%2Fauthor-ted-genoways-tweet-series-on-trump-and-boys%2Fembed%3Fheader%3Dfalse%26border%3Dfalse
I was final able to listen to the linked video. At no time did anything POTUS said sound like an "order." Very respectfully anyone who would have interpreted this way would need to have any IQ of below 50. To suggest that the soldiers would have interpreted this way is an extreme insult to them. Of course for a country, civilian leaders, and pundits who have had no trouble for many long decades mistreating, abusing, and disrespecting men and women in the armed forces the fact that they would insult them here seems hardly surprising.
POTUS understanding that, while he can propose something, such as the increase in military spending, Congress has to pass it. Furthermore he appears to believe that this increase is vital to the effectiveness of the military. As such, he issues an appeal to the men and women in uniform to contact their congressmen. Anyone and everyone wishing for Congress to do something issues appeals everyday for the affected personnel to contact their congressional personnel to try and get anything and everything they want passed. We would generally expect POTUS to not act any differently.
I actually disagree with POTUS on the need for additional military spending. How much a country spends on its military is a bit like time of possession in American football. While it is not unimportant, there is a good reason why it has been called by experts "the least important statistic in football."
The same applies to military spending. It is the least important statistic when measuring how effective a country's military is. The pundits and other so called "experts" give it way to much emphasis. Simply increasing military spending is not going to alter things relative to Russia, China, or other major world powers.
What is actually needed is a significant scaling back of the missions being asked of the US military combined with a proper deployment of the forces. While it would be preferable to do this in an orderly fashion, it has to be done nonetheless.
While POTUS is incorrect in thinking more spending is going to change things, to lobby for this is not unusual. A day does not go by that a powerful person or group does not implore me or my "group" to lobby my congress personnel for something that has a direct impact on me or my "group." Oftentimes the person or group that is trying to get me or my group to lobby Congress is flat wrong as POTUS likely is in this case. We DO NOT contact our Congressional Senators or Representatives just because someone tells us to. Most of us are much smarter than that, as are military personnel. To suggest otherwise is deeply insulting to these people. Again, Americans and their leaders are unfortunately used to insulting our military personnel.
I agree with the editor. These people are more interested in getting home to their loved ones than calling the Senators or Representatives. It's doubtful any of them even paid much attention to anything POTUS said.
A bit off topic but with a worn out broken down military that the US currently has that would be hard pressed to even defend the American mainland when an enemy invades building another aircraft carrier/floating death trap seems an colossal waste of resources. While I think DJT is wrong in thinking more military spending is going to make a positive difference, for him to issue an exhortation to the personnel affected most by this to lobby Congress on behalf of his proposal does not "cross a line" in and of itself even if the policy is wrong. I've lost count of the number of times people have asked me to lobby Congress on behalf of a wrong headed policy.
The military brass tells service men and women how to petition the brass and politicians.
You want to lobby someone, but you can't. You are in the military.
So you tell your spouse or other family member to do the petitioning.
It is legal.Liberals will have to get over their privilege.
Fred.
We both know the hypocrisy that exists in Washington.
And what President Obama said at Macdill Airforce Base was not bragging but a "wink wink" to the military on how to conduct themselves with President Trump.
But like I said .... this is not a surprise. For as long as I can remember the military has always been used as a prop for politicians .... and to be used to influence an administrations's agenda or to be used to blunt the opposition.
If you think President Trump is the first one to do this .... well .... sorry .... but i disagree.
Jay
For as long as I have done this blog I have always enjoyed pointing out the hypocrisy of it all. And boy oh boy .... Trump has certainly brought it out .... and what is more .... he loves to feed it.
And what is even more enjoyable to me .... is how his critics have responded .... revealing even more hypocrisy for me to point out.
This is not an endorsement or critique of President Trump .... it is just me being the contrarian and pointing all of this out.
Now in your case .... you have a pathological hatred for President Trump.
Many people do .... nothing new there.
But when you feel someone has not endorsed your point of view .... you then transmit that hatred toward them. That makes you different.
But guess what. I just laugh.
You are not the first. You will not be the last.
LMFAO,
I love Trump, he's doing to the US and the Republican's what Hitler did to Germany and Nazism, what Harper, Manning et al did to the CPC, what Saddam did to Iraq, what Mugabe did to Zimbabwe,
And the best part is he's exposing "certain people", for the anti-democratic, authotarian, rule of man fan boy's they have always been, but hid it behind platitudes and mealy mouthed verbage,
LMFAO
Or, to quote Estachon,
"America 2017, The Novel
A rich 80 year old man with brain cancer and socialized medicine flies to DC, against the advice of doctors, to make sure young people don't have health care, to support a president who had mocked him for being a POW."
LMFAO
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