President Donald Trump speaks on April 1 from the White House, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley, listens. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Military Times: Milley ducks endorsement of Trump’s Afghanistan exit timelineWe should have the small remaining number of our BRAVE Men and Women serving in Afghanistan home by Christmas!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2020
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff broke with the White House in an interview with NPR set to air Monday morning, when he declined to endorse a plan to reduce troop levels in Afghanistan to 2,500 by early next year.
President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, on Wednesday told an audience he supported a plan to draw down to 2,500 troops by early next year, but Army Gen. Mark Milley does not see that as a done deal.
“I think that, you know, Robert O’Brien or anyone else can speculate as they see fit," Milley told NPR in an interview aired Monday.
“I’m not going to engage in speculation. I’m going to engage in the rigorous analysis of the situation based on the conditions and the plans that I am aware of and my conversations with the president.”
Read more ....
Update: Top general dodges on Afghanistan plans after Trump tweet (The Hill)
WNU Editor: In the meantime the war in Afghanistan continues .... Taliban continues attacks on Afghan forces in wake of peace talks, US drawdown (Washington EXaminer). More here .... US strikes target Taliban as fighting rages in Afghanistan (AFP).
3 comments:
If Milley is so concerned, maybe the military will stage a revolt next time and get a real, formal "Declaration of War" instead of a "Authorization for Use of Military Force."
Maybe the problem is not Trump, but Congress, military leaders, and other leaders.
Yes.
The type of revolt I was referring to was the "Revolt of the Admirals." That one was over funding that Navy Admirals felt they needed to do their part to fight in the Cold War.
Fighting for getting actual Declaration of War instead of an AUMF is as important IMO.
Maybe today's generals and admirals are not made of the same stuff as those in the 1940's and 1950's. Maybe Milley has no stuffing in him?
Maybe if the generals retired en masse on their pensions and found other work, Congress would simply find brown nosing colonels that pass the smell test and move on. Such a mass protest might fail.
Certainly, it seems to me that many sycophantic journalists would provide cover for their fellow politicians.
If an actual declaration of war was made, people like the Taliban might actually be scared at some point. Congress might feel the need for real progress or face the wrath of voters.
As it is now Congress can scapegoat 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue by shoving off responsibility.
A 2001 Declaration of War would have been hard on George Bush. He would have had to fight harder. They would have tried to impeach him at the same time. Which might have been a good thing. With his back against the wall, he would have had to come back swinging or curl up in a fetal position.
Maybe that fat slob Sandy Berger would have been prosecuted for destroying and altering records. On positive note, Sandy Berger would never have been able to press his fat body up against ... He was in that Black Book.
The Gorelick Wall would had visibility among 100% of all adult citizens. Jaime would not have gotten rich off he next gig at Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac before the housing bubble implosion.
!st the Gorelick Wall and then the housing collapse and there is Jaimie Gorelick standing in the rubble in both cases. WEIRD!
Maybe 911 would never have happened if we had Declaration of Wars since WW2? Washington, the Pentagon and potential enemies would be more serious and circumspect?
What I really like to know is if Milley has a spine or is he kept upright by hydrostatic pressure. I'm not sure he could pass tape measurements. RHIP.
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