Donald Trump provides no leadership to the courageous U.S. military

Donald Trump shows contempt for military.  

Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’
The president has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members, and asked that wounded veterans be kept out of military parades, multiple sources tell The Atlantic.

In fact, he has fired the generals who were working for him including like McMaster, Kelly and Mattis. 

General James Mattis denounced Donald Trump, and escribed him as a threat to the Constitution. In an extraordinary condemnation, the former defense secretary backed the protesters and said Trump is trying to turn Americans against one another.

In The Week, this commentary summarizes how Trump has shown contempt for the American military troops.  (Just look at how Trump treated US Navy Captain Brett Crozier, the former commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt who was relieved of duty after raising the alarm about a Covid-19 outbreak on his ship in March. ... Crozier will not be eligible for future command, effectively ending his Navy career.)

The courage it takes to fight and die for your country is hard for many civilians to comprehend, said Max Boot, in The Washington Post.  Donald Trump marvels at it too, apparently - just "not in a complimentary way". 

"Trump's hypocrisy is sickening. His actions display consistent contempt for the armed forces and their ethos of “duty, honor, country.” All he cares about is using troops as political props. To see how little Trump truly respects our military, all you have to do is examine the differing treatment of three decorated veterans: Alexander Vindman, Eric Greitens, and Anthony J. Tata", wrote Boot.

A recent bombshell story in The Atlantic , by Jeffrey Goldberg (September 3, 2020), repoted that Trump repeatedly startled aides by describing US. troops who have died for their country as "suckers" and "losers".  During the Armistice Day memorial in France, in 2018, the White House publicly blamed poor flying condidtions for his skiping a ceremony at a cemetery filled with American oldiers.  In private, multiple sources say, Trump was worried the wind and rain would leave his hair disheveled, in front of cameras, and asked why he sould visit a cemetery "filled with losers". Trump once accompanied then- Secretary of Homeland Security General John Kelly to Arlington National Cemetery, and at the grave of Kelly's son, who was killed inAfghanistan, he told Kelly directly, "I don't get it. What was in it for them?" White House insiders were understandably unwilling to go on record, said Jefrey Goldberg, in The Atlantic. But, several said the draat-dodging, money-obsessed Trump "simply does not underestad non-tranactional life choices", and nurses a deep "cynicism about heroism and sacrifice". 

Maybe Trump did say those things, said Jeff Groom, in TheAmericanConservative.com, but, Trump's "crassness and superficial callousness" are hardly news at this point. What matters more to our troops are his actions. Colonel Jeff McCausland in NBCNews.com said our troops and their families deserve a leader that understands military service and "truly cares about their welfare".  

Trump, doesn't care that Russia is paying the Taliban to kill Americans, he praises war criinals as heroes and uses generals like Kelly, Mattis nd McMaster as props, only to discard and denegrate them.  It's time for these generals to tell Aemricans on the record whether The Atlantic story is true.  "Their silence right now is truly deafening."

Donald Trump speaks fake words - "locked and loaded" for what?

"Trump drew a red line. And with that line, he painted himself into a corner."- The Las Vegas Sun editorial 

This is an excellent editorial!

Stupid Donald Trump spends time telling lies about what he actually says, as though people who hear his fake words have faulty auditory nerves in our ears and brains. I can't figure out how anybody with integrity can possibly work for him. Moreover, because the international community has figured out how vulnerable Donald Trump is to his own bad judgement, the world leaders are either laughing their asses off behind closed doors every time he speaks or, like the Iranian leader, Hassan Rouhani, they continue to test his stupidity, to prove his incompetence.

"Locked and Loaded" is another example of how Donald Trump uses fake words and, in so doing, continues his idiotic streak.

When will Republicans wake up to Donald Trump's ignorance?

This editorial was published in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper:

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019

The White House has tried to walk back Donald Trump’s “locked and loaded” tweet after this past weekend’s attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, but the damage is already done.

Trump drew a red line. And with that line, he painted himself into a corner. Now, he’s left with no good options for moving forward.

Take military action? Trump repeatedly has stated disdain at getting the U.S. into another prolonged conflict, and there’s little appetite for it in Congress or even in Trump’s base. Yet if he doesn’t take action after making his reckless tweet, it will signal to Iran that it can get away with the kind of aggression it apparently carried out in the Saudi attacks.

This lose-lose situation for the U.S. is the direct culmination of the chaos of the Trump administration and the instability of Trump himself.

This is a president who acts on impulse, has no understanding of geopolitics and no interest in learning, disdains opinions that differ from his own and is motivated by self-interests. 

Also, he appeared happy to be manipulated by the Saudis, which became clear after the slaying of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and with his approval of arms sales to Saudi Arabia over a bipartisan uproar in Congress.

Jamal Khashoggi (1958-2018)

Then came Trump’s tweets after the attacks, in which he made his foolish “locked and loaded” comment and announced that the White House was waiting to hear from the Saudis “under what terms we would proceed.”

This is a dark hour. The U.S. can’t let the attacks on oil resources go unchecked, but Trump long ago demolished the crucial structure for determining how such a response is determined. In its place is a culture where staff appeases the erratic president like a petulant tyrant and even bends reality to meet his twisted version of it, as proven most recently in the Sharpie incident.

Dissension with Trump is not tolerated by the White House. Just ask the parade of Cabinet members Trump has kicked out — James Mattis, H.R. McMaster, John Kelly, John Bolton, Michael Flynn, Reince Priebus, etc.

Worse, all of his acting appointees in Cabinet and other key slots are now coming back to bite us — just when we need adults in the room, we have the withered losers Trump has gathered around him.

With this reality show approach, Trump eliminated the give-and-take that helps leaders see situations from all angles and make well-rounded decisions. His attacks on allies and praise for murderous dictators undermined America’s credibility as a global leader, and his war on facts crippled trust in the White House among Americans.

Now, with the Middle East on the verge of exploding in conflict, this is where the terrifying consequences of Trump’s election play out. The dreaded 3 a.m. call may indeed soon come.

If and when it does, it will be answered by a president who won’t or can’t even read a briefing paper. And unlike the situation with the hurricane maps, Iran won’t appease Trump’s bumbling of facts like his toady staff members did.

It is in times like these that the U.S. needs solid allies who trust our steadiness just as much as we trust theirs — and Trump has destroyed that too by savaging allies and cozying up to enemies.

If he’s not getting orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin or the Saudis — or swooning in love with North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un — he’s lost.

The Saudi attacks and Trump’s bumbling response were the outcome of tearing up the Iran agreement in the name of political theatrics and red-meat tweets to Trump’s base.

If and when the 0-dark-thirty call does come, someone — anyone — needs to make sure Trump doesn’t push the wrong button at the wrong time. Here’s hoping that situation doesn’t come to pass.

When voters go to the polls in 2020, it’s vital to remember moments like these!

....pure politics is not substitute for leadership....

Opinion echo published in Atlanta.com by Dana Hall McCain.
"...don’t entirely romanticize the leaders of old. They were deeply flawed in their own ways. But they did seem to understand that one of the essentials to our survival as a nation was resisting the urge to flagrantly demonize our fellow citizens.."- Dana Hall McCain

James Mattis, a lifetime of service, from fighting in the Marine Corps to working for President Donald Trump. "I was..... in my hometown on the Columbia River in Washington state when I received an unexpected call from Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Would I meet with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss the job of secretary of defense?" (Wall Street Journal)

Opinion echo in Atlanta.com:  James Matttis, his words and perspective were principled, informed, and stated without a hint of partisanship. I was sad because this kind of leadership seems almost extinct.

My children cannot imagine a world where people holding the highest offices in the land don’t communicate like mean middle schoolers.

They don’t know about the America where there were certain lines we did not cross, for the sake of national unity.

For the sake of individual decency!

A clear-eyed account of learning how to lead in a chaotic world, by General Jim Mattis—the former Secretary of Defense and one of the most formidable strategic thinkers of our time—and Bing West, a former assistant secretary of defense and combat Marine.

Moreover, they haven’t had the benefit of observing national debate that stays focused on policy, and doesn’t wander off into personality.
I don’t entirely romanticize the leaders of old. They were deeply flawed in their own ways. But they did seem to understand that one of the essentials to our survival as a nation was resisting the urge to flagrantly demonize our fellow citizens, fracturing ourselves to a point where we are less equipped to do battle with those who would truly seek to do us harm around the globe.

They seemed to understand that the kind of debate that produces sustainable consensus requires restraint and self-discipline.
Our descent down this slippery slope didn’t happen overnight. The trend toward least-common-denominator appeals in campaigns has built over the decades, and was doused in jet fuel in the digital age. But until very recently, elected leaders acknowledged (in practice, if not in word) the necessity of rhetorically shifting gears upon taking the oath of office.

Once elected, a person must seek ways to lead and foster trust with all Americans—even those with whom he has serious disagreements.

And, as Gen. Mattis points out in his eloquent essay, it is also essential that we conduct ourselves in a way that preserves and strengthens relationships with our allies around the globe. We don’t have the luxury of self-indulgent shooting from the hip on the world stage.

Not if we are anything other than fools.

Style matters. Posture matters. Tone matters. Credibility matters.

How did citizens who used to understand these things intuitively come to disregard them so fully? I have my theories. Most of them lay a full helping of blame at the feet of political commentators who figured out how to monetize our fears, both left and right. 

They learned that if they shrieked on the radio, or on TV, or online about the threats that exist around us, you would show up. Some out of morbid curiosity and some out of genuine concern. And then only by magnifying those threats—many of which had some element of reality to them—could they keep you around.

And keeping you around kept the advertisers around. Always follow the money to learn the truth.

They conditioned us over time to believe that anyone who presented a nuanced, less-than-hysterical take on things was part of the problem: a “cuck,” a RINO, or a closet fascist in Democrat clothing. They taught us that there are only two kinds of Americans—those on our team, and those we need to vanquish.

They preached to us that the cultural change taking place before our very eyes started in Washington and could be fixed there. That was more palatable than telling us the truth: that it started in our living rooms, and would require a heck of a lot more of us than political activism to remedy.

But every, once in awhile, we are fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the way things should be in the form of a man like Gen. Mattis (who humbly insists that he’s just “Jim”, since retiring). 

In fact, the question is: do we have the character and self-discipline to seek out and elevate men like him—leaders—over common politicians?

Echo post script from Maine Writer- Is there a call for James Mattis to challenge Donald Trump in 2020?  

Trumpzi cultism explained - how Trump co-opts people like William Barr - opinion echo

James Comey: How Trump Co-opts Leaders Like Bill Barr
Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive this president.

By James Comey the former F.B.I. director.

Obviously William Barr is now submerged in Trumpziism.

MaineWriter- When I studied sociology in college, I was just one credit class from claiming the subject as a "minor" to my nursing degree; but I did not leap into the last class needed to qualify for graduating with a "minor".  One of the sociology subjects I was most intrigued about involved how people become subject to "cults". Therefore, I was keenly interested in James Comey's opinion published in The New York Times, because the subject is essentially about "cults"- or how the charisma of flawed leadership warps minds. What happens to seemingly accomplished people, those that we would believe should know better, succumb and fall subject to the lure of "cultism"?  How does Donald Trump recruit these people?  All of them who continue to surround Trump, to a person, are liars. Moreover, they don't seem to care that they lie! In fact, people like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kellyanne Conway, Stephen Miller, Rudy Giuliani and now William Barr, seem to be immune to reality checks when the lies they project are called to their attention! 

Here is the echo opinion published in The New York Times written by James Comey.  

People have been asking me hard questions. 

What happened to the leaders in the Trump administration, especially the attorney general, Bill Barr, who I have said was due the benefit of the doubt?

How could Mr. Barr, a bright and accomplished lawyer, start channeling the president in using words like “no collusion” and F.B.I. “spying”? And downplaying acts of obstruction of justice as products of the president’s being “frustrated and angry,” something he would never say to justify the thousands of crimes prosecuted every day that are the product of frustration and anger?

How could he write and say things about the report by Robert Mueller, the special counsel, that were apparently so misleading that they prompted written protest from the special counsel himself?

How could Mr. Barr go before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and downplay Donald Trump’s attempt to fire Mr. Mueller before he completed his work?

And how could Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, after the release of Mr. Mueller’s report that detailed Mr. Trump’s determined efforts to obstruct justice, give a speech quoting the president on the importance of the rule of law? Or on resigning, thank a president who relentlessly attacked both him and the Department of Justice he led for “the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations”?

What happened to these people?

I don’t know for sure. People are complicated, so the answer is most likely complicated. But I have some idea from four months of working close to Mr. Trump and many more months of watching him shape others.

Amoral leaders have a way of revealing the character of those around them. Sometimes what they reveal is inspiring. 

For example, James Mattis, the former secretary of defense, resigned over principle, a concept so alien to Mr. Trump that it took days for the president to realize what had happened, before he could start lying about the man.

But more often, proximity to an amoral leader reveals something depressing. I think that’s at least part of what we’ve seen with Bill Barr and Rod Rosenstein. Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive Mr. Trump and that adds up to something they will never recover from. It takes character like Mr. Mattis’s to avoid the damage, because Mr. Trump eats your soul in small bites.

It starts with your sitting silent while he lies, both in public and private, making you complicit by your silence. In meetings with him, his assertions about what “everyone thinks” and what is “obviously true” wash over you, unchallenged, as they did at our private dinner on Jan. 27, 2017, because he’s the president and he rarely stops talking. As a result, Mr. Trump pulls all of those present into a silent circle of assent.

Speaking rapid-fire with no spot for others to jump into the conversation, Mr. Trump makes everyone a co-conspirator to his preferred set of facts, or delusions. I have felt it — this president building with his words a web of alternative reality and busily wrapping it around all of us in the room.

I must have agreed that he had the largest inauguration crowd in history because I didn’t challenge that. Everyone must agree that he has been treated very unfairly. The web building never stops.

From the private circle of assent, it moves to public displays of personal fealty at places like cabinet meetings. While the entire world is watching, you do what everyone else around the table does — you talk about how amazing the leader is and what an honor it is to be associated with him.

Sure, you notice that Mr. Mattis never actually praises the president, always speaking instead of the honor of representing the men and women of our military. But he’s a special case, right? Former Marine general and all. No way the rest of us could get away with that. So you praise, while the world watches, and the web gets tighter.

Next comes Mr. Trump attacking institutions and values you hold dear — things you have always said must be protected and which you criticized past leaders for not supporting strongly enough. Yet you are silent. Because, after all, what are you supposed to say? He’s the president of the United States.

You feel this happening. It bothers you, at least to some extent. But his outrageous conduct convinces you that you simply must stay, to preserve and protect the people and institutions and values you hold dear. Along with Republican members of Congress, you tell yourself you are too important for this nation to lose, especially now.

You can’t say this out loud — maybe not even to your family — but in a time of emergency, with the nation led by a deeply unethical person, this will be your contribution, your personal sacrifice for America. You are smarter than Donald Trump, and you are playing a long game for your country, so you can pull it off where lesser leaders have failed and gotten fired by tweet.

Of course, to stay, you must be seen as on his team, so you make further compromises. You use his language, praise his leadership, tout his commitment to values. (In other words - you become the Trump monkey.)
And then you are lost. He has eaten your soul.

James Comey is the former F.B.I. director and author of “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership.”

Donald Trump makes dangerous tweet decisions - North Korea is nobody's friend

Trump makes foreign policy decisions without consulting allies
Tweet policies are dangerous. Echo opinion letter published in the TCPalm a Florida newspaper.

Donald Trump’s most recent foreign policy reversal toward North Korea continues to create confusion for both our allies and enemies. Less than 24 hours after his secretary of the treasury announced well-deserved additional economic sanctions on North Korea, Trump suddenly announced that he was rescinding these sanctions- in a tweet.

When asked why, Trump’s press secretary stated that the North Korean dictator was Trump’s friend and did not deserve these additional sanctions.

The North Korean dictator, like his late father and grandfather, is a ruthless mass murderer who is not going to denuclearize his nation just because Donald Trump likes him (and other tyrannical murdering dictators like Putin and the Saudi Crown Prince!). This is just the latest example of Trump making an abrupt foreign policy decision without consulting his advisers or our allies.

After his first meeting with the North Korean dictator, Trump shocked South Korean leaders and his own military by cancelling the annual joint military exercises with South Korea. These joint military exercises that anger the North Korean dictator have been considered critical to the defense of South Korea.

Another example of President Trump making foreign policy decisions without notifying his advisers and our allies, was his tweet that the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria would be completely withdrawn within 30 days. That shocking tweet led to the resignation of Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who had not been consulted.

Fortunately, under pressure from members of Congress, Trump at least for now has reversed that spontaneous and dangerous decision. Trump’s military and foreign policy decisions that surprise our allies and enemies make our nation less safe. It is dangerous for our nation and the world to have a president who makes impactful decisions without careful consideration and consultation with our allies.

Ken Foster, Vero Beach