The worst commander in chief ever
President Trump has repeatedly dishonored the military. He sent troops to the southern border before the 2018 midterms in a xenophobic stunt designed to win votes. He seized funds for military construction to build his useless wall, which will never be built. He humiliated our forces by announcing an impulsive retreat from Syria, betraying our allies and allowing Russians to seize and occupy our former facilities. Then came the case of Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher.
Joseph Kristol and Stephen Petraeus wrote for The Post:
On Thursday, the president showed fresh contempt for the professional judgment of military officers, tweeting “The Navy will NOT be taking away Warfighter and Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s Trident Pin.” The Navy had intended to oust Gallagher from the SEALs for, among other things, his conviction at court-martial for posing in a photograph with the corpse of a 17-year-old captive Islamic State fighter.
Trump seems to think that condoning war crimes (as he did during the campaign) and freeing those who violate the code of conduct for our armed forces make him a tough guy, one of the boys and a hero to the military. The opposite is true. (“The U.S. military is given a unique charge: the right to kill on behalf of the state. Exercising that right, though, must be done in a manner consistent with the nation’s ideals,” Kristol and Petraeus write. “With only rare exceptions, members of the well-trained and professional U.S. military execute their missions with honor. For the few who don’t, the armed services must be allowed to hold them accountable.”)
Then, on Sunday, something curious happened. The secretary of the Navy refused to go along with this abomination. Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer was fired for allegedly trying to cut a private deal with the White House to "ensure that Gallagher retired as a Navy SEAL, with his Trident insignia, if they did not interfere with a review board convened to determine his fitness to stay in the elite force.” Spencer is accused of not relaying this proposal to the defense secretary, which differed from reports that he would resign unless the president relented.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/11/25/worst-commander-chief-ever/
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