The President’s Chief of Staff has fully established himself as a political player by defending, blame shifting and spinning this mess of Trump’s handling of all aspects of dealing with the families of fallen soldiers.
Time to stop giving John Kelly some sort of pass for somehow protecting the nation from his boss.
This makes it clear he’s enabling our President’s disordered mind.
Anyone who enables him is just as bad as he is
Kelly heaped insults on Rep. Wilson but said nothing about the soldier’s mother, who confirmed that Trump “disrespected” her son.
Also noteworthy: Kelly defended Trump’s “knew what he signed up for” remark. But wait, Trump claimed he never said that.
Sad to see this once honorable military figure turn himself into just another a political hack.
One can only imagine what PG has over Kelly
If John Kelly had resigned his post before today, would his still (then) perceived integrity have been a signal for the Republicans to abandon the #45 ship & go 25th? Or would the fact he had anything to do with this administration automatically mark him with suspect believability?
Whatever that might be KGC, can’t imagine how it could be worth Kelly sacrificing his dignity.
SJ
He already besmirched himself with his press appearance earlier in the week
Why why why would he act this way.????
SJ, Kelly put himself out of play today as an honest broker. Especially shocking he used his son’s death to spin for Trump.
“Also noteworthy: Kelly defended Trump’s “knew what he signed up for” remark. But wait, Trump claimed he never said that.”
Poobah, nail, head. Good on you.
Mr Crawford knows this much better than I ever will but what is it in Washington that makes good/OK people go bad? Or does the fact they’ve chosen this way of life expose this moral failing within them already? (And is it a failing – or actually a strength?)
Someone smarter than me once commented that Trump is like a black hole. Anyone who comes into proximity ends up getting sucked into the vortex and destroyed. That now applies to Kelley. Sad! (to mimic SFB)
Every person who goes near SFB sh#ts on their reputation and their own lives. There is no reason for this general to destroy all that he held dear. No longer can he be looked at as better than SFB, he is now one with him.
A remarkably disgusting day in almost (precisely) nine months of them.
Why do we glorify and revere the military over other professions? Because so much depends upon it? We set ourselves up for disappointing days such as this one. Maybe, blasphemy, not everyone in the military is a perfect human being (if that includes the expectation of being apolitical).
Look, my father, the straightest shooter I’ve ever known, was career Navy. Then he went into civil service. Translation: he knew bureaucracy and bureaucrats. If he were around, he would tell us there’s a lot of politicking going on in our military. Who gets advancement, do you think, by and large? People who rock boats or the people who don’t?
When this horrific Trump-made horror story began exploding yesterday, I wondered why Kelly didn’t just haul off and go all medieval on his boss. Today, I have my answer.
Cripes, Trump is sickening. Were I Kelly, in his polished shoes, I would have been sorely tempted, and of course would have resigned. Publicly. Without reserve. With as much shade and truth bombs as I had on me. Good grief, what are some people made of, that they can continue to breathe the same air as this traitorous and lecherous liar? Imagine being around that weasel. Day in, day out. Breathing and lying and puffing his flabby chest out and then lying some more…
I’m not pleased to share the whole Irish-American thing with Kelly today. Get some backbone, or get your Irish up, buster!
The conservative media strategist Rick Wilson (also a NeverTrumper) has a term for this: ETTD. Everything Trump Touches Dies.
Gen. Pawn Kelly, or maybe just Smelly Kelly
Smelley Kelly that’s the ticket
And, finally having a few minutes to play, for all the horse apples the SFB is throwing about standing for the national anthem or any other display of patriotism:
This covers it all.
Not going the name-calling route. Trump has ruined even that.
Well,, far as I’m concerned, the general has crapped in his mess kit…….and that is smelly.
While we are going on about Donald and Dinosaurs i.e. empathy & enablers, other things are happening in the world. On one group site with a global population that I haunt just had a message from a Czech member regarding her election:
And the NY Times article A new Threat to European Unity
welcome Heddycariad
On the above it struck me as funny that a very Democratic Czech thinks of Canada as a refuge. I told her she might have a lot of Americans for company. It could get crowded in the great white north
How is the pizza in Canada? Anyone know?
Kelly attacks Rep. Wilson as “this woman.” Learning from the boss.
Hi Heddycarid
Welcome
Dear Gen Kelly,
Sad to see you succumb to your addiction. You knew that money and power were addictive but you just had to take a few sniffs. And here’s the bad news: there is no 12 step program for you. You just get to go down with the ship and end up a small footnote in future history books. You could have chosen good!
Sincerely, Your better angel.
Leon Panetta on CNN about Niger: “Why did we not have our own U.S. air power covering our forces?”
Gotta ask: What’s the point of putting all these generals in charge of everything and none know 2 weeks later what happened in Niger?
Truman on “dumb son of a bitch” generals: “that’s not against the law … If it was, half to three-quarters of them would be in jail.”
trump has the brown noser cabinet working over time and kelly with poop on his nose failed to mention the sacred $25000 check that was sent by the pg to a fallen soldier’s bitter divorced father. Some honorable guys and the honorable pg bragged about not getting any venereal diseases during the Vietnam War while at home on at least four deferments. All guys in the women hater’s club. But, pompeo is trying to outdo kelly with his blantant lie about russian interference in our election.
On Oct. 12th, kelly came out to defend his job. sessions had to do the same…all these guys perform for trump to keep their jobs, service to citizens be damned.
Shouldn’t we ask whether Trump directly approved this Niger mission? He claimed Monday he makes “4 or 5” such decisions every day. Might explain the stonewalling.
If the ambush had happened under a dem? faux news would have had a movie out already blaming and condemning dems for the secret Niger mission. trump’s mission in Yemen wasn’t a great success either and he tried to blame Obama. He never pays a price. If his generals, cabinet, staff, etc. keep lying to him and flattering him? Nothing will happen over any botched missions. Totalitarian ass kissers.
My thoughts.
Kelly is just doing his job. It may be a dirty one but as a marine it is not the first time.
Rep. Wilson using a grieving war widow to score political points is disgusting, she is a pos that should be avoided by any ethical person.
Trumps response to Wilson is (as usual) outlandish and totally inexcusable. When you offend someone even by accident and unintended, you apologize. Most of us learn this as a youth or in early adulthood. Trumps reaction just underscores his age and mental health.
Jack
I have no objection to the “Go Fund Me” accounts being set up for scholarships for the children of soldiers killed in combat, but it would be nice if they seemed to have some idea of the benefits the families will receive from the government. Those include among other things a $100,000 one time payment, any insurance carried in addition to this benefit, any unpaid salary, and free housing for a year. In addition those children will receive standard Social Security benefits until they graduate from college.
http://www.military.com/benefits/survivor-benefits/surviving-family-benefits.html
Whskyjack talking sense.
**********
Perhaps the Fake News Media should stop covering #45 for a week & leave the reporting up to Fox & Friends.
Rep. Wilson is revered in Florida for helping at-risk black men, Sgt. Johnson among them. Kelly calling her an “empty barrel” is disgusting.
It would make Trump insane if no one on cable other than Fox mentioned his name for a week. He’s so good at “look at the shiny object” that I don’t think they could restrain themselves for 24 hours. Maybe henceforward he is “He who shall not be named.”
Obama- When they go low we go high.
Trump- No matter how low you go I can go lower.
Pretty much sums up the difference.
I could go along with that Jamie if, instead of obsessing on Trump’s words, the focus was on what his Administration is actually doing, such as EPA greenlighting miners to destroy fishing jobs. (A worthy post here if anyone wants to research it.)
Kelly blasts Rep. Wilson for listening in to Trump call, will he reprimand the Master Sergeant in the car for putting it on speaker phone?
Giving more thought to Kelly’s comments today, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that he is part and parcel of Trump world and perhaps always has been. He’s not the great protector against Trump’s worst impulses. He is more than an enabler. Revisit reports about his tenure at Homeland Security (gawd, I’ve always abhorred that term, too frickin’ close to Vaterland), which generally remained under the radar of national media. His directives go beyond just doing his job. This is still a country of due process. To claim that 46K of 66K arrested in the first months of SFB’s administration were criminals was sheer BS. A traffic violation makes someone a criminal? If that’s the case, then how many of us are also criminals subject to being stripped of basic rights of due process? Locally, ICE arrested a young man (DREAMER) who was on his way to his wedding reception. That was Kelly’s regime. So … are Kelly’s attacks on Rep. Wilson as an “empty barrel” really that unexpected? Seeing the full presentation of Kelly (beyond those bits selected by the media) is truly sickening. I never thought that I would give up my farmette and my much loved (and spoiled) chickens and guineas to emigrate. Of course, at my age, Canada is not interested but perhaps ancestral Wales wouldn’t mind another resident.
Two necessary articles on that mine vs fish idea
EPA Protect Bristol Bay from 2014
Reversal from EPA to green light mining 2017
Chortle Chortle Glee Glee
Wahooooooooooooooo!!! Go Dodgers!!
Hi, Ms Cariad,
I’m glad you’ve taken to the trail. As we get closer to the election, we’re liable to see a bull snake or two cross our paths, but pay’m no mind. They’re ugly, but harmless.
Since when are the presidents’ condolence calls Confidential ? Whattacrockakellyshit.
Mark my words, this republican Big Brass/Big Britches/Big Government will soon declare trump’s sniffings to be TOP SECRET – READ AND BURN.
With the Indians/Spiders and Minnesota’s beloved Washington Senators out, I have no one left to cheer.
Go Mammoths !
sigh
Point, Poobah.
So the Senate passed SFBs $4T budget 51-49. What’s that mean? Think tax reform without threat of filibuster. Folks, the top .1% were dancing and drinking champagne last night.
“Kelly is just doing his job. It may be a dirty one but as a marine it is not the first time”
jack, yes, once a marine always a marine. who knows what nightmarish dilemmas he and mattis have had to face (and i’m not talking about past military challenges and tragedies… I mean those horrors twit threatens day to day) to serve and protect the country.
we have to acknowledge the mindset and culture ingrained (some say pounded into) in them. remember the marine corps motto “Semper Fidelis” and their mantra “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome”
Poobah, bun in the oven.
NEW THREAD