Bone Spurs

David Ignatius in Washington Post op ed “In firing Richard Spencer, Trump recklessly crosses another line”:

President Trump’s attempt to manipulate military justice had a sorry outcome Sunday with the firing of Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer. For the past nine months, Spencer had tried to dissuade Trump from dictating special treatment for Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher — but in the end Spencer was sacked for his efforts to protect his service.
​With Spencer’s firing, Trump has recklessly crossed a line he had generally observed before, which had exempted the military from his belligerent, government-by-tweet interference. But the Gallagher case illustrates how an irascible, vengeful commander in chief is ready to override traditional limits to aid political allies in foreign policy, law enforcement and now military matters.

[…]

“It was a hold-your-nose solution,” said a source close to Spencer about his effort to broker an arrangement that would allow Gallagher to retire at the end of November with his former rank, an honorable discharge and his Trident pin, as Trump wanted, but without direct presidential interference in the SEAL review process. As so often happens with attempts to work with Trump’s erratic demands, this one ended in disaster.
“The president wants you to go,” Esper told Spencer on Sunday, according to this source. Esper then toed the White House line and announced Spencer’s dismissal.
For Pentagon officials who have wondered whether Esper would have the backbone to resist Trump, Sunday’s events were troubling. The Pentagon, like the State Department under Mike Pompeo, is now overseen by an official whose overriding priority seems to be accommodating an impetuous boss in the White House.

[continues]

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Author: patd

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad." "How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

39 thoughts on “Bone Spurs”

  1. NYT via msn:

    Mr. Spencer’s resignation letter, dated Sunday, said he regarded good order and discipline throughout the Navy’s ranks to be “deadly serious business.”

    “The lives of our sailors, Marines and civilian teammates quite literally depend on the professional execution of our many missions, and they also depend on the ongoing faith and support of the people we serve and the allies we serve alongside,” the letter said.

    He added: “Unfortunately, it has become apparent that in this respect, I no longer share the same understanding with the commander in chief who appointed me, in regards to the key principle of good order and discipline. I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took.”

  3. wapo editorial board: 

    Trump undercuts his military leadership — and dishonors troops who uphold our values

    […]

    Mr. Trump has taken his cues, as The Post’s Dan Lamothe and Josh Dawsey detailed, not from information provided by Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper or other senior officials, but rather from Fox News and other right-wing media. The legal team for Chief Gallagher, according to The Post’s David Ignatius, included two friends of the president who are also former partners of his personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani. The message: Why worry about chain of command, discipline and obedience when what matters is having the right connections?

    Most offensive is what Mr. Trump’s actions say about his view of the military. “We train our boys to be killing machines, then prosecute them when they kill!,” he tweeted in October when he announced he would review these cases. Perhaps Mr. Trump has watched too many bad war movies, but if he were to consult with his military leaders or talk to the many fine men and women in uniform, they would tell him they are trained to engage in combat while following the laws of war and upholding the country’s ideals.

  4. It really pains me to have such a dumb shit as president. Bone spurs has no idea what the fuck the laws of war are.

  5. I suggest that every individual who has received an Article 15 (non-judicial punishment from their unit commander) request formal review and relief from the Commander-in-Chief. Send  the results of their requests to their local media and the Air Force/Army/Navy/Marine Corps Times as appropriate.

    I estimate that the number of serving members that have received Article 15s to be around 100,000. But, fair is fair.

  7. The Chiefs’ Lounge in Navy clubs are generally very pleasant places to socialize. I suspect a lot of chiefs will cut their visits short if Gallagher enters.

  8. And slowly we go another step toward totalitarianism. SFB tries to control the courts and now is controlling the military. Not good.

    “Trump’s attempt to manipulate military justice” Seems it’s more than an attempt.  Seems he did it & will put in place another of his loyal puppets .

     

    “hair on fire!”

  10. Trump puts innocent children in cages (on your dime), and gives war-criminals lifetime pensions (on your dime).

     

    How in the heck is his approval rating above 2%?

  13. The Rudy G world is getting interesting.  Why is SFB letting Barr let the DOJ dig into RG’s world?  Something is going on that is not apparent to me.

  14. Mr Pogo, I have no doubt that Bama can squash Auburn. None. zip. However, would LSU lose the Championship ? Hmmmm.

    The Gophers have to defeat Wisconsin to meet the nuts. If the Gophers can play like they did against the Penn State Molesters, we’ll beat WI and get a chance for Ohio to pound us. Otherwise, the nuts will have to dine on badger meat.

    Good Luck to ya’ll !

  15. Regarding Mr Flatus 9:58 post : Hilarious. But could the pardons be construed as buying votes ? If so, he’ll get it all done by election day. If there’s nothing in it for him, he’ll turn to more profitable misdeeds.

  16. Breeding disorder and disobedience in the Navy is just what dr putin ordered. It worked so well for lenin in 1917.

  17. I must say, Michael “Mike” Bloomberg’s ad is really good.  He answers arguments Bernie & Warren will have about his wealth (he says he’s for a wealth tax), while taking a different stance on healthcare.  He targets the economy and the climate.   The best part is the Voldemort treatment of SFB; he’s just referred to as “him.”   (Really, if SFB’s last name disappeared from the universe, that would be fine with me.)

  19. BB – I think SFB wants dirt on Rooody because Rooody has said he has a “insurance policy” to make sure SFB doesn’t throw him under the bus.     They’re beginning to eat their own.

  21. Time for a fun night.  U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of Washington has rejected the “I am dictator/king/queen/SFB so my cult members do not have to testify to the Congress” argument.  Tonight should be interesting to see the social media horse apples put out by Miller and SFB.

  22. Too much crap going on in the world today, thank God for youtube.

    Emmy Lou, Dolly and Linda in 1999

  31. Linda, totally unable to sing, sold out a venue in San Fran, people just coming to hear her talk and answer questions.

  33. When Linda sang Blue Bayou, I knew she still loved me, despite Different Drum.

    sigh.

    (SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, DON’T TELL SWEETIE !)

  34. I was hoping Conan would bite SFB.  They had to bring out Pence to actually interact with the dog.  SFB & Melanoma aren’t animal people, it seems.  Can’t say they care much for humans, either.

  35. Some times I think it takes age to appreciate Linda’s talent.

    She always pops up on my youtube feed.

    Jack

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