Buh bye, SecNAV. Now there's some more insubordinate brass that needs to get polished right out the door, including the CNO (hey, it's his show, and his command seems to be spending more time contradicting the Commander-in-Chief than - you know - learning how to drive boats so they don't run into everything in the Pacific Ocean).
Supporting evidence for this is in today's newspaper which tells me that "senior Navy personnel" said that Trump's tweet wasn't an order to knock that shit off* and which said that people were working to "defuse" the conflict between the President and the Navy. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? The man doesn't want to hear "But Sir ..." he wants to hear "Yes, Sir!" Maybe the CNO never heard that one before, but he will.
We can also add in RADM Whatshisname at SEAL Command. I can't remember a more clear example of insubordination as this "Oh yeah we're going to take his Trident", following hard on the Charlie Foxtrot that was a Courts-Martial including perjury, the Navy's "star" witness admitting that no, he was the one that killed the Tango, and the prosecuting JAGs tapping the defense counsel's phone (!!!). Incompetent and insubordinate in equal measure. Trump should bust him in rank and let him know he's luck that he's not facing time in Leavenworth.
And I've already said that the top three levels of command in the Navy JAG command should all get fired.
* Trump's tweet was in the great tradition of Z-Grams.
From my understanding, the tweets were just the tip of the communications iceberg that the gentlemen in question ignored.
ReplyDeleteI think the pardon and restoration of Chief Gallagher was kinda a big 'Knock it off and do your damned jobs' message and they should have got the clue, but, in the tradition of the ObamaNavy, they kept pushing and pushing and pushing.
And it's an issue all across the military. The entrenched are so used to dealing with politicians they can't understand having a decisive and forthright Commander in Chief.
Not since President Truman has a CiC been so open about dealing with the admirals and generals, and we all know what he did (like or hate MacArthur, his openly complaining and going against Truman's orders were the cause of his own downfall. Sometimes one just needs to shut up and soldier, and Doug didn't, therefore, bu-bye...)
It will be interesting to see the fallout. Will we see a bunch of resignations and retirements, or will the Deep State Military stay and continue to wage guerilla war against the President.
Now do Lt. Col. Vidkun Quisling Vindman. With a trebuchet. Into shark-infested waters.
I have been in the position of having to say to a superior "sir, please put that order in writing." It's never a good place to be, but if your boss is ordering you to seriously violate protocols of some kind, then the boss has to put his own nuts on the line.
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