The Mattis Repercussions - WSJ Editorial
(snip)
The more lasting damage will derive from the shoddy, humiliating way Mr. Trump treated the secretary and his generals on such a core military issue as deployments in Syria. Jim Mattis is not some neoconservative bent on staying in Syria for years. He is less hawkish on Syria and Iran than national security adviser John Bolton or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Yet in deciding to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria, Mr. Trump acted on his own impulses with little more than cursory consultation with his military advisers. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has let it be known he wasnt consulted at all. A month ago Gen. Dunford told Congress that Islamic State wasnt defeated, but on Thursday Mr. Trump declared victory.
Its one thing to advise a President and be overruled. But it undercuts the Pentagons authority to learn after the fact that the Commander in Chief has acted without so much as fare thee well. As Gen. Dunfords immediate supervisor in the chain of command, Mr. Mattis must have been embarrassed as well.
This is about more than two egos, though both the general and Mr. Mattis are modest men. This is about the message Mr. Trump is sending to the men and women under their command. He is telling soldiers that he will act on uninformed impulse, after a phone conversation from a Turkish dictator, without deliberation or due respect. Mr. Trump should know that tens of thousands of his deplorables are in uniform or are veterans. He has stuck a finger in their eye.
Then there is the disdain his Syrian withdrawal shows for allies, especially the Kurds and Arabs in the Syrian Democratic Forces. These have been our ground forces in clearing out the Islamic State caliphate. They took the casualties. Yet now, and without any warning, the U.S. President is telling these comrades-in-arms to fend for themselves. If they are slaughtered by Turkish tanks or Iranian barrel bombs, Mr. Trump will share responsibility.
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mattis-repercussions-11545436055 (paid subscription)
Irishxs
(622 posts)calimary
(81,322 posts)We HAVE TO get him OUT of there! OUT of power. Even if it means were stuck with Pence. The Asset is growing more reckless seemingly by the hour.
Silver Gaia
(4,544 posts)Just wondering who I'm reading. Thanks!
question everything
(47,487 posts)The day before they had an editorial titled
The Trump Volatility Risks
about the stock market and concluded
Mr. Trump should take this weeks big market selloff seriously as a useful warning. The successful disruptions of the Presidents first year emerged from planned strategies executed by allies in the government and Congress. His erratic actions this week are different. Heading into 2019 and divided government, Mr. Trump is acting less like a confident disturber of the status quo and more like a raging bull.