Contrary to what former Secretary of Defense Esper and guys like Mark Milley seem to think, it’s not their job to keep the president in line. They’re there to enact the policies of civilian elected officials. If they don’t agree with those policies, they have a right to refuse and to resign. Instead we get yet another memoir full of stories from guys who were being paid to protect America, but instead seemed to spend much of their time protecting the enemy.
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CBS in an interview broadcast Sunday he helped prevent a series of “dangerous things that could have taken the country in a dark direction” during his time in the Trump administration.
Driving the news: When CBS’ Norah O’Donnell asked Esper during the “60 Minutes” interview for examples, he cited a proposal to “take military action against Venezuela,” to “strike Iran” and, “at one point, somebody proposed we blockade Cuba.”
JFK?
Those are options that POTUS has at his disposal. We could discuss the whole issue of authorization of the use of force, but that’s not Esper’s issue. He assumes that these were all terrible ideas and that it was his job to obstruct him. A job that no one had elected him to do.
This is the same guy who is equally baffled and horrified by the idea of taking out drug labs in Mexico or using the military to protect the border.
If only Esper had spent as much time laboring to protect America as he did wearing his shocked face at the idea that Trump might actually want to put some of his campaign proposals into action.
CogitoErgoSum says
He obviously thinks being Secretary of Defense means defending the borders of every country in the world except for the U.S. Some people might think the best defense is a good offense, but others, like Esper, think that a good defense is not to have any offense at all. I’ve never won a game of any kind by using a purely defensive strategy and today, we in the U.S. are being played for fools.
Infidel says
Once President Trump or Ron DeSantis or anyone else comes to power, they should consider for Defense Secretary Col Doug McGregor, who agrees on pulling US troops out of most places and would execute Trump’s wishes. The problem w/ the last term was that neither Secretary Mattis nor Secretary Esper thought that it was their job to execute the president’s final decision on these issues
gravenimage says
Ex-Secretary of Defense Spent More Time Protecting America’s Enemies Than America
…………………
Wo can really be surprised by this? Mark Esper never seemed to be much concerned with the defense of America.
He was enraged over supposed suggestions that Al Baghdadi’s head be dipped in pigs’ blood, referring to it as a potential “war crime”. I’ve never heard him speak out so forcefully against *actual* terrorism. President Trump said this exchange never happened, and called Esper “a moron”.
Whatever the truth of this, this seems an odd focus for Esper.
Wellington says
Esper is despicable—the short and long of it. Can’t stand the man.