Posted on 12/15/2018 6:55:20 AM PST by DoodleDawg
Larry Bailey, sanctimoniously quibbles over details and exaggerates their importance, to denigrate one of the better men that we have in public service.
The bottom line is that Ryan Zinke was a long serving Navy Seal, and deserves respect for that. Compare a career Navy Seal to a corrupt urban Democrat Party machine operative for a better perspective.
Bailey makes a big deal about abusing travel accounts, without pointing out that is was the Special Operations culture of the time to use them like that - it was so widespread that it was normalized, and Ryan Zinke was one of many who were caught up when fashions changed on what Spec Operators were allowed to do with travel funds.
But all that was long after old man Larry Bailey had retired, so he is naturally out of touch with that. Larry Bailey was in the Navy before Ryan Zinke was born, and retired before the Gulf War. He has been lunching out on criticizing others ever since.
Getting a Bronze Star for “combat” without pulling a trigger is also a common thing - much, much more common than getting one for Valor. Almost all officers who deploy to combat zones get them, just for serving in war zone. Far from being somehow deceptive, it just shows that you deployed. Saying it is for “combat” is a commonly used expression.
Bitter old man Bailey just has to keep cutting everyone else down, to keep bucking himself up.
Or Bristol gets pregnant!
I also know this. When Ryan Zinke was campaigning for office here in Montana no Navy Seals stood by his side.
Make of that what you will.
I read he was yet another Trump supporter damaged by the cost of fighting against Swamp lawfare.
He’d lose it. There are federal codes disallowing it.
Article 2 Section 2 clearly gives POTUS the sole power to make appointments. Congress can't make up rules to infringe on that Executive power.
While Don Jr.'s nomination as Secretary of Interior would require Senate approval, it is NOT a violation of Federal law for the President to put him up for for the job, or for Junior to work in the administration.
There is. A person posted it in the thread.
Hint: If you think some federal code supersedes the US Constitution in this matter...you're wrong.
So; select Ted Nugent!
That alone is often a warning light.
The few Seals I have known maintain a tight brotherhood.
Things that make you go. “Hmmmm!”.
“When Ryan Zinke was campaigning for office here in Montana no Navy Seals stood by his side.”
How many Seals are there even in Montana? Damn few.
It is more of an Army oriented market for recruiting, and only a tiny sliver of Navy recruits go into the Seals. There only enough people in Montana for one Congressional district, and about half of them are female. The great bulk of men (even in Montana) never serve in the military at all. Only about 250 per year complete Seal training (good on Ryan Zinke). I’d guess that Montana doesn’t get one every year - maybe not even most years.
Congressional races don’t generally draw people from outside the district (Senate races often do). Even someone from one side of that Congressional district (which covers the entire huge State) would be hard pressed to show up on the other side for a rally.
Congressional candidates (who are not already holding the seat, with a publicly paid staff) typically stump alone, or with a skeleton staff of volunteers. An entire Congressional campaign for a challenger might have a total budget of $500,000 (Incumbents three times that).
You live here in Montana, BeauBo?
Because I do. And if Ryan had support in his Seal community there would have been some Seals from somewhere standing by his side.
There wasn’t.
And Montana has one of the highest veteran to populations ratios in our nation.
You have shown your knowledge of Montana is lacking. You should stick to what you know ... whatever that is. So you can argue with somebody else. For me, you are a waste of time.
“The great bulk of men (even in Montana) never serve in the military at all.”
Fact.
Face them like a man.
Have you served in the military? Because I have, in three wars, including Iraq, where Ryan Zinke was Deputy Commander of the JSOTF, and Special Operators were out every night hunting.
Are the Democrats going to dredge up someone to try to besmirch an effective Republican? Of course they will (you are helping!). They ALWAYS do.
The fact that this is all the have to throw at him (he got one caveat statement about his travel (TAD) account, in an evaluation that otherwise assessed him as “Early Promote” overall - the highest possible) is a real credit to him - even if it did side track his career in the Navy. Retiring as an O-5 is considered “fully successful”, and his discharge at retirement was fully honorable.
Even the NY Times said “There is no doubt that Mr. Zinke was well liked and a rising star in the SEALs before the travel expenses episode.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/us/politics/ryan-zinke-navy-seal.html
Ryan Zinke Served in Seal Team Six, for at least one full tour. Here is a clue for you - that is kind of a big deal. His critics (including you) poo poo that service as a mark against him, because he wasn’t the commander, or didn’t get the highest medal, or some other (frankly) nonsense. Political spin.
Even the NY Times (same article) quotes one of his Seal supporters (who you apparently don’t believe exist, because some other leftist rag printed that scurrilous lie):
“Kenneth Stethem, a retired SEAL chief petty officer who supports Mr. Zinke, said the travel issue seemed minor so many years later. “We have a saying in the teams: ‘You never shoot a high-caliber man with a low-caliber bullet,’ and that’s exactly what’s going on right here,” he said.”
The NY Times also reported that Zinke was considered by multiple Flag Officers to be on track for Admiral, before the travel problem. That would make him among the top Seal Officers of his generation, quality-wise.
But some leftist journalist prints a baseless hit piece against a Republican they want to destroy for being effective (another day at the office for them) - and you swallow it hook, line and sinker.
Have you heard that he is a racist? They will be more than willing to print that, if you will be compliant enough to uncritically spread that for them too.
P.S. Ryan Zinke was picked out for selective enforcement of travel policies during the Clinton Administration, while they were putting their political Generals and Admirals (like Wesley Clark) into place - just like the purges during Obama’s tenure.
BTW, “Damn Few” is a Seal catchphrase, used when talking about the Seals - not some intended slight against Montana.
The truth is that there are few of them overall, and few assigned for the scale of the missions they are given, and the threats they face. Damn few.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.