Posted on 10/22/2019 12:56:28 PM PDT by robowombat
Who the Hell Do They Think They Are?
With William McRaven’s call to oust President Trump—maybe through impeachment, maybe through a coup—the military officer class joins the establishment in claiming a right to rule, regardless of the outcome of elections.
Angelo Codevilla - October 19th, 2019
Retired Admiral William McRaven devoted the bulk of a New York Times op-ed to appropriating for himself the moral and hence political authority of generations of soldiers and sailors (pointedly, especially the female ones) who have sacrificed for America, for “the good and the right.” Then he gratuitously stated—citing no specifics, as if everyone already knows—that “President Trump seems to believe that all these qualities are unimportant or show weakness.”
McRaven concludes, “it is time for a new person in the Oval Office—Republican, Democrat or independent—the sooner, the better.” At the very least, McRaven called for impeachment ahead of an election, or perhaps for a coup, and pretended to do so on the military’s behalf. In fact, his was just one more voice from an establishment that has squandered the public’s trust, senses that it can no longer win elections honestly, and is pulling out all the stops.
It pretends to be trying to take down Donald Trump. In fact, it is trying to do something much bigger: Invalidate the votes of the “deplorables” who oppose them.
I suggest that the just response from self-respecting Americans to McRaven and others like him is: “Who the hell do you think you are?”
Consider the enormity of pretending to speak for past and present uniformed personnel. Given that the overwhelming majority of active-duty and retired armed service members voted for Trump in 2016, and that polls show they are likely to do so again, it’s a patent falsehood to insinuate the rank-and-file’s notion of “the good and the right” matches McRaven’s own.
- Do I have any confetti in my hair? 00:00 McRaven’s essay merely, and dishonestly, adds to the united ruling class’s effort to attack Donald Trump outside of constitutional procedures by feeding the media’s production of innuendos. Then consider a few of these notions of “good and right.” Following rules and the chain of command is high among them, especially for the military. Officers are supposed to obey superiors. That authority flows from the president. Why? Because only the president is elected by the whole people, and because the Constitution, which they are sworn to “uphold and defend,” says so. If officers cannot abide superiors, they are supposed to resign their commissions.
But McRaven and a host of senior officers do not resign. They subvert.
The Constitution prescribes all manner of procedures by which any and all who dissent from the president can counter him, including legislation, overriding vetoes, and impeachment. But McRaven’s essay merely, and dishonestly, adds to the united ruling class’s effort to attack Donald Trump outside of these constitutional procedures by feeding the media’s production of innuendos.
The Democratic Party pretends to be trying to impeach. But they know, since any Republican who joins them would be ending his career in elective politics (not, alas, in the establishment), that they have zero chance of removing Trump from office.
They hope, however, that the sheer weight of innuendos—regardless of how implausible—will turn the 2020 election because the media allows no contradiction. That is why they are conducting what they call an impeachment campaign via secret testimony, the content of which the public can know only through what the Democrats and the media say through selective leaking. This is the patent dishonesty to which the former admiral prostitutes himself.
Even as McRaven brays for removing the president, he pretends solicitude for “the republic.” But remember: the American republic is founded on the will of the people, expressed by elections. The foremost thing to keep in mind about what is happening in Washington is that it is, above all, an attempt to subordinate the will of the people, expressed in elections, to the will of the ruling class, expressed through its control of social and political institutions.
The American people’s proper and just reaction should be to remind the ruling class that as Alexander Hamilton said, “here, the people rule,” and hence pointedly to ask our would-be rulers what they have done that we should follow them?
McRaven really does speak for a substantial percentage of senior military officers. Their views are on display nightly on Fox News. It is time for the American people to realize that these, like their counterparts in the intelligence agencies, are no heroes.
If we ask what they have done for us that we should have confidence in them, we realize that these people have lost every war they have waged since 1945. Accommodating themselves to our corrupt ruling class, they have been happy enough to wage endless no-win wars which have killed as many Americans as did World War I. The current military dictionary has no entry for “victory.”
Most recently, thousands of Americans have been killed and maimed in Iraq and Afghanistan because senior officers did not object to the ruling class’s desire to use U.S. forces to settle foreign quarrels by operating in constantly replenished minefields. Living in minefields violates basic military common sense and ethics. But senior officers have prospered. Intertwined with the ruling class, they end their careers on defense contractors’ corporate boards and in villas on the golf course. Now, as part of the ruling class, they join in claiming a right to rule us deplorables regardless of elections. We can thank McRaven for making that clear.
This ex-draftee is inclined to salute them with the middle finger.
Angelo Codevilla
Angelo M. Codevilla is a senior fellow of the Claremont Institute, professor emeritus of international relations at Boston University
The mCraven admiral has shown his colors, and quite possibly violated the UCMJ as a retired flag rank officer.
My bet is this chump never drove an IED infested road and never patrolled sniper infested villages.
They think they are our rulers.
And, so far, they’re getting away with it.
. . . defend against enemies, both foreign and domestic.
Proof it is time for an inquisition to purge the traitors from the ranks of government. This is incomprehensible. . . and intolerable.
“...My bet is this chump never drove an IED infested road and never patrolled sniper infested villages....”
Damn straight. The POS is one of the commie “perfumed princes” that abound in the upper echelons of the military.
The POS would order U.S. citizens to be fired upon in a heartbeat.
bttt
Sad to say I know other vets who have turned against the oath they swore to uphold. For me, it is traitorous to do so. I guess they feel it’s their duty to be an opposing force.
McRaven has openly acknowledged that the U.S. military is basically a mercenary force that is to be put in the service of foreign interests. And that a U.S. President who does not believe this should be removed from office.
Hopefully that will be the last time I get any grief from a Freeper who criticizes me for my outright refusal to join the U.S. military when the opportunity presented itself years ago.
Good post by you, and good op-ed by Angelo Codevilla.
Few people appreciate the utter contempt our elected and appointend officials have for the US Constitution — all the while swearing they are upholding it.
Middle finger to them is too little and too good.
REMF
The answer is "no, they won't", at least until they get a proverbial smack across the face that knocks them back so hard it might take a generation or two for them to try again.
Hopefully that is what Barr and Durham are working on. Because if what Barr is doing is theater, anyone who values liberty may have their remaining choices picked for them, all of them bleak.
McRaven, you dishonor specifically Navy SEALs and generally military personnel of the United States of America...
The admiral is a dope.
For that reason, I wouldn't bank on anything really damning from either Barr and Dunham. What they will probably focus on are violations of internal DOJ staff protocols and other trivia. Bureaucracy , civilian or military or police, is always duplicitous and hate candor.
I wish it was that simple. Stupid flag and general officers are not unusual. McRaven is a certified member of the permanent government class. That means he and all other such as Brennan are automatically given GHB (Great Human Being) lifetime status. No matter how corrupt or vicious they are the inner party are always GHB’s , or at least given a free pass out of trouble. In the early 1980’s a pretty senior Member of Congress from NYC was allowed to avoid any prosecution for a massive number of child molestation charges and having a vast kiddie porn library. He did have leave Congress and nothing more was ever said about Rep Freaky. What was printed was once on Page A-16. The guy was really rich and a certified GHB,
IMHO this sort of thing is really serious. A high ranking flag officer, albeit retired, has publicly called for the President to be overthrown by a coup. Politics aside, the global impact of such an action would be really catastrophic, Constitutionally it would be bald faced treason rewarded. I remember , sort of, all the things you were told you couldn’t do or say once you swore the enlistment oath. It was clear that for military people and for career officers whether active duty or retired, had their First Amendment rights somewhat circumscribed. I am still astonished a flag officer would put such ideas into public print. The subordination of the armed forces to the civilian government and head of state is foundational constitutional theory in the US. Whatever private views McRaven has , what was he thinking about to do such a thing. Doesn’t the OCS curriculum cover this basic concept any more?
Heck -- the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont were heroes of the American Revolution ... and yet 18 months after they won the Battle of Ticonderoga the Continental Congress was pushing George Washington to send troops up to Vermont to subdue them.
Try for treason. Strip of all rank and retirement benefits.
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