One thing that has become very clear about Trump as commander-in-chief is that he loves adulation and basks in success. But he shuns any responsibility when things don't go well.
Take the recent deaths of four U.S. special forces soldiers in Niger, for example. Trump went days without mentioning it; and, when finally pushed for comment by reporters, he was quick to make clear that he "wasn't the one to specifically order" the mission. "I have generals -- they are great generals. . . . I gave them the authority to do what's right so that we win. That's the authority they have," Trump is quoted as saying.
And indeed he did, early on, turn over military decision-making to "my generals." Given Trump's lack of experience and judgment, that may be the lesser of two evils; but it evades the honorable position that the one at the top accepts responsibility. Of even more concern is that his abdication of commander-in-chief responsibility violates the traditions of ultimate civilian control of our military.
Take the recent deaths of four U.S. special forces soldiers in Niger, for example. Trump went days without mentioning it; and, when finally pushed for comment by reporters, he was quick to make clear that he "wasn't the one to specifically order" the mission. "I have generals -- they are great generals. . . . I gave them the authority to do what's right so that we win. That's the authority they have," Trump is quoted as saying.
And indeed he did, early on, turn over military decision-making to "my generals." Given Trump's lack of experience and judgment, that may be the lesser of two evils; but it evades the honorable position that the one at the top accepts responsibility. Of even more concern is that his abdication of commander-in-chief responsibility violates the traditions of ultimate civilian control of our military.
Former National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor says that, unlike Obama who always took responsibility for deaths of servicemen overseas, Trump does not. "Every time he's asked to comment on casualties or an operation that goes badly, he pushes responsibility onto his military leadership. It's weak and cowardly and shows a lack of accountability," Vietor said.
The awful, terrorist truck attack on pedestrians and bicyclists in lower Manhattan on Halloween is another example. Trump wasted no time, not even waiting for the facts, in blaming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for supporting the visa program under which the truck driver, Sayfullo Saipov, immigrated from Uzbekistan to our country in 2010.
Of course, it's red meat for his rabid base, but how vapid and useless is Trump's attempt to politicize this tragedy. Yes, the truck driver, who killed eight and injured many more, left a note in the truck pledging allegiance to ISIS. But, without even waiting for the facts, to call for immigration policy changes is irresponsible and harmful to peaceful Muslims whose cooperation we need.
Saipov came to live in the U.S. in 2010 under a visa lottery program that encourages people from countries with a low rate of immigration to the U.S. There was nothing in Saipov's background to point to a risk when he came to live here seven years ago. He became radicalized while living here legally. Tighter vetting in 2010 would not have excluded him.
What a striking contrast is Trump's response when the attacker is Muslim. Donald Trump, the president, has publicly called for the death penalty for Saipov. That may not be what the courts decide; but one prosecutor has said that such a statement from the president could make it difficult for the accused to get a fair trial. And, even though he is not an American citizen, we do still grant our rule of law to non-citizens living in the U.S.
Look at the difference in Trump's attitude when a White Supremacist made a similar vehicular attack on a crowd at their rally in Charlottesville. Does anyone remember the president calling for extreme vetting of white supremacists or neo-Nazi or Alt-Right groups? No, in fact, he went out of his way to "normalize" them, saying that a lot of people in their group were "good people" who came out to protest removing their "heritage" statues. And I don't remember Trump calling for the death penalty for that young white man who used his car to mow down a crowd.
Nor did Trump call for changing laws that allow converting AK-15s into rapid-fire machine guns -- after the Dallas massacre. With Donald Trump, it's all about keeping his dwindling base close and supplying their vital nutrients of fear and hatred of "those others" -- so he can play the demagogue in exchange for their roars of approval and their votes.
Ralph
The awful, terrorist truck attack on pedestrians and bicyclists in lower Manhattan on Halloween is another example. Trump wasted no time, not even waiting for the facts, in blaming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for supporting the visa program under which the truck driver, Sayfullo Saipov, immigrated from Uzbekistan to our country in 2010.
Of course, it's red meat for his rabid base, but how vapid and useless is Trump's attempt to politicize this tragedy. Yes, the truck driver, who killed eight and injured many more, left a note in the truck pledging allegiance to ISIS. But, without even waiting for the facts, to call for immigration policy changes is irresponsible and harmful to peaceful Muslims whose cooperation we need.
Saipov came to live in the U.S. in 2010 under a visa lottery program that encourages people from countries with a low rate of immigration to the U.S. There was nothing in Saipov's background to point to a risk when he came to live here seven years ago. He became radicalized while living here legally. Tighter vetting in 2010 would not have excluded him.
What a striking contrast is Trump's response when the attacker is Muslim. Donald Trump, the president, has publicly called for the death penalty for Saipov. That may not be what the courts decide; but one prosecutor has said that such a statement from the president could make it difficult for the accused to get a fair trial. And, even though he is not an American citizen, we do still grant our rule of law to non-citizens living in the U.S.
Look at the difference in Trump's attitude when a White Supremacist made a similar vehicular attack on a crowd at their rally in Charlottesville. Does anyone remember the president calling for extreme vetting of white supremacists or neo-Nazi or Alt-Right groups? No, in fact, he went out of his way to "normalize" them, saying that a lot of people in their group were "good people" who came out to protest removing their "heritage" statues. And I don't remember Trump calling for the death penalty for that young white man who used his car to mow down a crowd.
Nor did Trump call for changing laws that allow converting AK-15s into rapid-fire machine guns -- after the Dallas massacre. With Donald Trump, it's all about keeping his dwindling base close and supplying their vital nutrients of fear and hatred of "those others" -- so he can play the demagogue in exchange for their roars of approval and their votes.
Ralph
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