Biden won't do it, but a future U.S. president is going to have to bring U.S. generals to heel.

I've been thinking this ever since the mess of Task Force Hawk in 1999 in the Balkans.

Overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task_Force_Hawk

President Clinton ordered 24 AH-64 Apache helicopters to deploy to the region. Many in the U.S. military opposed this as Apaches are used mainly to support ground troops and they figured this deployment was the first move in ground troops being sent to the Balkans. Something by and large opposed by the U.S. military hierarchy.

So what did they do? The U.S. military upper brass threw all kinds of obstacles in the way of the deployment. The helicopters were in Germany and could've flown to the area in a matter of hours.

Instead it took FOUR MONTHS for them to arrive.

The current thing with General Milley underscores that the upper officers of the U.S. military have got to have it made clear to them that they don't make policy. No matter what they interpret their duty to be it isn't their job.

Unless U.S. generals (and admirals) have that made absolutely clear to them and face consequences for failing to comply, the U.S. is going to be in all kinds of worlds of hurt in the future.

 

Reading the link, sounds like there were a lot of logistic challenges(Austria and the Swiss), not to mention the need for the Italians to set up the road for the Apaches, but clearly there was also political dissent within the ranks. It's ironic that Kosovo in US History is a relatively minor footnote. No terrorists came from there, no real long term US policy was enacted and whether we stopped a genocide there is debatable.

 

U.S. Generals have a clear understanding of their job. General Milley was NOT making policy; he was protecting the Constitution from Donald Judas tRump, and his CIC from himself.

 

I for one am happy as a pig in **** that our military leaders are not just YES men for the president regardless of who is in the White House.
Putting the country first should be their goal, not the presidential office holder.

 

So basically you two are fine with what amounts to military rule in the United States. Because that is the inevitable course you are suggesting.

 

I don't think futures presidents will have to worry about generals having to babysit them so they don't start WW3 just because they think it will get them re-elected. Like they had to do with Trump.

Not in our lifetimes, at least.

 

This sort of depends. If the general might get a demotion vs all life might end I sort of know what I'd do.

Of course most conservatives just know they're going to spend eternity with Jesus, and seem anxious to get started.

 

Milley WAS a following precedent. Precedent set by James Schlesinger with Nixon

 

How well do you know your Republican friends?

 

Nope. I would rather there were safeguards - it has happened twice and the world got lucky - we may not be lucky a third time

 

The claims about President Nixon are grossly exaggerated.

 

Prove it

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-most-patriotic-act-of-treason-in-american-history

https://www.politico.com/magazine/s...d-trump-nuclear-weapons-richard-nixon-215478/
https://www.armscontrol.org/act/201...-checks-presidential-nuclear-launch-authority

Now ask yourself - if Kamala were to become president would you trust her to be the sole person in charge of the nuclear option?

 

This is true they do not call the president Commander in Chief for nothing.

But much like any law when there are no consequences there is no incentive to obey the law

 

Still going with that silly worn out talking point that Trump is somehow a warmonger?

At some point it's okay to say that I embraced a lie and let it go.

 

their hands have already been tied, look at the last 20 years, the generals would have won this war.... but no one wanted that to really happen as it would have been a very bloody war - look how the public responded to the civilians deaths we did have under Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden

no one wants that kinda blood on our hands

 

I doubt that.

 

No it isn't That's ridiculous nonsense.

It does suggest that just maybe giving the ability to literally end the world to a raving loony might not be the wisest course of action but hey, that's the modern Republican Party fer ya

 

why didn't trump do this. only he was "smarter than the generals." and didn't he claim that only he knew how to win in afghanastan?

generals have been known to fight "the last war" since long before gen lee ordered picket's men to suicidally charge into massed union artillery. the sure sign that the great neo conservative "forever war" was lost was when the generals best idea was arming and training our enemies (the failed strategy formerly known as "vietnamization." )

here is a great list, which should have been a good start.

List Of Military Elite Purged And Fired Under Obama (rense.com)

 

nuclear rapture!

 

What did Hitler and YOUR biggest *LOSER* have in common?

They BOTH believed that they were SMARTER and KNEW more than their Generals.

That was WHY Germany LOST in WW2 because Hitler was NOT smarter and did NOT know more than his generals.

YOUR biggest *LOSER* is one of the DUMBEST cretins to ever INFEST the Oval office.

If he HAD started another war it would have been a WORSE disaster than those started by Bush/Cheney.

Our generals are SMARTER and way better INFORMED than YOUR biggest *LOSER*.

Gen Milley was doing his DUTY to PROTECT our nation from DOMESTIC ENEMY #1 who was stinking up the Whitehouse at that time.

FACTS matter!

 

You're right, the whole thing is silly as ****, but then there was a whole series of books on this just this thing very recently and they were best sellers for weeks

 

Great do we get to do the same thing to democratic presidents? I’m sure there are still some conservative members of the military in high up positions.

 

What are you talking about?

 

One big Godwin goose egg, and some over the top hyperbole, hilariously followed by “Facts matter.”

A balanced person could make this **** up if the tried.

 

This is quite true. Hitler was possibly among the greatest geniuses at world conquest that have existed in the modern world but it was DIPLOMATIC conquest, not military. Once he usurped his generals on the battlefield Germany began losing the war.