Axios takes a look at an American ‘Cowboy’ President that wants the troops brought home….
BUT?
Wants the rules gone from when they get in the fight…
Trump has held the same views about war crimes and torture for years — and being commander in chief has not changed him. He believes that previous presidents have been far too eager to send Americans to war, but that once they’ve been deployed, these soldiers should be free to treat enemies brutally.
- Trump’s views on this subject flared up again last week. He clashed with Pentagon brass when he cleared three soldiers who have been accused or convicted of war crimes.
- Pentagon leaders had privately argued that the president’s intervention in these cases would undercut the code of military justice.
Trump has told advisers that the U.S. military became too politically correct under President Obama and that he wanted to unleash them to fight with “toughness,” without these burdensome rules of engagement.
- Trump’s immutable views on this subject have put him at odds with Pentagon leadership more than once. From the outset, Trump disagreed with former Defense Secretary James Mattis over the effectiveness of waterboarding.
- Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, captured the widespread concerns in a tweet earlier this year: “Absent evidence of innocence or injustice the wholesale pardon of US servicemembers accused of war crimes signals our troops and allies that we don’t take the Law of Armed Conflict seriously. Bad message. Bad precedent. Abdication of moral responsibility. Risk to us.”…
Note…
Donald Trump, who has never gone in harms way is doing something that could come back to put American troops in a worst position should they have the misfortune of being in situations they do NOT control…
Senior US Military Boses know this and are again overused on policy….
As in other things?
Trump has little regard for norms or the rules…
image…politifact.com
… needless to say this gives bad actors around the world a crediblem, convenient excuse for mistreating or killing Americans, especially those in the armed forces, Foreign Service, Peace Corps and A.I.D.
While chivalry and genuine moral ethics played a very big role in establishing the Hague Conventions and Geneva Conventions, a huge reason that nations observe those understandings is protecting their own vulnerable combatants and civilians.
Amen DSD….
The men and woman in uniform WILL continue to follow the rules….
Senior military bosses will ALSO…
This isn’t the first time Trump has pushed his ‘cowboy mentality ‘