February 28, 2017
Trump just blamed the military for the botched Yemen raid. That's a disgrace.
Most Americans thought little of President Harry Truman when he ascended to the White House in April 1945. Six months later, they thought even less, as the nation’s economy slowed at the end of World War II and the nation woke up to the dangers of the Cold War. To encourage the new president, and remind him of the awesome responsibility for the nation that rested atop his shoulders, an old friend sent Truman a sign made by federal prisoners in Oklahoma, emblazoned on the back with “I’m from MISSOURI,” and on the front with “The BUCK STOPS here!”
Seventy-two years later, perhaps we should play Taps for the notion that the buck stops on the president’s desk. In an interview with Fox & Friends Tuesday, President Donald Trump refused to accept responsibility for the risky special operations raid in Yemen earlier this month that resulted in the death of Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens.
Never mind the fact that Trump personally approved and ordered this flawed raid; never mind the fact that he personally signaled during his campaign that he wanted to order more aggressive counterterrorism actions like this. When things went bad, it was the fault of the military — not Trump.
Read the full article at Vox.
More from CNAS
-
Episode 7: Kate Kuzminski, CNAS
Podcast
Kate Kuzminski is Deputy Director of Studies and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). She is an expert on ...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
School of War Ep 150: Katherine Kuzminski on the Draft
Podcast
Katherine Kuzminski, Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at CNAS, joins the show to discuss recruiting and mass mobilization in the event of war. Listen t...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
The Melting Fortress: The United States, Canada, and the Race Against Time in the Arctic
Commentary
For years, Moscow has prioritized the Arctic as a critical pillar of its national security, opening or refurbishing over 50 military bases and scaling up military operations a...
By Andrew Spafford & Samantha Olson
-
U.S. military must reinforce Guam's crumbling infrastructure
Commentary
In Guam, one is quickly struck by the juxtaposition of crystal-clear waters with crumbling infrastructure and abandoned cars strewn across the small Pacific island. Following ...
By Taren Sylvester & Evan Wright
