Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

No one could have predicted…

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Republicans in disarray!

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

The revolution will be supervised.

Let’s finish the job.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

You are here: Home / Politics / America / Sean Davis is an Embarrassment

Sean Davis is an Embarrassment

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This is unacceptable:

Why? Because here is Vice Admiral Harward’s biography:

Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Vice Adm. Robert Harward grew up in a Navy family and graduated from the Tehran American High School in Iran. After enlisting in the Navy, he was awarded a fleet appointment to the United States Naval Academy where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1979. Harward attended the College of Naval Command and Staff, the Naval Staff College and the Armed Forces Staff College. He holds a master’s degree in international relations and strategic security affairs, served as a federal executive fellow at RAND and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for International Studies, Foreign Policy Program Seminar XXI.

Harward qualified as a surface warfare officer aboard the destroyer USS Scott (DDG 995) and then transferred to the Naval Special Warfare community. He was the “Honor Man” of Basic Underwater Demolition (BUD)/Sea, Air, Land (SEAL) class 128 and has served in both East and West coast SEAL teams.

Tours in the Naval Special Warfare community include: commander, SEAL Team 3; Assault Team leader and operations officer at Naval Special Warfare Development Group; SEAL plans officer for Commander, Amphibious Force U.S. 7th Fleet; executive officer, Naval Special Warfare Unit 1; aide-de-camp to Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command; Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSOTF) deputy commander in Bosnia; deputy commander Special Operations Command, Pacific; commander, Naval Special Warfare Group 1; and, deputy commanding general, Joint Special Operations Command.

Assignments outside of his community include a tour in the executive office of the president at the White House where he served on the National Security Council as the director of Strategy and Policy for the office of Combating Terrorism. His first flag assignment was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff representative to the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), as a member of the Senior Interagency Strategy Team. Additionally, he served as deputy commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command and most recently he served as commander of Combined Joint Interagency Task Force (CJIATF) 435 from 2009 to 2011 in Afghanistan. Harward has commanded troops in Afghanistan and Iraq over six years since Sept. 11, 2001.

Harward served as deputy commander, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM), located in Tampa, Florida.

You’ll notice that VADM Harward’s time in Iran was before the Islamic Revolution – not that Davis cares about that or wants any of his followers to know that. Rather he’d rather present innuendo to smear his target. Insinuating that VADM Harward is tainted because he grew up in Iran so he’s somehow not American enough and suspect. And that because Obama NSC Staff, which could mean everyone from the Obama NSC political appointees to the assigned military or civilian personnel, recommended him VADM Harward is politically tainted and suspect.

Davis’s tweet is disgraceful and embarrassing. He should be mocked, shamed, and shunned at every opportunity. But he’s also an example of one of the signature problems in the US today: failure to recognize that what is needed, and what is desirable, is to have the best and the brightest fill elected and appointed positions at all levels of government and across all domains of public service and policy. Not whoever simply lines up ideologically no matter how poorly suited for public service they are. Political polarization and partisanship is a reality that is not serving anyone in the US well, but it is a reality we have to navigate around. Even worse though is the willingness to accept mediocrity provided the mediocre are willing to toe the partisan line and mouth the platitudes that warm the nethers of people like Davis.

Or if you’d prefer a full professor from the Naval War College’s take on it:

* Full disclosure: while VADM Harward was assigned as the Deputy Commander at CENTCOM, I was providing cultural operations support to CENTCOM through the Command Sergeant Major/Senior Enlisted Advisor. I have never met VADM Harward.

Reader Interactions

69Comments

  2. 2.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Elizabelle: He’s a former staffer for Senator Coburn and is the owner and publisher of The Federalist, the online movement conservative magazine.

    Here’s his bio:
    https://thefederalist.com/author/seandavis/

    Sean Davis is a co-founder of The Federalist. He previously worked as an economic policy adviser to Gov. Rick Perry, as CFO of Daily Caller, and as chief investigator for Sen. Tom Coburn. He was named by The Hill as one of the top congressional staffers under the age of 35 for his role in spearheading the enactment of the law that created USASpending.gov. Sean received a BBA in finance from Texas Tech University and an MBA in finance and entrepreneurial management from the Wharton School.

  3. 3.

    dmsilev

    I was going to ask who was Sean Davis, but his Twitter bio has enough:

    Co-Founder of @FDRLST, data junkie, presidential campaign vet, former chief instigator for Sen. Tom Coburn, Wharton grad.

    “Chief instigator for Sen Tom Coburn”, whatever that is, along with “Wharton grad”.

    I guess the question really is whether he’s someone that people in the Trump admin might listen to, or is he just another one of those right-wing whackos baying in the night.

  5. 5.

    Miss Bianca

    So, I suppose ‘who the hell is Sean Davis when he’s at home?’ is a totally gauche question, right?

    But awesome laser-like fury to that rant, regardless.ETA: I see others got there before me. Now enlightened somewhat.

  7. 7.

    Cheryl Rofer

    New York Times has a scoop:

    Phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election, according to four current and former American officials.

  8. 8.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Adam L Silverman: economic adviser to a fairly obscure Oklahoma Senator? you must have left out the extensive experience with military and foreign policy

    ETA:

    @Miss Bianca: But awesome laser-like fury to that rant, regardless.

    indeed

  11. 11.

    Gin & Tonic

    I see I’m slow with the question others have: why the fuck should I care who Sean Davis is or what he thinks?

  12. 12.

    efgoldman

    I admit I am easily confused.
    I know nothing about Harward, but when his name first leaked as under consideration by the same maladministration, I wondered what was wrong with him.
    I figured, anybody considered by Amber Asshole must be tainted somehow.
    The taint is : He’s actually (over?) qualified, and maybe someone in the Obama administration liked him?

  13. 13.

    misterpuff

    Admiral Dude is SEAL Team 3, don’t WWC and RWNJ fellate them? Admiral is straight-up killer and a brain…..this is what you want/snark

    Very impressive resume……but Obama.

  14. 14.

    dmsilev

    @Cheryl Rofer: I’m going to go way out on a limb and guess that the career professionals in the intelligence community are not big fans of Trump and his minions.

  20. 20.

    ? Martin

    In the background of the Russian shitshow, ICE is now deporting DACA kids, which is against the law.

    According to the suit, when ICE officers entered his father’s home on Friday, they asked Ramirez “‘Are you legally here?’ Mr. Ramirez replied, ‘Yes, I have a work permit.’ On the recommendations of his brother (a DACA recipient who was also then present), Mr. Ramirez declined to answer additional questions at that time.”

    When taken to a processing center in Seattle, the suit says, he again informed agents about his work permit and one of the ICE agents stated: ‘It doesn’t matter, because you weren’t born in this county.’”

    DACA is still federal law. Trump has not repealed it nor have the courts.

  21. 21.

    sigaba

    This tweet isn’t about Harward, he doesn’t even mention his name. It’s about “Obama NSC Staff.” He just wanted to get a ding in on them, Harward is just a prop. Readers of The Federalist don’t care if someone gets their facts wrong as long as hey have the right enemies.

    STOP FUCKING AUTOCORRECTING THAT NAME IPHONE!

  24. 24.

    dr. bloor

    @efgoldman: Tehran High is a decided step up from his other possibilities had he remained there. Rogers High (eek) or, wait for it–Portsmouth Abbey, which happens to be Sean Sphincter’s alma mater.

  25. 25.

    ? Martin

    @dmsilev:

    I’m going to go way out on a limb and guess that the career professionals in the intelligence community are not big fans of Trump and his minions.

    Trump calling them Nazis looks like a worse decision every day.

  29. 29.

    Mnemosyne

    But he’s also an example of one of the signature problems in the US today: failure to recognize that what is needed, and what is desirable, is to have the best and the brightest fill elected and appointed positions at all levels of government and across all domains of public service and policy.

    For those who haven’t seen it yet, this is the underlying theme of Hidden Figures — NASA can’t compete with the Russian space program until they stop preventing people from advancing solely because of their gender and race.

  33. 33.

    Gravenstone

    @dmsilev: He may welll have meant instigator. Given his history, and the tweet in the OP, shit stirring seems to be about his speed.

  34. 34.

    ? Martin

    Seems to me that the floodgates really opened once Sessions was confirmed as Atty General, as if the IC gave up hope that there’d be any independent decisions being made in the DOJ.

  37. 37.

    Mnemosyne

    Since this is also an open thread, a random question for Florida people: do I need bug spray in Orlando in March? Mosquitoes do seem to like me, if that helps you decide the answer.

  38. 38.

    Thru the Looking Glass...

    the owner and publisher of The Federalist

    Every time I see that name – The Federalist, with or without Society trailing, my mind automatically turns it into ‘The Feudalist’… and afterwards, I find myself thinking, well, that does make more sense…

  42. 42.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The fact that this asshole is able to call his moronic magazine “The Federalist” without being continually haunted by the ghosts of Madison, Hamilton, and Jay is proof positive that ghosts don’t exist.

  44. 44.

    Adam L Silverman

    @efgoldman: He was Mattis deputy at CENTCOM. My guess is this is Mattis’s attempt to impose some normalcy on the Interagency process by putting another trusted agent in place. This would give him three trusted agents in key positions: National Security Advisor, Secretary of DHS, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This is Mattis attempting to right the ship of state.

  46. 46.

    frosty

    @Mnemosyne: We needed bug spray in coastal Georgia last week and Ocala FL this week. Mostly biting gnats in GA. Not too many mosquitoes either place.

  47. 47.

    muddy

    I went to that school during that time period, do not know this gentleman as he was a few years ahead of me. You had to have an American passport to attend TAS. It was pretty much hyper-American in attitude. They had 3 HS football teams so as to play amongst themselves.

    TAS was military, military-related biz, diplomatic and oil kids. I hope none of Tillerson’s peeps get caught up in this net, probably people in the oil business now, who were there as kids, could have gone to this horrifying madrassah. And now I’ve confessed my link to the place on the internet, perhaps they will monitor me now. I hope they do, may they have joy of it.

  48. 48.

    chris

    Trump is, like, a smart guy and he selects from the pool of the best and the brightest available to him. You see the problem?

  50. 50.

    Adam L Silverman

    @? Martin: Its already in court and a temporary stay and injunction has been requested. Most likely going to be Judge Robart again. I don’t think he’s going to be amused.

  52. 52.

    beergoggles

    Ah yes, having the best and the brightest appointed no matter their ideology. That James Comey appointment worked out so wonderfully for all of us didn’t it?

  55. 55.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mnemosyne: YES!!!! There’s not been anything close to a hard freeze this year, so there will be bugs. Lots and lots of bugs. Also heat and humidity.

  60. 60.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The heat and humidity I’m already prepared for, but now I know to pack my two kinds of bug spray, too.

    And a minimum of three kinds of sunscreen, because the #1 reason people end up at the first aid station in WDW is sunburn.

  62. 62.

    Feathers

    @Mnemosyne: That’s what is driving me crazy about the Kumbaya crowd these days. I think I’ve ranted about this one crowd I run with before. They are utterly anti-Trump, but it takes on this “We will defeat him through our virtue and making everyone understand and accept our virtue.”

    Whenever the anti-immigrant bans and attitudes are discussed, it turns into a how wonderful immigrants are, all the Fortune 500 CEOs they become, how they drive innovation, and so on and so on. No understanding that the Trumpinistas don’t give a shit about that. In fact, they hold that against the immigrants. Their fantasy world is that if we hadn’t had the immigration boom of the last few decades, we’d have even better, more innovative, faster growing and more profitable with better wages companies, because… they’d be run by white men. Unless you really point out what the Bannon argument is, you are not moving the argument forward.

  63. 63.

    frosty

    @Adam L Silverman: I dunno about the heat and humidity. It’s been quite pleasant for our visit this month. Now a couple of years ago, camping in August w/o AC… ? Worse than a Bermuda High in Baltimore. Not quite as bad as NOLA in the summer though.

  66. 66.

    Ruckus

    @Gin & Tonic:
    That rag he runs is the main reason.
    He is a kook but other kooks listen to him. He may not be their guiding light, especially as he seems to be a pretty dim bulb but then not many of his followers really like to have much light shined on their “ideals,” as that can be rather clarifying about who their victims are. They’d rather you didn’t know those details before they get to act, it tends to make most people dislike them rather intently.

  67. 67.

    Gvg

    @Mnemosyne: yes. Bring bug spray. This winter has been warm, the bugs are already out and I am a hundred miles north of Orlando. Azaleas are already blooming and most days I don’t even need a sweater.
    Mosquitos don’t bite me but they do go after my nephew so I have learned to notice them.

  68. 68.

    Barney

    @Adam L Silverman: with all due respect to you, it shows the state of the USA when we end up thinking “thank goodness some more ex-generals are taking these important civilian positions”.

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