Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Everybody saw this coming.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

In my day, never was longer.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

The next time the wall wtreet journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Consistently wrong since 2002

All your base are belong to Tunch.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

I was promised a recession.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

T R E 4 5 O N

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

You are here: Home / Past Elections / 2020 Elections / Secretary Mattis Finally Breaks His Silence!!!!

Secretary Mattis Finally Breaks His Silence!!!!

by | 276 Comments

This post is in: , , , , , ,

I know many here will roll their eyes because in the opinion of many, myself included, he has waited far, far too long to break his silence, but Secretary Mattis has finally issued a public statement regarding President Trump to The Atlantic. And he moved to contact decisively! (emphasis mine)

IN UNION THERE IS STRENGTH

I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.

When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.

We must reject any thinking of our cities as a “battlespace” that our uniformed military is called upon to “dominate.” At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.

James Madison wrote in Federalist 14 that “America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat.” We do not need to militarize our response to protests. We need to unite around a common purpose. And it starts by guaranteeing that all of us are equal before the law.

Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that “The Nazi slogan for destroying us…was ‘Divide and Conquer.’ Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’” We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.

Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.

We can come through this trying time stronger, and with a renewed sense of purpose and respect for one another. The pandemic has shown us that it is not only our troops who are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of the community. Americans in hospitals, grocery stores, post offices, and elsewhere have put their lives on the line in order to serve their fellow citizens and their country. We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite.

Only by adopting a new path—which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals—will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad.

That Secretary Mattis chose to compare the President to the NAZIs, which I highlighted above, cannot be ignored or downplayed. Regardless of what anyone thinks of him, especially in light of his willingness to serve as the President’s first Secretary of Defense or by keeping his thoughts to himself since resigning, Secretary Mattis is a highly educated, highly thoughtful, and very deliberate individual. His Marines called him the Warrior Monk to respectfully describe his austere, scholarly, and bookish lifestyle as a Marine bachelor. He preferred the call sign CHAOS – Colonel Has An Outstanding Solution. He despises being referred to as Mad Dog. Secretary Mattis is a sober, thoughtful, deliberative Marine and senior military leader. The choice to compare the President to the NAZIs was not made willy nilly, it was not a knee jerk turn of phrase. It was deliberate and in that deliberateness it is intended to signal to the current and retired senior military leaders, as well as to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines of the US military and all the DOD and Service civilians that the President is a clear and present danger to the Republic, to freedom and liberty akin to the US’s greatest foreign foe of the 20th Century. It is also intended to signal that those who follow him are akin to the NAZIs themselves, that they are not interested in the ordered liberty the Founders and Framers attempted to establish through the Constitution and the creation of a self governing democratic-republic. And it presents Americans with a very stark choice: you can support the United States and the Constitution and the idea of a self governing democratic-republic, no matter how imperfect, or you can support the President. You cannot support both!

No worse enemy, indeed!

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

276Comments

  2. 2.

    Elizabelle

    Where’s Schrodinger’s Cat? Thought of her immediately, with all this “tongue-finding” by a seasoned general.

  3. 3.

    Mike in NC

    Poor General Mattis will be the recipient of several deranged Tweets overnight. I’d really like to see a joint statement signed off on by Carter, Clinton, Bush and Obama demanding Trump resign.

  5. 5.

    Jeffro

    you can support the United States and the Constitution and the idea of a self governing democratic-republic, no matter how imperfect, or you can support the President. You cannot support both!

     

    Right in line with what the Lincoln Project is pushing in all of its recent ads, including the one that came out today.  They do indeed know the argument to be made this election.  And in fairness…so does the Biden campaign.

  7. 7.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jeffro: Rick Wilson tried to get Mattis to run for president as an independent in 2016. To give conservatives and Republicans someplace to go in terms of voting rather than the President. He wouldn’t run.

  9. 9.

    PPCLI

    I also wanted him to speak up earlier and mocked him for not doing so. But all is forgiven. This is dynamite. And by temporizing as long as he did, waiting for a truly pivotal moment, it magnifies the effect of the statement.

  10. 10.

    MattF

    Mattis is also raising the bar for R politicians and ex-functionaries. His question is, ‘Are you a collaborator?’ It’s… impolite, but it’s where we are now.

  11. 11.

    Jeffro

    I wonder how much longer GOP senators will be able to keep saying “I DIDN’T SEE IT/DIDN’T READ IT/I’M LATE FOR LUNCH!” now.  I guess that’s up to you, national snooze media!

    Start with the ones up for re-election, please.  =)

  12. 12.

    Cheryl Rofer

    FWIW

  13. 13.

    Baud

    The choice to compare the President to the NAZIs was not made willy nilly,

    I guess it carries more weight than when I do it.

  16. 16.

    Cermet

    Well, saving one’s powder for a killer shot is logical; he delivers – many officers will read this and nod their heads in agreement as will many soldiers. Hopefully, this move by the fart cloud was a bridge too far and the tide will turn. Then the rats will abandon the sinking ship in the shadows. Hopefully, these rats only fuck each other and not the country – Putin (the biggest rat fucker of all) will pull out all stops to save his ass licker orange dog. Its going to get real ugly.

  17. 17.

    sanjeevs

    I was in the Philippines when President Estrada was deposed.

    Big crowds in the streets, retired top brass issuing clear warnings to the President. Feels familiar.

  19. 19.

    Adam L Silverman

    @raven: Actually all the Service Chiefs had statements out by this morning regarding the use of the military domestically. Gen. Goldfein, the outgoing Chief of Staff of the Air Force – who the President passed over for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs – did a video and released a written statement first, last night. As dis the Command Master Sergeant of the Air Force (he’s a rock star among senior enlisted!). By this morning the Chief of Naval Operations and Command Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy had released statements. The Chief of Staff of the Army, the Command Sergeant Major of the Army, and the Secretary of the Army issued a joint statement this morning as well. While I haven’t seen it, my understanding is that the Commandant of the Marine Corps and his Command Sergeant Major have also issued statements. And GEN Milley issued one as well.

  20. 20.

    Martin

    I always figured Mattis signed on to be the ‘adult in the room’ but by all accounts he just sat there while the kids smeared shit on the walls. There was a window in time when his viewpoints would have been relevant in an impeachment investigation. He could have put his hand up and had Congress call on him. He didn’t.

    Every survivor of the losing side of a war claims they were just protecting their family and never supported the leadership’s decisions. Worth noting that they only make that claim after it’s established that they’re on the losing side.

    Every word of the context of that essay could have been written in March when the WH was refusing to address Covid, claiming it was a blue state problem. Anyone who witnessed this moment 30 years ago could have safely predicted the situation we’d be in today if you gave that asshole the keys to the US military. Certainly a general should have seen that.

  22. 22.

    Adam L Silverman

    @chopper: If you’re going to wait to make a statement, then when you finally do, it should definitely nuke the target from orbit! And this one did.

  23. 23.

    oldster

    Everything that Mattis says here against trump applies equally well to Tom Cotton’s disgusting op-ed in the NYT, advocating for a military dictatorship to trample our Constitutional rights.

    I’m almost glad that Cotton got to show his ass in public, just so that Mattis could immediately kick him in the ass.

    You think you’re a tough guy, Tom, because you did a stint in the Army? Well, listen to a Marine. And STFU.

  24. 24.

    bluehill

    This may just be my availability bias, but what’s up with the Army? Between Pompeo, Cotton and Flynn, I wonder about the culture there.

  25. 25.

    JPL

    @Cheryl Rofer: Oh goody.    There is little I can do besides voting that can change the course of history, but if I knew additional information I’d be on the phone with reporters faster than Margaret Mitchell.

  27. 27.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jeffro: It is too late for them. They will either survive or die with the President. McConnell has waited too long to cut himself and his senators lose.

  32. 32.

    zzyzx

    Trump is now saying that he “probably” won’t put troops in US cities but of course he COULD do so.

    This “I’m going to do something awful! Ha! Ha! I was just KIDDING! … Or was I?” game is so exhausting. We have to fight it every time and he can retract after we expend the energy to push back.

  38. 38.

    JPL

    Since trump needs to change the subject as soon as possible, what will he do in order to accomplish that?      I fear tomorrow is gonna be bad.

     

    Will trump burn something down and blame Antifa?   He’s probably on the phone now getting instructions from Putin.

  39. 39.

    hueyplong

    I am not that mad he waited.

    Had he written this 6 months ago,  the mushy margin that will shape the electoral outcome would already have forgotten about it.

    But he’ll need to repeat himself as new outrages occur.  Like it or not, we’re ADD Nation.

  40. 40.

    NotMax

    The consequences of the derp walk are legion.

    Anything you’d care to share regarding Totally Modern Trodden Milley?

  42. 42.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @bluehill: Three people out of a couple of million and you wonder about a culture?  I’ll give you three other names: Jason Kander, Tammy Duckworth, and Jack Reed.

  43. 43.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    So to add to the fun we just had a Tornado Warning. Not, “tornadoes may form in your area” but “get the hell to a basement NOW!”

    Only lasted 20 minutes. But on top of everything else, that was… odd.

  44. 44.

    Adam L Silverman

    @zzyzx: They started sending the active component Soldiers they brought up to Andrews and Belvoir back to Bragg and Drum earlier today. He’s not going to deploy any Soldiers anywhere. He blinked. Sure, the Bureau of Prisons Disturbance Control knuckle draggers may kick the shit and/or kill a bunch of citizens in DC, but that’s about it. The US military’s senior leadership basically stood the President down. They rolled him.

  46. 46.

    schrodingers_cat

    I think Mattis spoke up because Orange brought dishonor to the institution Mattis has dedicated his life to, the military. Immigrants, over 100,000 dead Americans were all just chopped liver to the noblest of the noble generals.

  47. 47.

    Cheryl Rofer

    Adam, thanks for writing this post. I’m just too fragmented today. Something that sorta goes with it is the New York Times’s publication of Tom Cotton’s call to put down the protests with military force. People are noting that June 4 is the anniversary of Tienanmen Square, when the Chinese did exactly that, so the timing is, um, unfortunate. The op-ed is also misleading in its claims that the country is being overrun by rioters and looters, or propagandistic, perhaps.

    Black Times employees now have a campaign going – they’re all tweeting this.

  49. 49.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman: I think I remember you mentioning this or something similar at some point between now and then.  I guess Mattis must have made the calculation that a) trumpov was not very likely to win, and b) it was just a bridge too far for him as a military man.

    Hopefully he has seen the error of both those judgments, and will join in the post-trumpov efforts to raise the requirements for office, as well as speaking to military officers about the need to speak out – even if it seems too early, or rubs up against our past traditions.

    I won’t hold my breath, but there’s always hope.  McRaven gets it.

  51. 51.

    Mary G

    Wow. That went way, way farther than I would have guessed and though I wished he would’ve spoken out sooner, it is perfect for the moment, as is Milley’s memo. He’s seemed massively uncomfortable with the president, especially in meetings around the time that Nancy SMASH told Twitler that with him, all roads lead to Putin.

  53. 53.

    Adam L Silverman

    @NotMax: The President has put his ass in a crack, which is being tightened by a vice. The reason that he, the DOD, and the Service Chiefs all responded the way they did today is they realized just what was coming if they didn’t. For the uniformed guys, despite longstanding norms and traditions, GEN Milley and the other Service  Chiefs will be lucky if they are only asked for their stars next January should VP Biden get elected.

  54. 54.

    Raoul

    @Cheryl Rofer: More than that.

    Tom Cotton in NYT: Send In the Troops

    Tom Cotton in NYT: The Case for Killing Qassim Suleimani

    Tom Cotton in NYT: We Should Buy Greenland

    Yes, that’s the newspaper that (along with many others, tbf) got the run-up to the Iraq war wrong. Huh.

  56. 56.

    Ydobon

    @Baud: Not to me, Baud! Not to the jackals of the world! Your word was there when it was needed, and your word is sacred to us!

  59. 59.

    Raoul

    @Adam L Silverman: Speaking of trump’s crack, has any reporter been near there today to see if war hawk Sen. Graham has a comment about Mattis. Or Mullen yesterday, for that matter.

  61. 61.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman: technically true – they will survive or die with the president*.  But that doesn’t mean that they will be all-in or all-out from here on out.

    I can see a lot of weaseling, mushy statements, and attempts to have it both ways across the whole summer (provided that trumpov shambles on).  Which really, guarantees the worst possible outcomes for most all of them, I think.  We’ll see.

  64. 64.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    I’ve lost about a dozen long time friends over this stuff. Several police officers, several folks police-adjacent. I loved each and every one of  them in real life, and feel a profound loss that they couldn’t see what I see.

  65. 65.

    Cheryl Rofer

    Here’s the Times’s explanation as to why they published the Cotton op-ed. It’s a thread. I’ll leave it for you to click over if you want to read the whole thing.

  67. 67.

    Nicole

    @Cheryl Rofer: If he knows more than he’s divulging, then he’s still protecting Trump.  As far as I’m concerned, Mattis is still a Republican before he’s an American.

  68. 68.

    Citizen Scientist

    Adam: maybe you covered this earlier,  any thoughts on Gen. Milley’s appearance with trump the other day around the gassing of the protestors at St. JOHN’s, and (I think) he was on film walking with the president in footage that is now part of at least one campaign video that I’ve seen?  Could that be construed as someone in uniform participating in political speech/a campaign while in uniform which is against reg, correct? Thanks!

  69. 69.

    Cheryl Rofer

    Former public editor at the Times

  70. 70.

    Mary G

    @Adam L Silverman: So do you think Mattis and Milley coordinated with each other? Or was Milley just pissed about having to put on fatigues and participate in the dog and pony show Ivanka cooked up?

  72. 72.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jeffro: Each of these senior military leaders is different. Some are more willing to speak out, some far, far, far more reticent. For instance, GEN Dempsey has been very scrupulous about not speaking out publicly and suggesting to the other retired senior military dealers that they not do so either because of his professional understanding of CIV-MIL relations, civilian control of the military, and an apolitical military that serves any president the American people elect regardless of any particular personal political beliefs or ideology. GEN Dempsey did release a very brief statement yesterday, but because it is no he doesn’t believe that he should be speaking out, it resonated loudly.

  73. 73.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @zzyzx:

    Trump is now saying that he “probably” won’t put troops in US cities but of course he COULD do so.

    “I’m not running away!  I’m late for dinner, that’s all!  Next time you’ll be sorry, you’ll see!”

    @JPL:

    Since trump needs to change the subject as soon as possible

    I have never favored ‘distraction’ theory.  Among other things, Trump’s history has been that when he really wants people to forget about something, he yells at them to forget about it, and keeps yelling about what bad people they are for not forgetting about it.  Also he didn’t do it so there’s nothing to forget.  And just in case you’re not forgetting, he’s calling in to Fox and Friends to tell you what you’re supposed to forget and that it didn’t happen.

  77. 77.

    Adam L Silverman

    @chopper: In terms of popular political support? Probably not. But it provides top cover for people to do things they wouldn’t have.

  79. 79.

    Adam L Silverman

    @zzyzx: 1,600 Soldiers from active component units – 82nd ABN ready response forces and MPs from FT Drum – were moved to Andrews and Belvoir late on Monday. They started sending them home this afternoon and they’ll have them all back sometime tomorrow afternoon.

  80. 80.

    Kay

    Well, I’m glad. It isn’t about Mattis. It’s about a sustained, orderly effort to beat Donald Trump that begins now and goes to November. I don’t know- do you want to beat him or just yell at him a lot?

    Who cares why he did it. I don’t care about him. It’s good for the effort we’re engaged in now and this upcoming effort will actually remove him. It’s the one that counts.

    Donald Trump is up for reelection. They’re all going to have to pick a side. Now is the time to do that.

  81. 81.

    Bill Arnold

    @Nicole:

    If he knows more than he’s divulging, then he’s still protecting Trump.

    Or he’s keeping ammunition in reserve. Many months until the election. The last paragraph was pretty strong, IMO.

  82. 82.

    dmsilev

    A quibble

    you can support the United States and the Constitution and the idea of a self governing democratic-republic, no matter how imperfect, or you can support the President. You cannot support both!

    It should be “or you can support this President”. A normal President wouldn’t force this choice.

  83. 83.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    The pandemic has shown us that it is not only our troops who are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of the community. Americans in hospitals, grocery stores, post offices, and elsewhere have put their lives on the line in order to serve their fellow citizens and their country.

    This stood out to me. We as a country have for the past 20+ years fetishized the military as well as the police. On Memorial Day and Veterans Day, we are always told to thank the military for our freedoms.

    This view is dangerous imo for a number of reasons. It sets up a division between us and the Armed Forces which allows us to send them into endless wars without questioning why. Thanking them for their service is seen as enough to support them while many suffer from PTSD or substandard (or dangerous) base housing.

    Most importantly, venerating the military as we do, we forget that not only are soldiers still citizens, we forget that we are the ones who protect our own freedoms by voting and getting involved through activism. Try asking the Chileans if they should thank their armed forces for “protecting their freedoms” during Pinochet’s military dictatorship. Or the Greeks in the 1960s and early 70s

  84. 84.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman: I wonder who explained it to him, and how they managed to break it down into words small enough for him to understand?

    “keep. it. up. and. they’ll. defy. you. publicly. for. the. first. time. in. our. history.”

  86. 86.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Raoul: No matter who is running the NY Times, it has always had a sweet tooth for fascists and authoritarians. I think there is an institutional submissive fetish at the NY Times.

  88. 88.

    Frankensteinbeck

    One thing that I’m getting from this is that Trump called in the prison riot police because someone did indeed whisper into his ear that if he orders the military to gun down civilians, they’ll refuse.  Remember how obsessed he is with loyalty.  Anyone with any reservations in obeying his every command is a traitor.  He’s feeling insecure and paranoid already.  I think he’s scraping the bottom of the barrel for what he thinks of as loyal troops that will protect him from the raging dark-skinned hordes.  Note he brought in ICE to guard the White House itself.

  89. 89.

    Jeffro

    @Raoul: He did not seriously jump on the ‘Greenland’ train, did he?  Seriously?  Wow.

    Ok, so I really only have to worry about Hawley, Haley, and Crenshaw, then.  Whew.  One down!

  90. 90.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Roger Moore: Okay, they’re keeping them an additional 24 hours and then they’re sending them home. This is to prevent a presidential tantrum.

  92. 92.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Raoul: All you need to know about Graham is he had his hair dyed the same color as the President’s.

  94. 94.

    Martin

    So, to be clear, I try to be a forgiving person.  But I’ve filed multiple whistleblower complaints. One of my goals moving up into a leadership position was to get out of the ranks where when bad things were going on around me, that I wouldn’t be able to do anything of value. Leadership claims that they were unaware of this persons sexual harassment when everyone knew about it, and had for years.

    I don’t find great fault in the footsoldiers that get pulled into these events. My grandfather who suffered from PTSD his entire life after the war, may or may not have been a brave soldier. Statistically, he probably wasn’t, because not many draftees are, which is why we try to not do that any longer. But generals are different. Individuals that volunteer to join an administration are as well. If you see wrongdoing around you, at that level, there is no excuse for not calling it out. If  you are going to carry ‘general’ as an honorific, to grant you credibility and authority, and you are in a Senate confirmed sworn position, there is no excuse for not acting when the wrongdoing is happening, not years later.

    I trust that he’s actually a good guy. He actually seems like a really good guy. But he fucked up, along with countless others. I’m glad he’s speaking out, but we’re 100,000 dead in, 10s of millions unemployed, and facing civil unrest while a president calls our electoral process into question (which started more than 2 weeks ago). Having your hand forced by the circumstances doesn’t make you courageous or noble, regardless of how loudly you speak. It makes you either irresponsible, or worse, opportunistic. I’ll grant Mattis the benefit of the doubt that he’s the former, something he could be admitting to, but isn’t.

    Removing Trump from office doesn’t eliminate the threat if the system continues to allow this to happen. Where is Mattis’ lesson to prevent this from occurring again, the actions he should have taken. I don’t see it.

  97. 97.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Hell, didn’t the NYT call for FDR to declare himself dictator or some such crazy shit? There’s something very, very wrong at the NYT

  98. 98.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Citizen Scientist: It put his ass in a crack with a vice tightening around it. I would expect that if VP Biden is elected, then GEN Milley will be told to retire shortly after Biden is sworn in, despite this being a break with tradition. At most he’ll be allowed to serve out his term as Chair of the Joint Chiefs and won’t be given an additional three year term.

  100. 100.

    kindness

    It’s nice Mattis said this.  I wish he would have opened up in real time.  Then maybe “responsible adults” would have acted wrt Trump’s actions.  Mattis knows Trump is in league with Putin but won’t say it.

    Now wrt Mattis saying the Republic is on shakey ground, of course we agree.  I think we are only able to talk about the Republic being shakey because so many of the drivers of Republican order have done so on purpose.  MoscowMitch & his Senate Keystone Kops, Barr, half the Supreme Court and the press who thinks the apacolyps will be great for clicks and revenue.  They are all chasing their own fortunes, not minding ‘the people’s business’.  It shows.

  102. 102.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mary G: My understanding from reading the reporting is they don’t get along. Mattis, who eats only once a day and runs about 15 miles a day, thinks Milley is fat. Which for Mattis is a sign of a Marine, or in this case a Soldier, without proper self discipline. Mattis recommended Gen. Goldfein, the soon to retire Chief of Staff of the Air Force, to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs not GEN Milley. Some of that was because it was the Air Force’s turn – they usually rotate between the services – and some of that has been reported that Mattis thinks Milley is fat.

  103. 103.

    TS (the original)

    @JPL:

    I’d be on the phone with reporters faster

    I find it interesting which reporter Mattis chose to be “on the phone” with. Please that it was NOT the NYT

  105. 105.

    Martin

    @Bill Arnold: We just had an impeachment trial. That’s the thing you keep your ammo in reserve for.

    Mattis didn’t even need to broadcast it. A simple ‘I would testify if subpoenaed’ message to Schiff is all it would have taken. From there he just defends his presence as responding to a lawfully issued subpoena and upholding his oath.

  107. 107.

    MAURA HART

    so he waits till the country is on fire??????????

    too freaking little, too freaking late.

  109. 109.

    Kay

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    All other issues aside, the ultra-savvy NYTimes should see the Cotton editorial as blatant political posturing. It isn’t a “side” of the issue at hand. It’s pure red meat for the base.

    I just think they’re fools.

  113. 113.

    Mary G

    @Adam L Silverman: Petty! I like it. Thanks for the scoop. Milley did look a bit hefty at the church.

    ETA: And Mattis has no business being a mean girl about Milley’s weight when he participated in and pressed for the Theranos fraud. I like this statement, but I still don’t respect him. At all.

  117. 117.

    Martin

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I saw an argument that I now agree with that the Washington Post being the preeminent paper in the nations most political city has a very, very different view of the world and of their role than the NYTimes being the preeminent paper in the nations most commercial city. NY is a business town, not a political one, and say what you will about monopolies or unfair business practices, they’re nothing compared to fascism or violation of the public trust.

    Simply put, the NYT fundamentally doesn’t understand politics, or the role of media in politics, because that’s not the environment they operate out of.

  119. 119.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Martin: There was no reason for him to testify. He had resigned well before anything that was being examined in the impeachment inquiry.

  121. 121.

    Adam L Silverman

    @LeftCoastYankee: Just Democrats. And unlike when Clinton was being investigated and impeached, when over 100 major national, regional, and local newspapers called for his resignation for the good of the country, only one – The Boston Globe – has done so for the President.

  122. 122.

    burnspbesq

    @Raoul:

    Cotton gets published in the Times because the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette sees through his shit.

  124. 124.

    Roger Moore

    @Adam L Silverman:

    1,600 Soldiers from active component units – 82nd ABN ready response forces and MPs from FT Drum – were moved to Andrews and Belvoir late on Monday. They started sending them home this afternoon and they’ll have them all back sometime tomorrow afternoon.

    Are you sure about that?

    7:50PM NEW — ARMY DEPLOYED 2 blocks from White House.Troops are identified, and are being unloaded from tour busses in McPherson Square.Unreal.#GeorgeFloyd @WUSA9 pic.twitter.com/yCxKV0not2— Mike Valerio (@MikevWUSA) June 3, 2020

    Somebody further down the thread says their unit patches indicate they’re from 10th Mountain, not a National Guard unit.

  125. 125.

    Kay

    @burnspbesq:

    Exactly. The NYTimes wants you to believe that yelling “law n order!” is a “debate”. Just because they fell for it doesn’t mean anyone else has to.

  126. 126.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Crashman06: They’re all unarmed. No sidearms M17s (SIG P320s), no long guns – M4 carbines or M16 rifles. Completely pointless show of force. They’re going to stand behind either Federal or local police. Also, I couldn’t get a good look at the shoulders, so I can’t tell if they’re DC National Guard, which is what I expect they are or from one of the active component units cooling their heels at Andrews and Belvoir.

  127. 127.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Kay:

    Yeah. This is incredibly stupid of them. Cotton is a fascist and amplifying his bullshit is dangerous, especially during these volatile times

  128. 128.

    The Moar You Know

    Well.  When the man decides to open his mouth, it’s worth the wait.

    The comparison to the Nazis will not go unnoticed.  By anyone.

    He ain’t ever gonna be my buddy but I’ll do him the service of not calling him ” that fuckhead hypocrite Mattis” any longer.  I’ll drop the hypocrite part.  For now.

  130. 130.

    LeftCoastYankee

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Good on the old Globe.  I miss reading that paper.

    It would probably be perceived as “playing politics” and not focusing on their jobs for current elected Dems, given we have a pandemic and a policing crisis.

    Newspapers and elder states-peoples will have to start it then….

    Thanks!

  134. 134.

    HumboldtBlue

    @burnspbesq:

    This is why we read this blog. Cheers!

    @Adam L Silverman:

    There’s a clip (or is it a magazine?) going around of CSM Grinster addressing 82nd troopers as they prepared to leave Bragg, I think I saw it on Soonergrunt’s twitter.

  135. 135.

    Adam L Silverman

    @tokyokie: At the Joint level, such as Flynn’s command at DIA, the commanding general and senior enlisted are not always from the same Service. No worries.

  136. 136.

    Roger Moore

    @Adam L Silverman:

    It looked like they had batons, which are definitely weapons, and shields, which can certainly be used as weapons.  Not as bad as if they had firearms.  And it looks like the report they were 10th Mountain was wrong; the troops in that video are apparently National Guard.

  137. 137.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Crashman06: They’re going to be told to stand behind those knuckle draggers from the Bureau of Prisons Disturbance Control Units who look like a bunch of Russian mercenaries.

    With no way to defend themselves when the BOP door kickers incite a riot.

  139. 139.

    Roger Moore

    @Martin:

    I think the other think about the New York Times is that they desperately want to be part of The Establishment.  They truly believe in the image of The Times as the Gray Lady, The Paper of Record, etc.  It’s the whole point of being at The Times rather than some other paper, and they’re willing to sell their souls to keep it.

  140. 140.

    Feathers

    Since this is a military interest thread, I will note that the National Theatre Live free streaming next week is Coriolanus , about a military leader who becomes a political leader, only to fail tragically and horribly. The play opens with a riot, another is a major turning point. It was banned in France in the 1930s because the fascists were big fans. It also is seen as being fully anti-tyranny. Not sure where this production falls. Tom Hiddleston stars. The production was very well reviewed, I haven’t seen it.

    Realized that the last time I saw the play was 36 years ago! With Ian McKellan starring and Peter Hall directing. It was amazing.

  144. 144.

    Leto

    @Adam L Silverman:

    As dis the Command Master Sergeant of the Air Force (he’s a rock star among senior enlisted!).

    He’s a rock star among the enlisted, period. He’s a no-nonsense person who rolled back a fuck ton of unpopular/stupid programs that a few of his predecessors initiated. It’ll be to my eternal sorrow that I wasn’t able to serve during his tenure. (Just as he was sworn in, I moved to the Guard.)

    Aim high, Chief!

  147. 147.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Martin:

    That’s an interesting point. It also seems that their proximity to Donald Trump, also being from NYC, may have corrupted them as well. He’s been reported, at least in the past, as being charming in person.

    Being clouded with illusions of wanting to keep up bullshit pretenses of being the Paper of Record is a plausible explanation as well as Roger suggests

  148. 148.

    Elizabelle

    Chill and relieved vibe @ RVA Lee Monument. They’re the victors. They were heard. No yahoos. Will write more later.

  149. 149.

    Benw

    I’m glad he was as forceful as he was and I hope that based on comments from some of our vets here that it really does make some in the military (and others)  take serious notice. I hope it changes some minds. But he also worked for a Nazi, and he knew it. I hope.

  150. 150.

    JMG

    If Krugman left the Times for the Post, which he could accomplish with two phone calls, the Times would lose subscriptions, and worse for those arrogant assholes, mucho face. But he is loyal to his employer, so far.

    PS: I know Times reporters, in sports and arts and such, and they are outstanding at their trade and as people. But at the top, the Sulzberger clan, they suck.

  151. 151.

    Nicole

    @Bill Arnold:

    Or he’s keeping ammunition in reserve. Many months until the election. The last paragraph was pretty strong, IMO.

    Uh uh. Liberals have gone for that football many times over the past 4 years, only to see it pulled away by men who will always put Party over Country.  I’m done falling for that one.

  152. 152.

    LeftCoastYankee

    Well, Trump’s made DC the focus.  All about him.

    Let’s hope no one gets seriously hurt (as opposed to “unseriously hurt”?).

    Not sure why but I’d love to see the protestors turn that silly sporting event chant “USA, USA…” out on the assemblage of uniformed (and loud enough for BunkerBozo to hear).

  154. 154.

    Bill Arnold

    @burnspbesq:

    Cotton gets published in the Times because the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette sees through his shit.

    The twitter link at #65 (why we publish cotton) deserves that as a reply.

  155. 155.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Command Master Sergeant of the Air Force

    I take it he’s not a wingnut despite the Air Force’s reputation as such. I was going to say, that the Air Force, evangelical central, is parting ways with Trump wanting to use the military domestically is significant

  156. 156.

    dimmsdale

    @Adam L Silverman: You said “The US military’s senior leadership basically stood the President down. They rolled him.”

    I hope you’ll be able to expand on that one of these days. One of the first things I asked after Talking Anus was elected was whether our military would obey their oaths to the Constitution, or Trump, should there be a conflict between the two. I’d love to know the backstory on this–who said what to who. Does this mark some kind of watershed moment from the military that removes massive force from Talking Anus’s bag of tricks once and for all? Wonder what Pootie will say about it on their next Zoom chat?

  157. 157.

    Mezz

    I just post this here before I read the comments, as a “Future note to Self.”

    I’m going to be amazed if I go through this thread and find anybody that thinks that Mattis’ article is actually going to matter at all. Like if anybody actually thinks this will have any relevant effect or any actual impact and they voice this in the comments, I want my Future Self (my future self ‘n me) to be prepared to be properly gobsmacked.

  158. 158.

    Bill Arnold

    @Nicole:

    I’m done falling for that one.

    He compared the D.J.Trump administration to the Nazis.
    Shrug.
    As Adam says, probably this was a single shot, but it was not expected by the DJT administration. They now have to worry about another shot, even if it doesn’t happen.

  159. 159.

    Roger Moore

    @Elizabelle:

    I suspect that’s a big reason governments are going along with demands to take down Confederate monuments.  It’s a nice concession that gives the protesters a symbolic victory and an excuse to go home.  If the governments really want, they can put the monuments back up later and deal with the fallout then, when the whole country isn’t on fire.

  160. 160.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Leto: I take your meaning. What I meant, if it was unclear, is that as a Senior Enlisted he’s worth my weight in gold.

  164. 164.

    Mary G

    @Leto: I read his thread after you brought it up the other day. He is impressive.

    Retired Navy Admiral James Stravridis has a piece in Time Magazine today along these lines. I had a comment with a link and a quote all set up and I lost it clicking on an ad. My hand is cramping so I can’t do it again, sorry, you will have to Google it. He said military leaders have to stand up to Trump for the sake of its soul, because we don’t want Lafayette Park to turn into Tianimen Square.

  165. 165.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Martin:

    Mattis didn’t even need to broadcast it. A simple ‘I would testify if subpoenaed’ message to Schiff is all it would have taken. From there he just defends his presence as responding to a lawfully issued subpoena and upholding his oath.

    To what end, the outcome was predictable from the beginning.

  166. 166.

    Raoul

    I finally actually have time to read what he wrote, and wow.

    We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him…

    That is a very careful and, at least to my eyes, very provocative thing to say. And very welcome!

  167. 167.

    LeftCoastYankee

    @Mezz:

    I may be way out on a limb, but as far as visible, direct cause and effect, probably not.

    But in the tortured metaphor of change as drops of water on a stone, it’s probably a bigger drop.  Good if it encourages more, useless as the last one.

  169. 169.

    hueyplong

    Does anyone else think Trump won’t actually get pissed until someone explains to him that Mattis’ piece ripped him?  The title doesn’t have Trump’s name in it.

  170. 170.

    Adam L Silverman

    @dimmsdale: Basically they made it clear today that US troops are not to be used for policing, though they may be used, given legitimate reasons, for defense support to civil authorities (DSCA) – think emergency response and disaster management.

  171. 171.

    LeftCoastYankee

    @hueyplong:

    If the explanation is really short maybe, although his attention span may be longer is Hannity told him it was bad.

    God, I wish that was a sarcastic take….

  173. 173.

    Raoul

    Also very important to look back just to yesterday, when Adm. Mike Mullen (ret.) said

     “I remain confident in the professionalism of our men and women in uniform. They will serve with skill and with compassion. They will obey lawful orders. But I am less confident in the soundness of the orders they will be given by this commander in chief.”

    It seems there is real fear that Trump will, as he becomes more cornered, order some sort of lunatic attack on either another country, or godawful as it is to contemplate, on us.

  175. 175.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I have very little military on my Twitter feed, but I am seeing some comments that make me think to military people this statement is a Big Fucking Deal and Mattis and his opinion are enormously respected.

  176. 176.

    The Moar You Know

    Where is Mattis’ lesson to prevent this from occurring again, the actions he should have taken. I don’t see it.

    @Martin: I agree with the entirety of your statement, but especially this part.  Part of “leadership” is dealing with problems before it’s too late.

    It’s way too late to deal with Trump.  That problem has largely run its course.  At this point, we just wait until the election and then brace for a few decades of cleaning up the mess he and the GOP have left behind.  Something which, BTW, I do not think we, as a nation, are capable of.

  178. 178.

    Bill Arnold

    @Mezz:

    Like if anybody actually thinks this will have any relevant effect or any actual impact and they voice this in the comments,

    There is no obvious causality in chaos politics, which is where we are now, in part thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and the downstream effects (economic, etc) in large part caused by the responses to the pandemic.
    There is a decent chance that this statement by Mattis will stir things up in a way that has a much larger effect. My sense is that if this happens, the effect more likely to be positive (not evil) than negative.
    We (observers) shall see. We (activists) shall push more buttons and turn more knobs, while paying attention.

  181. 181.

    Jeffro

    @JMG: 

    For what it’s worth, he’s not that great an op-ed writer these days. The NYT columnists seem to have difficulty getting focused and/or staying witty. Some of the Post ones are really on point.

  185. 185.

    hueyplong

    Bunker Boy is tweeting about how much pleasure it gave him to ask for Mattis’ resignation.

  187. 187.

    Mary G

    I hope AL will cover it in the late night thread, but Meghan McCain tweeted hysterically that her neighborhood in New York was destroyed by protesters and she is horrified and terrified and Merica is no more. Then a woman replied “We live in the same building, bitch (OK, that was me), I was just outside and everything is fine.”

    Now Meghan has admitted she hasn’t even been in New York.

  196. 196.

    hueyplong

    Oh, and I think Trump’s tweet mixed up Flynn and Mattis because it says Obama and Trump both fired Mattis.

  198. 198.

    Jeffro

    Kayleigh McEnany weighs in on behalf of president* Tough Guy:

    “Former Secretary Mattis’ “article” is little more than an attempt to appease the DC elite.  President realDonaldtrumpov is the law and order president that has restored peace to our nation’s streets.  Mattis’ small words pale in comparison to POTUS’ strong action”

    Sounds good, KMac!  You definitely have your finger on the pulse of the nation there… (eyeroll)

  199. 199.

    Brachiator

    @Adam L Silverman: 

    For the uniformed guys, despite longstanding norms and traditions, GEN Milley and the other Service Chiefs will be lucky if they are only asked for their stars next January should VP Biden get elected.

    And imagine what will happen should Trump get re-elected.

  200. 200.

    Adam L Silverman

    @hueyplong: Obama forced Mattis out as CENTCOM Commanding General and into retirement about 8 months before schedule. Mattis had worn out his welcome by constantly trying to engage Obama on Iran. Obama replaced him with GEN Austin.Obama’s removal of Mattis wasn’t similar to the problems with Flynn. Flynn was a terrible administrator of DIA, promoted conspiracy theories, was completely off the reservation. The issue with Mattis was solely personalities. The CENTCOM Commanding General runs the most active area of responsibility. He is on the phone with the President all the time, often with bad news or hard to solve problems that need the President’s attention. And Mattis was strident about the need to do something about Iraq. Basically personalities matter and Mattis’s and Obama’s were incompatible and Mattis wore out his welcome.

  201. 201.

    Jeffro

    Just saw the trumpov tweets about ol’ Chaos/Mad Dog (from 20-something minutes ago).  They are remarkably insulting and I hope every GOP Senator is asked about them in the morning, and every morning from now until November.

    Also, object lesson for everyone who works for the Ill Douche: this is what he’ll say about you when you, or he, leaves.

  202. 202.

    Brachiator

    WTF. Mild earthquake in the Los Angeles area. Felt it in the San Gabriel Valley area.

  205. 205.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Snark aside, I sense we are going to see movement across the country.

    This feels different and despite the warning of Lucy was pointed out above, this feels different.

    And LA just had an earthquake reported live on air.

    5.1 earthquake. San Bernardino area.

    Fuck 2020

    Garcetti speaking well.

  207. 207.

    Brachiator

    @Mary G:

    Now Meghan has admitted she hasn’t even been in New York.

    Meghan McCain did a bit of a Amy Cooper. Deliberately told a lie about the city to falsely magnify the peril.

  208. 208.

    Mezz

    @Mezz: Future Self comments: glad to see everyone keeping their eye on the ball, for the most part.

    But I marvel and really appreciate Adam’s attentiveness to the comments throughout the whole thing. I am grateful for the dialogic nature of the post. Good work, Adam. (And Cheryl too.)

     

    Sorry about the presumed familiarity and a first-name basis, btw.

  209. 209.

    Martin

    Car drove through protesters in Newport Beach. Nobody hurt. Driver arrested.

    The fact that there was a large enough BLM protest in Newport Beach to shut down traffic is remarkable in and of itself.

  213. 213.

    hueyplong

    @Adam L Silverman: I had forgotten Obama forced Mattis out.  Assumed Trump’s reference to both firing Mattis was a mix-up with the Flynn situations.

    Pretty embarrassing to lag behind Trump on a factual matter.

  214. 214.

    Brachiator

    @HumboldtBlue:

    5.1 earthquake. San Bernardino area.

    Probably, hopefully not a lot of damage. But I am miles away and could feel a definite rolling motion for several seconds. I sat waiting to feel whether it would build.

    Very minor quakes don’t get my attention at all. For some moments this time, I was wondering “what’s next?”

  217. 217.

    Martin

    @Brachiator: Barely felt it here in OC. Needed confirmation from my phone app to be sure it wasn’t a reaction to dinner.

    5.5 in Ridgecrest.

  218. 218.

    TS (the original)

    @JMG:

    If Krugman left the Times for the Post, which he could accomplish with two phone calls, the Times would lose subscriptions,

    When I cancelled – years ago – I told them Krugman was the only decent/truthful  political/economic  writer they had. He is also a brilliant economist – which Obama well realised when recovering from the recession at the beginning of his term.

  222. 222.

    Adam L Silverman

    @HumboldtBlue: Tropical storm forecasted to head straight north across the Gulf of Mexico to the gulf states too. Everything has decided to happen all at once.

  229. 229.

    Martin

    @HumboldtBlue: Shame Dennis Rodman doesn’t live down there any more. Man, that pissed a lot of rich white people. Looks like at least one of them drove a white Mini.

  230. 230.

    Adam L Silverman

    @The Pale Scot: Supposedly it is a verbalized acronym, pronounced as hoo-ah, that stands for Heard Understood and Acknowledged (HUAA). Basically, it is just the Army equivalent of the Marine’s HooRah! and it doesn’t have any real meaning other than ok.

  231. 231.

    dmsilev

    @Adam L Silverman: Any word yet on when Godzilla plans on rising from the sea to ravage the land? I think the asteroid strike is scheduled for August and the compulsory-viewing worldwide Eurovision broadcast is on for October.

  233. 233.

    Brachiator

     

    @Raoul:

    We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him…

    This is potentially more than provocative. It implies trying to find ways to defy or ignore the president of the United States.

    As much as it might be cool, even reasonable, to suggest that Trump is not the fit to hold the office, short of 25th Amendment remedies, there’s not a lot of ways to bypass his authority should he decide to do something stupid.

    Also, the GOP leadership do not understand the trap Trump is leading them into.

     

    ETA. I think that Obama was incredibly wise to wait until George W Bush had said something about Trump and events before weighing in. Depending on whether Trump does more than send angry Tweets, who is willing to go on record as opposing Trump may become very important.

  235. 235.

    Kay

    Kayleigh McEnany
    @PressSec
    · 1h
    Under President @realDonaldTrump’s leadership, there will be NO burning of churches, looting of businesses, destruction of property, and assaults on civilians and police.
    America will unite in LAW AND ORDER!

    She should submit that to the NYTimes. They’ll run it as an editorial.

  236. 236.

    The Pale Scot

    @Mezz:

    It’s like being at Plato’s Cave, ..Aristotle’s Lyceum,.. Voltaire’s Salon,.. Cheers, definitely Cheers

  238. 238.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @hueyplong: Does anyone else think Trump won’t actually get pissed until someone explains to him that Mattis’ piece ripped him? The title doesn’t have Trump’s name in it.

    ROFL

  239. 239.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Martin: Since he always looks fully baked whenever he’s on air, he should go for an impaired defense.

  241. 241.

    Martin

    @dmsilev: Be nice to Godzilla. He didn’t ask to be a product of a nuclear test, and he came to humanity’s aid when malicious kaiju arrived.

    Godzilla in this moment would inadvertently destroy DC in the process of defeating Trump. He’s just a thicc clumsy boi doing his best to save the world.

  243. 243.

    Martin

    @Adam L Silverman: What does Betty call  him – ambulatory cream-cheese sculpture? Can he get red-faced?

    But I can see him driving  a Mini now that it’s a German car.

  245. 245.

    dopey-o

    I wonder if Mattis’ words aren’t meant to signal for more voices and more criticism. He’s definitely putting active commanders on notice regarding illegal orders. The avalanche starts with a pebble.

    But…… Talk is cheap. It takes money to buy whiskey. We’ll see who else recovers from laryngitis by Friday.

  248. 248.

    trollhattan

    Trump’s base of support seems to be weakening, suffering cuts small and large. This one seems large.

    Tic-toc?

  249. 249.

    BC in Illinois

    @Kay:

    Under President @realDonaldTrump’s leadership, there will be NO burning of churches, looting of businesses, destruction of property, and assaults on civilians and police.
    America will unite in LAW AND ORDER!

    From Julia Ioffe

    @juliaioffe

    Any word on burning synagogues or mosques?

  252. 252.

    Martin

    @NotMax: Oh, please not NY. I think a lot of NYers want their moment to tear that shit down themselves.

    Mar-A-Lago has more of a Atami Castle vibe to it. Besides, what’s more Floridian than being attacked by a 100m tall alligator?

  253. 253.

    cain

    @sanjeevs: Big crowds in the streets, retired top brass issuing clear warnings to the President. Feels familiar.

    I feel the need that another deposing needs to happen over there. I have no idea why that country continues to devolve into dictatorship.. clearly something has gone wrong – and I’m guessing that is western powers.

  257. 257.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Martin:

    what’s more Floridian than being attacked by a 100m tall alligator?

    Being caught trying to have sex with it and the police discover you were hiding drugs in the other end and you also owe Gamera alimony.

  258. 258.

    Martin

    @Mike in NC: Pretty much. It’s gotten slightly better as the NBA has moved in. Kobe lived about a mile from me over in that direction (I live in the cheaper seats, obviously) but I suspect he didn’t want to get down into their space due to the hassle of it. They generally tolerate the NBAers, but Rodman moved right in acted just as you might imagine. Neighbors would call the cops on him constantly, and he would reciprocate by giving them reason to, but rarely breaking any laws.

    Prop 13 basically exists for that neighborhood.

  259. 259.

    J R in WV

    @Martin:

    Simply put, the NYT fundamentally doesn’t understand politics, or the role of media in politics, because that’s not the environment they operate out of.

    I disagree fundamentally with this viewpoint. If you subscribe to the Times, you can search for “N Y Times Hitler” and find at least a dozen articles over the years from 1922 to, well into modern times, that show Mr. Hitler as a gifted politician who led the German state with great skill.The 1922 article is especially greatly flattering to Mr. Hitler.

    They don’t mention the Night of the Long Knives, when Hitler killed everyone in his party apparatus who might have competed with him for leadership of his Party. They don’t mention Krystallnacht when the storm-troopers attacked every Jewish owned business and shattered them into a million fragments.

    The N Y Times loves authoritarianism — that’s why they supported Bush’s lies about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, and published their own huge set of lies about Iraq. Same for Trump —  they worked hard to elect their modern American Nazi into the presidency. And now they work to enable Trump’s dictatorship.

    The Times knows politics, it’s half of their business, along with business, and those two halves are intertwined intimately.

    Note that they also supported letting the bankster thieves go without even a slap on the wrist in the beginning of the Obama presidency.

  260. 260.

    Martin

    @NotMax: NYC is really just hitting their stride after some pretty shitty decades. They deserve their moment to thrive.

  261. 261.

    NotMax

    @Martin

    Not to worry. Godzilla will be taken into custody the moment he sets a talon on land, for not wearing a mask.

  262. 262.

    James E Powell

    @Adam L Silverman:

    All you need to know about Graham is he had his hair dyed the same color as the President’s.

    Like Jennifer Jason Leigh in Single White Female.

  263. 263.

    James E Powell

    @Kay:

    It’s about a sustained, orderly effort to beat Donald Trump that begins now and goes to November.

    Absolutely. And every Republican we can take down.

  264. 264.

    cain

    @Kay:

    What about embassies? I think the one in Greece is burning? (it’s not really, the mazaltov cocktails only hit the lawn, they didn’t target the building itself)

  267. 267.

    James E Powell

    @hueyplong:

    Now every time I see the phrase “single white female” I’m going to think of Lindsey Graham.

    I’m sorry. You’re welcome.

  270. 270.

    Dan B

    @chopper: I’d say the needle has been moved.  It moved a bit.  Did it tip the people who have power towards the dividing line between the rule of law and rule of those who believe they deserve to be above the law, to move the merciless hand of the law with relentless force, always in their favor, away from accountability?

  271. 271.

    Matt

    We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.

    FFS, what drivel. There are two sides in this, and one of them thinks it’s OK for cops to kill people. “We” don’t need to be “better than our politics”, THEY need to stop being racist authoritarians.

    The only apology I’ll believe from Mattis is part of his suicide note. Fuck that guy.

  272. 272.

    trnc

    @Martin: We just had an impeachment trial. That’s the thing you keep your ammo in reserve for.

    Mattis didn’t even need to broadcast it. A simple ‘I would testify if subpoenaed’ message to Schiff is all it would have taken.

    Impeachment isn’t just a laundry list of grievances. I’m sure Mattis knows a lot of illegal crap that DT did, but none of that could have been related to the impeachment charges. He could have made a statement of some kind about DT’s unfitness for office, but not by testifying during the impeachment.

    Also, let’s not undermine the testimony of the people who did testify with direct knowledge of the Ukraine crimes. Mattis could not have been any more effective than Yovonavich, Vindeman, Hill, etc. Even if Mattis had testified about ? in the House, no republican senator would have changed their vote.

  273. 273.

    SWMBO

    @Jeffro: WTF are you talking about?  Cotton (after some GOP ratfucking the DEM candidate) is RUNNING UNOPPOSED IN THIS YEAR’S ELECTION!!

Comments are closed.