I think the point is that turning down the posting would be tantamount to resigning. Technically, yes, that is a choice, but most people would consider the choice between a job that might (probably will) suck on the one hand and unemployment on the other to not really be much of a choice.
But … will McMaster be sitting in the role of NS Advisor as a LtGen? Or will he have to retire/resign anyway in order to become a civilian?
John Poindexter served as National Security Adviser from 1985 to 1986 as an active duty vice admiral. Colin Powell served as National Security Adviser from 1987 to 1989 as an active duty lieutenant general. So I’m guessing McMaster can probably get away with keeping his commission.
There’s no requirement for the NSA to be a civilian.
There is a requirement for the Sec Def to be a civilian, but Trumpy had the GOP write him a “get out of obeying the law” note for that one anyway.
Oh. I took it to mean it would be treason, if he said “Gee, thanks for the offer, but I really don’t wanna come play with you 'n your pals . . . gonna go sit in the library 'n read books”, to a “request” from the POTUS.
Once upon a time it would have been actual treason to refuse a command offered by your Sovereign, in the Old Country. Not since the glorious revolution, of course.
I’m giving props to Trump for rocking a Carmen Miranda hat at an official occasion.
Eh… Might be unemployment, but probably not for long. Generals tend to get jobs relatively easily if they want them, and there’s also the retirement pay: Lt general with 32 years of service is 80% of base pay of 15.5k, so over 12k/month. Admittedly, he loses the other allowances that a general normally gets (general’s bitch aide, housing allowance, etc).
So, seriously, folks, the previous person to be offered this post called it a shit sandwich…that would give me pause before I would accept it…don’t you think?
For whatever it’s worth (I know, maybe not much) the gang on Morning Joe were overflowing with praise today for this pick, and they sited bipartisan and non-trumpian sources (McCain, Krystal) who also have expressed strong approval for this guy. It looks like, despite himself, Trump apparently stumbled into a good choice.
Mattis is a civilian. He retired in 2013.
The law is that the Secretary of Defense can’t have been active-duty military in the last 7 years. Mattis got a waiver for this- as did George Marshall in 1950 (who was legally active-duty military the whole time, as five-star generals never retire, though he’d effectively retired in 1945). On the other hand, when Congress voted to let Marshall be confirmed, they said “please don’t do this again”…
So, you are only accepting answers from West Point grads? pfft
He could have, but one advantage of not really wanting the job is he can speak his mind about what really should be done without giving a crap that he will be fired.
I’m not saying he will do that, just that he is in a better position to say “that is an amazingly stupid policy, I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets us all killed and best case is it makes us less safe”.
If he actually does say that I imagine it’ll get him fired about as fast as someone saying “the justice department won’t defend this executive order in court”, but there is a tiny chance it could actually change 45’s tiny mind. (and if fired, well the press conferences are a great time to say “well I serve at the pleasure of the president, and a honest look at his policies don’t bring him any pleasure, nor will his policies bring the country any safety”
Well, maybe he’ll be a positive influence on the McPresident.
We all know that the only part of government that Republicans don’t want to drown in a bathtub is the Military. Authoritarianism or some overriding terror of foreigners, I forget what their reasoning might be.
For now, I’m going to imagine what Trump’s pick would have looked like if he had continued his “fox for every henhouse” standard. Who could he have chosen that would have the most destructive impact on Big Military Government?
I’m thinking it would have to someone who was not necessarily a famous pacifist. Maybe someone who can write a complicated budget and then enforce it. A fiscal conservative, if you will.
So that’s why he loves to fly there on taxpayer money … they share the same interior designer!
Nope. I sense that was a joke the reference to which is country specific, and I miss it?. I meant, someone who has been in the military, and probably had to read the rules before she signed?.
If enough people saw this as their duty, go into the job to serve their people faithfully, then leaving it because this meant they had to say “This is a borderline foolish policy, which endangers the people and state, and probably illegal under our International obligations” eventually, it would be the solution to the problem.
tRump would be slowed down, by looking for new people all the time. Eventually it would mean he got little else done, and eventually that would result in him obeying the laws and mores that all the previous Presidents have obeyed because it was their duty to do so. He lacks conviction and staying power.
He’s willing to publicly affiliate himself with the Trump administration. Therefore, he’s seriously lacking in ethics, judgement or both.
The gang on Morning Joe played a major role in getting Trump elected in the first place.
the treason talk is starting to get out of hand.
None dare call it treason, 'cause None have more sense.
Unless he feels like he’s doing what he can to save us from Trump. And it’s been mentioned that he’s active military, so he couldn’t really refuse the Commander in Chief.
Just following orders?
That sounds familiar…
