Nunes said the Ukraine affair has “no intelligence component whatsoever.”
This is one of the few comments that Nunes has made where he is speaking from a place of utmost authority. Few people on the planet have less of an intelligence component than Nunes.
Deja vu all over again…
These impeachment hearings are doubly good… showing who should be hired into the next administration.
IIRC, British surgeons prefer Mr. or [Ms, Mrs, Miss]
That’s a historical oddity going back to how physicians and surgeons used to be separate things.
No nickname, but I knew character assassination would be coming from the Drumphs.
Just a minor, minor nitpick, but LTC Vindman is still active duty. Calling him a veteran is correct only in the context that he has served in combat, but otherwise it implies that he has retired, honourably finished his commission, yadda yadda.
I’m not calling you wrong, just being overly pedantic on my part.
Yeah the vets I’ve seen haven’t forgotten it and think Vindman is full of himself.
Here are some of the other reactions (via Twitchy):
Even officers rolled their eyes at this guy.
A good many officers as well, trust me. This is Frank Burns level.
Had a Lt. on our sub like this. His senior officers would regularly humiliate him in front of enlisted to take him down a notch. No one likes these guys.
I was an officer and I rolled my eyes. One’s rank isn’t an honorific. It’s a job. Scolding civilians for not referring to you by your rank is the opposite of what that job entails.
Also scolding a congress member is pretty bad form since they are elected officials and the military is subordinate to the elected government, we’ll specifically the president. I’ve spent a good amount of time on the hill and I’ve never seen a officer do this.
Officers expecting civilians to address them by their titles are wrong. Notice that when Rep. Maloney called him Mr. Vindman that he was silent.
In the Constitutional order, members of congress outrank members of the military. Regardless, it’s perfectly acceptable for Nunes to refer to Vindman as “Mr. Vindman,” just as it was for the general several years ago to refer to Barbara Boxer as “Ma’am.”
So apparently men can be Karens, too.
I once was threatened with being written up for having “insubordinate eyebrows” by pretty much this guy.
Anyone who insists of being called by rank in front of and by civilians is an absolute tool.
I was a back up for a witness in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in 1991. Sat behind him during the hearing. Requiring someone use your rank when they address you, even if its a Senator or Representative, or any civilian for that matter is wrong. This guy is a tool.
The person who always pulled rank when it was unnecessary was always the person who refused to admit wrongdoing. It was a sign of zero self-confidence but a massive ego. Saw it A LOT in young LTs who didn’t want to listen to the experienced NCO. A sign of bad leadership training.
I personally thought it was ridiculous. Since when do we ask civilians to refer to military personnel by their rank?
Multiple combat veterans have told me they are livid at this attitude from Vindman, at his use of the uniform as a prop for the cameras, and at his obvious scheming against and insubordination towards his chain of command.
welcome to boingboing comrade.
My wife and I are veterans and can both give you a first hand account that Vindman is correct. Additionally, as a MASH fan I cannot remotely see how anyone would compare Vindman as we saw him in the hearings to Frank Burns. Vindman did not pull rank, he was asking for the proper respect afforded his rank. His uniform was not a prop…he was appearing before a House panel…he is supposed to wear his dress uniform. Every twitter comment you posted is ludicrous.
However, if you feel that random twitter accounts are trustworthy and factual…then by all means, you do you.
I’m actually reminded of the bit in “Inherit the Wind” where the Drummond character (think Clarence Darrow) insists that others in the courtroom addressing “Colonel” Brady (think William Jennings Bryan) by this title – simply an honorary one – would cause a bias in how the jurors regard competing testimony. So Drummond ends up getting a temporary investiture as a a Colonel as well to even the playing field. 
Doctored photo! That rectangle in front of the catcher’s face doesn’t actually exist!!
/s
It’s CADET Bone Spurs, he hasn’t earned “Captain”. 
The term to use is “officer” or “detective”, not a military rank.
So which is it? He’s a tool for “always pulling rank”, or because he only once pulled rank specifically when a Republican whose job it is to know better was belittling him?
Yummy impeachment, yummy.
I am sure I can find several random Twitter accounts from veterans that say the opposite of our new poster.
Context is also important. Bad bosses do exist in the military, but Vindman is correcting someone who is suing a parody Twitter account for making fun of him. One is going overboard, and it isn’t Lt. Col. Vindman.
Exactly. I would argue no reasonable person could draw any of the aforementioned conclusions as to Vindman’s character or person based on his testimony.
i.e. that list is utter bullshit. IMO.
Nunes acts like a congressional hearing is a school yard (with inadequate adult supervision). Honestly it felt less like Vindman was boasting about their rank and more like they were reminding Nunes that in a formal setting one expects formality.
I’m opposed to use of officer, detective, as well as the more militaristic sergeant or captain. The titles create an artificial hierarchy where it isn’t needed. I don’t call my server Waiter Lastname and I don’t feel any reason to do it for another civilian profession.
