In the days after the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, Joint Chief of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley reportedly became “involved” in the country’s nuclear chain of command, and also assured his Chinese military counterpart that an attack from the U.S. was not forthcoming.
If he does resign, so be it. He is bigger than the Military Code. He may well have saved us. But what a thin veneer between us and the abyss.
Definitely not Miley’s role but we must be thankful he recognized the danger.
This sounds like one of those situations in which deciding to do the right thing had far more weight than following orders or the law. Milley understood what he was doing, the personal consequence and the fall out involved. There is zero doubt he knew this. Time keeps proving over and again that his president at the time was a threat to the common good and the operation of this country. So the real question, can we as the public, manage to balance a man who stepped well beyond his authority to save us from a far worse fate.
It probably is true that Milley’s actions took a chunk out of the principle of civilian control of the military. With that said, they were also probably necessary…the actions by Trump and members of his administration made it possible that they might decide to start a war or cause some kind of problem in order to retain the presidency. What it really shows is a weakness in our political system…there should be a limit on the presidency that doesn’t allow unilateral power to launch nuclear weapons without a direct threat (i.e. missiles on the way to the US). The presidency has a lot of power, and the fact that it no longer has any real limits to it (Trump demonstrated clearly he could do whatever he wanted as long as he had enough supporters in the Senate to protect him) means that Congress really needs to put limits on the power of the presidency in case another dictator in chief is elected.
It won’t happen though, so we’ll continue to have ad hoc measures taken by people trying to hold the one against the US falling into dictatorship. Milley may have to fall on his sword for this, but he also protected the nation from the worst impulses of Trump and his minions…without him and other leaders in the military refusing to play along we really could have seen an intervention that kept Trump in power. We should be thankful they cared so much about our democracy to risk their careers to protect it…and we should make sure that’s never necessary again.
Interesting thing to live in a mortally wounded republic but people keep thinking we can all slip back into the ante Scumbag quo.
But hey, new iPad mini!
I for one would have been severely pissed if Trump had started a nuclear war with China because anyone who might have stepped in to prevent this, instead thought: “Chain of Command!” Yes! Pissed!
I read that General Milley had information that the Chinese believed that we were going to strike therm and were preparing an offensive strike. If that is true he probably saved our nation from a devastating war.
Milley has to resign. He should have done it before this. I’m very grateful for his service. But he has to go.
Bollocks. Having a rational actor in place is critical when the MFWWNBN is rampaging around. He’s the last bastion against insanity. Can you imagine if we’d have a Trumpian loyalist in the bunker?
Donald Trump broke the chain of command between reality and insanity. Moreover, Milley knew how totally insane Trump was/is because he took the stroll with Trump through Lafayette Square. Finally, after the election Trump was in the process of committing treason against the United States government, which culminated in the January 6 insurrection. To paraphrase a song, if what Milley did was wrong, I don’t want to be right.
Loren DeJonge Schulman, a senior fellow at CNAS and a former adviser to National Security Advisor Susan Rice, contended that the problem had less to do with questions about the chain of command and more to do with the dire politics of January 2021.
“But the problem Milley sought to solve here isn’t really a civ-mil process question. It’s a political challenge (do we trust who is president–who the political electoral system chose).”
As others have stated that delicate balance of military and civilian control had to be set aside when a mad man has the nuclear football. Trump is all id all the time. He’s an addict for attention, and there is nothing that he wouldn’t do to get it and keep the focus on him.
So the question now is people like Rubio having a hissy fit should be a warning sign that his judgement is questionable. Yeah I know we should question all these Republican’s judgement. But their reasons for following is simple, Trump brought all the crazies into the voting booth, never mind that once you invite the crazy in you can’t ask them to leave.
Regardless, if he did what the book says, he should testify before Congress, in open session, to explain why he did what he did. No more protecting the Donald.
Welp, might as well write for Faux News if you’re going to take this tack. You’re handing them everything they could possibly want with this narrative. While the issue is valid, it should be prefaced IN EVERY FUCKING SENTENCE THAT TRUMP AND THE GQP TRUMP KKKULT CAUSED AND CREATED THE ISSUE IN THE FIRST PLACE BY PRESENTING THE MILITARY’S TOP DOG WITH THE IMPENDING THREAT OF A COUP AND A CRAZED, LITERALLY MENTALLY ILL POTUS WHO WOULD DO ANYTHING…A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G…TO CLING TO POWER, WHO HAD JUST ATTEMPTED A VIOLENT COUP AND WAS CLEARLY SUPPORTED BY A PARTY FULL OF TRAITORS WHO WOULD CIRCLE THEIR WAGONS TO ASSIST HIM IN SUCCEEDING.
This article is a failure of reporting for its failure to make goddamn clear that it’s not about Milley. He’s a sideshow and maybe, eventually, needs to step down and take one for the team as he was knowingly doing when he took steps to prevent catastrophe…as he clearly knew might be the sacrifice he’d be making.
BUT THIS IS ALL ABOUT TRUMP AND THE GQP. ALL OF IT. MAKING IT ABOUT MILLEY IS A FUCKING DISTRACTION AND AN ABYSMAL MISREADING OF THE ISSUES THAT ONLY SERVES TO ASSIST THE PEOPLE WHO CAUSED THE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE IN AVOIDING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HAVING DONE SO.
Now let’s talk about how much TRUMP eroded basic norms, decency, the autonomy of inspectors general, etc., etc.
And then the Donald. How many former prosecutors are current serving Dem Senators? This would be must see TV.
I would have done what Milley did. I would have resigned on the day after Biden took office and told the President why.
“Milley ‘Eroded’ Civilian Control Of Military With Trump-Era Crisis Actions.”
You misspelled “lunatic wannabe-dictator-for-life hell bent to start WWIII and snuff out all life on Earth”.
(Jeez – turn on autocorrect or something.)
Presidents like Trump and Bolsonaro that claim that the only way they can lose an election is if it is rigged should be removed from office immediately. If it was true, you should do something about it instead of claiming it. But more likely it is bullshit and you are unfit for office.
That would help prevent dilemmas like this.
Milley acted to protect the country from the insane decisions of a crazy person. He deserves the Medal of Honor for acts “above and beyond the call of duty” to protect the country from its greatest (continuing) threat: the treasonous presidency of Donald Trump, a man who should never have been allowed to run for office and for what he did while in office should currently occupy an 8x10 windowless cell, imprisoned for the rest of his worthless life.