Gen. Barry McCaffrey said that Trump’s boasting to special ops forces about the danger that he faced in coming to Iraq was embarrassing.
McCaffrey said, “We ought to be grateful that deputy secretary Pat Shanahan is there and will take up the reins, you know. He’s an adult, he’s honest, he’s had two years of understudying Mattis. He’s a very competent military technology guy. In the short run, we’re not going to have a problem in the Pentagon. But I think when you start looking, this whole trip, which was a good trip for the president to make. The president boasting about the dangers he faced and Bolton was a brave man to go with him. God, he’s talking to special operation soldiers in Iraq. It’s sort of embarrassing.”
Video:
Gen. Barry McCaffrey said that Trump’s boasting to special ops forces about the danger that he faced in coming to Iraq was embarrassing. https://t.co/tngfL1jCQY pic.twitter.com/ZSf46D2RjS
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— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) December 27, 2018
Sort of embarrassing was an understatement. It was embarrassing. Trump was talking to special ops soldiers who are stationed in Iraq and risking their lives every single day that they are there. Trump was never in any danger, but it took him two years to go visit the troops because he has been terrified of visiting Iraq or Afghanistan.
As recently as last month, Trump claimed that he was too busy to visit the troops overseas. With the government shut down and Trump unable to go to his club and play golf, Trump has suddenly found the time to see the troops.
Unfortunately, that visit was a disgrace, as Trump violated military protocol:
Here are the ways that Trump broke military protocol while visiting troops in Iraq. pic.twitter.com/8WnYVEpMw0
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) December 27, 2018
Trump embarrassed himself, and his country. The men and women serving in uniform deserve better as commander in chief than a draft dodger who only showed up to see them when he thought it would get him some good news coverage.
Trump’s trip to see the troops has backfired.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
