"I
have five people, including the general," Trump told me in a
25-minute phone conversation on Monday morning, referring to retired Lt.
Gen. Michael
T. Flynn. "I do like the military, but I do very much like the
political."
Trump
added, "I will make my mind up over the next three to four days. In my
mind, I have someone that would be really good."
Although Trump
was careful not to eliminate Flynn, it was clear that he believed picking
someone "political" was the right move, meaning, presumably, that
former speaker Newt Gingrich, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and New Jersey Gov. Chris
Christie and one other political person are in his final four.
Trump
said he was prizing political experience over military experience for two
main reasons.
First,
he feels as though he doesn't need much help on the military/national security
front. "
Read the entire post here.
Original post:
On March 2, 121 members of the Republican national security community published an open letter explaining why they are united in their opposition to Donald Trump as president. Here it is, in full:
We
the undersigned, members of the Republican national security community,
represent a broad spectrum of opinion on America’s role in the world and what
is necessary to keep us safe and prosperous. We have disagreed with one another
on many issues, including the Iraq war and intervention in Syria. But we are
united in our opposition to a Donald Trump presidency. Recognizing as we do,
the conditions in American politics that have contributed to his popularity, we
nonetheless are obligated to state our core objections clearly:
His
vision of American influence and power in the world is wildly inconsistent and
unmoored in principle. He swings from isolationism to military adventurism
within the space of one sentence.
His
advocacy for aggressively waging trade wars is a recipe for economic disaster
in a globally connected world.
His embrace of the expansive use of
torture is inexcusable.
His
hateful, anti-Muslim rhetoric undercuts the seriousness of combating Islamic
radicalism by alienating partners in the Islamic world making significant
contributions to the effort. Furthermore, it endangers the safety and
Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of American Muslims.
Controlling
our border and preventing illegal immigration is a serious issue, but his
insistence that Mexico will fund a wall on the southern border inflames
unhelpful passions, and rests on an utter misreading of, and contempt for, our
southern neighbor.
Similarly,
his insistence that close allies such as Japan must pay vast sums for
protection is the sentiment of a racketeer, not the leader of the alliances
that have served us so well since World War II.
His
admiration for foreign dictators such as Vladimir Putin is unacceptable for the
leader of the world’s greatest democracy.
He
is fundamentally dishonest. Evidence of this includes his attempts to deny
positions he has unquestionably taken in the past, including on the 2003 Iraq
war and the 2011 Libyan conflict. We accept that views evolve over time, but
this is simply misrepresentation.
His
equation of business acumen with foreign policy experience is false. Not all
lethal conflicts can be resolved as a real estate deal might, and there is no
recourse to bankruptcy court in international affairs.
Mr.
Trump’s own statements lead us to conclude that as president, he would use the
authority of his office to act in ways that make America less safe, and which
would diminish our standing in the world. Furthermore, his expansive view of
how presidential power should be wielded against his detractors poses a distinct
threat to civil liberty in the United States. Therefore, as committed and loyal
Republicans, we are unable to support a Party ticket with Mr. Trump at its
head. We commit ourselves to working energetically to prevent the election of
someone so utterly unfitted to the office.
You can see the signatories here.
I thought of this letter when I saw this new video, from the Center for American Progress Action Fund. It. Is. Terrifying.
Days until Election Day: 130
