Monday, January 07, 2019

One has to Admire "The Hawks" Grip on Power

In the abstract, one must admire the defense hawks grip on the cogs of power. On December 19th, Very Special Genius President Trump announce a pull out from Syria within 30 days.



The pro-war crowd threw shit at the fan. The Defense Secretary resigned, Lady Lindsey Graham threw himself a hissy fit, even Fox news blew a gasket. Since I liked Trump's action (yes I really did, LINK here), I knew it was trouble.

Well the military hawks, or, as Dwight Eisenhower called it, the military-industrial complex went apoplectic. And with results. This is only the second thing Trump has backed down on. The kids in cages at the border, now this. He hasn't said a word - we all know he hates to admit he can't do what he wants.

But Senator Graham came out a few weeks later and said Trump said 30 days, but meant about 4 months. Now John Bolton, his National Security Advisor said he really meant whenever all the right conditions are met, maybe a few months, maybe a few years from now.

The Afghanistan walk-back was immediate, but Syria took almost 3 weeks for the war party to get President Trump to back down on.