
<p>Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley has become a controversial person in a position where controversy is a serious detriment.</p>



<p>On the extremes, Milley is either a courageous national hero or a person who has betrayed his duty and trust. ; Those extreme views are the products of those with highly emotional opinions about former President Trump. ; The Trump haters love Milley and the Trump acolytes hate the guy.</p>



<p>If you discard the hyperbolic views, there is sufficient evidence that Milley has proven to be a person of poor judgment – and it is a lot more than the current controversy surrounding his actions and statements associated with Trump’s presidency. ; The current bruhaha is more of the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.</p>



<p>This latest controversy stems from a book written by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa entitled “Peril.” ; In it, the authors not only describe Milley as a man highly concerned that Trump would launch some fatalistic military action as the product of a depraved mind. ; Milley even called his counterpart in China to assure them that there would be procedures in place that would prevent Trump from launching nuclear missiles on Beijing. ; He demeaned the United States by excusing the current situation by saying that our system is “sloppy.” ; His call to his Chinese counterpart after the Capitol Hill riot was disturbingly outside the chain-of-command.</p>



<p>The book reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a hysterical call to Milley begging him to protect the nuclear codes. ; He assured her that he would. ; That conversation was inappropriate on both parts – and if Pelosi did not know that the President cannot unilaterally launch the atomic arsenal, she is dangerously ill-informed. ; More likely the call was just a political stunt.</p>



<p>While judging – and even misjudging – Trump’s state of mind has the subject of a lot of partisan parlor talk, there is virtually no indication that Trump demonstrated the slightest inclination for starting a war. ; Personally, I think Milley was operating with a “Doctor Strangelove” fantasy in his head – raising questions about his own mental stability. ; ;</p>



<p>The General seemed to be operating on an old canard that that was advanced by the left quite often during the Trump presidency. ; They constantly fearmongered that Trump would “push the button” and launch a nuclear holocaust.</p>



<p>On a couple occasions, I used my commentaries to remind readers that Trump – and no President – has the sole power to launch America’s nuclear arsenal. ; There are too many safeguards … too many people involved … to many “buttons” to push.</p>



<p>When Milley found it necessary to inform his fellow commanders that they MUST follow the procedures … period … he was telling them what they already knew. ; He was admonishing them to play by the rules as if he expected they would not. ; That seems as much a distrust of his military colleagues as it is of the President. ; ; ; ;</p>



<p>But my headline suggestion that Milley should resign – or be fired – is not just based on this one instance. ; He has been inappropriately outspoken regarding the Commander-in-Chief – the President – on several occasions. ; And each time he was asked to confirm or deny what he was alleged to have said, he suddenly discovered silence – something he should have maintained in the first place.</p>



<p>He was adamant when advising Trump to postpone his December 2020 deadline to remove all troops from Afghanistan – and that advice was leaked with Milley as the suspected leaker. ; He is also believed to be the source of the Woodward/Costa book.</p>



<p>An argument could be made that Milley is a show boater more interested in his public image than the restraints of his military duties.</p>



<p>Not all of Milley’s inappropriate behavior was in opposition to hypothetical actions by Trump. ; He also did not know his place when he joined Trump on the trek through Lafayette Square to the steps of St. John’s Episcopal Church – that rioters had attempted to burn down the night before.</p>



<p>It was not so much Trump’s visit – which I opined, at the time, was ill-conceived and badly executed – but that one of the top military leaders would accompany him. ; That was not the role of the Armed Services during an insurrection. ; (If they label the Capitol Hill riot as an insurrection, we should properly apply that to all those other riots.) ; ;</p>



<p>Milley was not there for security but involving himself in a domestic disruption. ; That is the role for the FBI, the local police, and even the National Guard – with some exceptions. ; In that case, Milley was roundly criticized by the left – the same folks currently elevating him to hero status. ; Oh, the hypocrisy!</p>



<p>This last example of poor judgment should be the career closer for Milley. ; MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough applauds Milley’s actions – including his calls to China on the basis that commanders and diplomats often have direct conversations with their counterparts. ; But with his bias, Scarborough misses the critical point. ; They normally have those conversations in SUPPORT of the American President and American policies – not to undermine the nation’s Chief Executive or cast doubt on his mental state. ; ;</p>



<p>In that, Milley was taking a very narrow politically partisan path – one that is totally inappropriate. ; He should go. ; One can recall how General Alexander Haig was lambasted for claiming that he was in charge at the White House when President Reagan was shot. ; Scarborough and the other Milley cheerleaders took a very different position when it came to General Michael Flynn talking to Russian officials. ; More hypocrisy? ;</p>



<p>I do not think of Milley as a traitor – as some contend. ; But it is fair to say that his judgment has not been very good on a lot of serious matters – and he has too often crossed the line into the political affairs-of-state. ; President Biden says he has confidence in Milley. ; Maybe so. ; But Milley has damaged his own credibility sufficiently to be replaced – and he should be.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Chief of Staff Milley should be fired, there I said it!
