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H.R. McMaster: The "good" and the "bad"

Vetplus40

Vetplus40

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The Good: By virtually every account, this selection is an outstanding one. A strong military man - who isn't afraid to voice his opinion - that is also a scholar. This guy was passed over for a Generals promotion twice for refusing to play the game of "promotional politics". He looks like the real deal and is a far cry from the person that was fired recently from the job of NSA. Given his propensity to lead, it will be interesting to see if he can staff the NSC the way that he wants to. According to Priebus, the new NSA director will have full authority to staff his team as he sees fit. This is a rather odd statement considering that Harward wanted to remove K.T. McFarland (who is widely viewed as being incompetent) and Bannon (who has no place anywhere near the White House) and was told that he would not be allowed to do so. As a result, he declined the job. My guess is that within a short period of time, Bannon will be removed from the NSC. POTUS does not need another NSA fiasco so soon into his presidency and McMaster will likely not tolerate the likes of either Bannon or Miller for very long.

The bad: As stellar a choice as McMaster is, he was not the first choice of the POTUS. In fact, he was not the second or third choice, but the fourth. Fortunately for us (us being the majority of Americans who don't believe everything that we are told) the POTUS choice was heavily influenced by members of the various congressional intelligence and national security committees with prior military service. Some of whom served under McMasters.

The bad: Trump has shown a significant lack of judgement by awarding campaign donors with Cabinet or other high-level positions for which they are either educationally or "experience wise" unqualified to perform. In these instances, it would be much better to follow the lead of past presidents and award donors with Ambassadorships where they cant go any harm. Washington is full of highly qualified folks that would serve if asked, even though they may not supported Trump. By having to surround yourself with folks that always agree and praise you, it simply puts your insecurities out front for everyone to see.

McMaster was in a unusual positon in as much as he could not refuse the job. As an active duty officer, he either had to accept or resign. McMaster looks like a guy that loves a challenge and he definitely has one now. This will be an interesting appointment to watch.
 
Here is a small hint about how LtGen McMaster will conduct himself in this new duty: Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam.

Trump now has four generals in top positions that are known for their particle of telling it like it is, without regard to politics. I feel this is a good thing, but only time will tell. My one concern is that with these four, the Trump cabinet is beginning to look like a war cabinet. Again, time will tell.
 
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Vetplus40 said:
The Good: By virtually every account, this selection is an outstanding one. A strong military man - who isn't afraid to voice his opinion - that is also a scholar. This guy was passed over for a Generals promotion twice for refusing to play the game of "promotional politics". He looks like the real deal and is a far cry from the person that was fired recently from the job of NSA. Given his propensity to lead, it will be interesting to see if he can staff the NSC the way that he wants to. According to Priebus, the new NSA director will have full authority to staff his team as he sees fit. This is a rather odd statement considering that Harward wanted to remove K.T. McFarland (who is widely viewed as being incompetent) and Bannon (who has no place anywhere near the White House) and was told that he would not be allowed to do so. As a result, he declined the job. My guess is that within a short period of time, Bannon will be removed from the NSC. POTUS does not need another NSA fiasco so soon into his presidency and McMaster will likely not tolerate the likes of either Bannon or Miller for very long.

The bad: As stellar a choice as McMaster is, he was not the first choice of the POTUS. In fact, he was not the second or third choice, but the fourth. Fortunately for us (us being the majority of Americans who don't believe everything that we are told) the POTUS choice was heavily influenced by members of the various congressional intelligence and national security committees with prior military service. Some of whom served under McMasters.

The bad: Trump has shown a significant lack of judgement by awarding campaign donors with Cabinet or other high-level positions for which they are either educationally or "experience wise" unqualified to perform. In these instances, it would be much better to follow the lead of past presidents and award donors with Ambassadorships where they cant go any harm. Washington is full of highly qualified folks that would serve if asked, even though they may not supported Trump. By having to surround yourself with folks that always agree and praise you, it simply puts your insecurities out front for everyone to see.

McMaster was in a unusual positon in as much as he could not refuse the job. As an active duty officer, he either had to accept or resign. McMaster looks like a guy that loves a challenge and he definitely has one now. This will be an interesting appointment to watch.
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I've heard and read in a few sources that Tom Cotton was the primary influencer behind the selection of McMaster, with a lot of support and affirmation from Mike Pence. Cotton served under McMaster until he left the military to embark on his Senate career. That gives me hope about this administration. We know Trump knows more about ISIS than the generals know :roll: but this may be a sign that he's actually listening to people smarter and more knowledgeable than he is (in other words, not Bannon, Miller, Conway and Kushner).

I think this pick is sheer brilliance and will serve Trump and the country well.
 
tres borrachos said:
I've heard and read in a few sources that Tom Cotton was the primary influencer behind the selection of McMaster, with a lot of support and affirmation from Mike Pence. Cotton served under McMaster until he left the military to embark on his Senate career. That gives me hope about this administration. We know Trump knows more about ISIS than the generals know :roll: but this may be a sign that he's actually listening to people smarter and more knowledgeable than he is (in other words, not Bannon, Miller, Conway and Kushner).

I think this pick is sheer brilliance and will serve Trump and the country well.
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Meh. Definitely a better pick than most of his others... but I think you are overselling this.

It's only "sheer brilliance" to you because you have normalized Trump's repeated displays of total incompetence.
 
RickJames3000 said:
Meh. Definitely a better pick than most of his others... but I think you are overselling this.

It's only "sheer brilliance" to you because you have normalized Trump's repeated displays of total incompetence.
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No, I actually spent a lot of time last night researching the man, and listened to every network discuss him this morning (except for Trump's favorite crew at Fox and Friends - I don't get my news from housewifey shows). Everyone, and I am including even the most ardent of Trump opponents, thinks the world of this guy. Apparently he has an amazing knack for strategy. I think this is an outstanding pick.
 
tres borrachos said:
No, I actually spent a lot of time last night researching the man, and listened to every network discuss him this morning (except for Trump's favorite crew at Fox and Friends - I don't get my news from housewifey shows). Everyone, and I am including even the most ardent of Trump opponents, thinks the world of this guy. Apparently he has an amazing knack for strategy. I think this is an outstanding pick.
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Sure. I like the pick too. It's an obviously good one.

But it's certainly no indication of "brilliance" on Trump's part. The choice seems to have been motivated by the Pence/Preibus wing of the Administration, along with the negative reactions Trump received from the first several selections he made to fill the vacancy.
 
RickJames3000 said:
Sure. I like the pick too. It's an obviously good one.

But it's certainly no indication of "brilliance" on Trump's part. The choice seems to have been motivated by the Pence/Preibus wing of the Administration, along with the negative reactions Trump received from the first several selections he made to fill the vacancy.
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I never said this was brilliance on Trump's part, and if you read my post #3 that you previously quoted, I said that Pence and Cotton were behind the pick.
 
tres borrachos said:
I never said this was brilliance on Trump's part, and if you read my post #3 that you previously quoted, I said that Pence and Cotton were behind the pick.
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Ok. I stand corrected. I agree.
 
a777pilot said:
Here is a small hint about how LtGen McMaster will conduct himself in this new duty: Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam.

Trump now has four generals in top positions that are known for their particle of telling it like it is, without regard to politics. I feel this is a good thing, but only time will tell. My one concern is that with these four, the Trump cabinet is beginning to look like a war cabinet. Again, time will tell.
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I am a little concerned about the amount of military personnel as do, needs the security of those folks around hm. well, but I am far more comfortable with them as I am with some of his other picks. That said, I do find it ironic that a person who claimed to know more than the generals needs to have so many round.

Despite his business success, which some business people like Buffett say is "questionable", POTUS does show a sign of being somewhat insecure.
 
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