Name:   Talullahhound - Subject:   Ah yes, the litmus test argument Date:   9/30/2021 9:18:53 AM

I'd like to point out to you that it is a great distance between being a LTC with an opinion in the Marines and being the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Don't forget that all these retiree Generals calling for Milley's resignation are allowed to speak out without concerning themselves about the loss of their retirement - they are only accountable to themselves. I would give credence to a former Chairman speaking out - someone that has sat in that very hot seat and had to make hard decisions.  

Frankly, I think Milley made a mistake in speaking to those authors, particularly Woodward who has a history of scewering Republican Presidents - he is a jouralist, not a historian.  There is clearly bad blood between Milley and Trump; unless Milley writes a book, we'll likely never know why that is - if it was political or if it was personal.  

I was never in the military, but I worked with military officers off and on for 32 years.  I've seen things, I've heard things, observed behaviors.  It's hard to explain a culture to someone that hasn't worked in it, day in and day out.  As much as you think you have read, until you have seen it up close, you can't really understand it.  I had a colleague who worked at a think tank.  He told me before he came to the Pentagon to work, he thought that the days were filled with brilliant oratory and well thought out papers that were circulated and debated. He found out that it was nothing like that - instead there are personalities, competing interests, politics and the pressure is enormous.  Add Congress into the mix, and other agencies, like State Department and nothing is as clear as you might think.  

I don't expect to change your mind, because frankly, I don't think you are open to another opinion other than your own.