Who Cares Who the Generals Are Voting For?
They're Not Your Guide to Enlightenment
We’ve hit peak craziness in the sprint to the end of this horrendous election season. I know there are a lot of nervous people out there—and I get it. Never Trumpers are scared that Trump will come in and torch the place. Trumpers think Harris and her deep-state cronies will turn the United States into the Woke States of America.
In an election as close as this one, everyone is shaking the trees, trying to get the last endorsement to give their team the victory they desperately crave. Unfortunately, this has led some to ask our generals for their opinion. For some strange reason, we care about who our overrated generals endorse. For the life of me, I don’t understand why this matters.
Let’s look at the results of the 9-11 wars given to us by this generation of American general officers.
I could go on and on, but I just googled “Afghan” and “Iraq” news, and this is what popped up. A generation of American general officers got their asses kicked by two irregular forces without armor, an air force, or mechanized infantry. The idea that Iraq is a victory is so hollow that it’s laughable.
Let me ask a question: is anybody planning to vacation in Baghdad this summer? Sure, it’s better than Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda is ramping up operations, but let’s not go overboard.
Fine, you may say, but Ukraine turned out pretty well—other than that failed Ukrainian counteroffensive that the US spearheaded.
Do you want some more? You got it.
Again and again, “the generals” have shit the bed across the globe. Not to mention the problems affecting the force.
So this generation of general officers has lost two wars, screwed the pooch in Ukraine, and implemented a disastrous humanitarian operation in Israel. Not to mention, they have driven their workforce into the ground, leading to suicides and an epidemic of sexual assaults that they’ve failed to address. Is it any wonder why we have the following problems:
And I wonder why so many veterans disparage “the generals.”
I think I’ve made my point.
Nevertheless, Harris supporters have been trotting out the generals to save us. On the one hand, those who served with Trump have insight into Trump’s character. Thus, we get all of this:
There are a lot more. But General Milley and General McChrystal are good examples for us to discuss. Let me show you a couple of problems with these two gentlemen.
McCaul’s deliberate decision to deflect from the failures of U.S. military commanders is perhaps best illustrated by a phone call McCaul had with Milley and McKenzie just ahead of the Committee’s public hearing with them.
“I’m trying to protect you a little bit,” McCaul told McKenzie on that call (as I openly took notes), alluding to the righteous indignation of the Gold Star families at the military’s lack of honesty.
……
The Chairman also previewed to the generals all the questions he planned on asking them — telling them he was doing so “so there are no surprises.” Can you imagine a prosecutor helping a defendant prepare for his defense? Well, that’s exactly what former federal prosecutor McCaul did.
This is some really honorable conduct by General (retired) Milley. He used his connections to dodge any accountability over Afghanistan. Great. That’s the type of man whose opinions over the fate of our country I should rely on?
Nah.
In a profile in Rolling Stone magazine, Gen McChrystal and aides were quoted as making disparaging remarks about Mr Obama and senior colleagues.
Gen McChrystal himself described the period last year when President Obama was slowly moving towards the approval of the deployment of thousands more US soldiers to Afghanistan as "painful".
And referring to a key Oval Office meeting between Mr Obama and Gen McChrystal a year ago, an aide of Gen McChrystal said the president "didn't seem very engaged. The boss [Gen McChrystal] was pretty disappointed".
Others targeted included:
Vice-President Joe Biden, who Gen McChrystal pretended not to know
US ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry, who Gen McChrystal said he felt "betrayed" by
National Security Adviser James Jones, who one of Gen McChrystal's aides described as a "clown"
US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, whose electronic communication led Gen McChrystal to say: "Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke... I don't even want to open it"
General McChrystal, to his credit, accepted full responsibility. But this is the type of conduct I would expect from a 2nd Lt—not the man responsible for leading a multi-national war that was started by an attack on the homeland. General McChrystal’s conduct severely hurt our war effort.
So again, I ask, knowing all this, why should anyone care who these men endorse for President?
I understand that everyone is ramped up for this election. None of this necessarily means that these men and women are bad people or that they served dishonorably. Nearly all of them served their country for 30+ years and have sacrificed more than anyone, myself included.
Nevertheless, the generals should stay on the sidelines and stop doing political endorsements. It would be nice if they all banded together and took responsibility for the wars they lost, fought for better treatment of veterans and active duty members, and tried to raise awareness for our Afghan allies. But that’s not going to happen.
The generals will not save us, ladies and gentlemen. They can’t even win wars anymore nor take care of their formations. Until they do that, nobody should give a damn who they endorse for president.
No matter how badly the Generals & Admirals have 'shit the bed' in the past, I would still trust their judgement over that of know-nothing movie stars, rock stars, or TikTok influencers.
Have you ever written about why our military and political culture has so little accountability for generals? I work in the corporate world, and while not every CEO who screws up their company gets fired, lots of them do.