If the question of the day is whether the neocons would capture the Trump presidency, his cabinet suggestions do not yet answer
that question. There are indicators that he will indeed become the lapdog of
right wing ideologues, John Bolton being considered for Secretary of State being one strong example of an acquiescence to that school of thought. Bolton is one of the great chickenhawks of our time, famously
confessing that, “…I had no desire to die in a Southeast Asian rice paddy,” but
who was elemental in laying out the WMD bed of lies that served as pretext for
the war in Iraq, and who gets visibly moist when speaking of chemical
weapons.
Fair enough on the rice paddy situation, but Bolton’s
enthusiasm for military solutions to nearly everything over the course of his
administrative career can I think fairly be considered through this lens, and whether or
not personal hypocrisy factors into assessing Bolton’s possible appointment, if
you thought Hillary was a hawk, this guy is a cassowary. Mitt Romney, under “active
consideration” for secretary of state, would be the wiser choice. If it turns out to be Bolton though,
defense manufacturing stocks would be an excellent investment right now.
Also in the neocon hawk (but not chickenhawk) department is James
Woolsey, who is reportedly being consulted heavily for security advice; Woolsey
has never met a devastating military incursion he didn’t like. The refreshing
aspect of Woolsey’s world view though is that he is a staunch environmentalist,
driven in large part by his I think correct disposition that energy is a
security issue. Add to that Trump’s hot-off-the-presses appointment of four-star general James Mattis as secretary of defense, and you have to think
that Trump is getting ready to kill people and break things. Mattis is not a
neocon doctrinaire like Woolsey, and he’s certainly not a chickenhawk like Bolton.
He’s a serious choice, but in the chain of envision, strategize and implement, he is the big gun at the end of that process. My guess is he will be blowing things up fairly soon and
my guess is also that he will be doing it extremely well.
I do not feel at all good about the other general Trump has
on the team. In reading about General Flynn, I am surprised that he was
promoted as rapidly as he was. He seems like a fool. Inconsistent in communication style and content,
he is famous for leaving great chaos in his wake and a palpable grumbling dissatisfaction among his staff and colleagues, hardly desirable attributes
of a leader at that level. In reading General Flynn himself, his writings are undisciplined
and beneath standards I would expect of someone in his position in
terms of organization and clarity. He doesn’t strike me as smart. When I read
accounts of him in a hunt for positive reports, the terms “high-energy,” “workaholic”
and “passionate” are what come up frequently. In my opinion, high-energy,
workaholism and passion can be detriments rather than virtues if they are
aimed in a twisted direction, and with Flynn, they are.
We could go down the line and make predictions, but as far
as military spending and doing, “Give War a Chance” seems to be the aborning
Trump administration plan, though the appointment of Romney over Bolton would
install a governor on proactive militarism as a strategic preference. In any
case, I am relieved that Meatloaf is apparently out of the running for any and
all cabinet posts.
No comments:
Post a Comment