Name:   Talullahhound - Subject:   Ah yes, the litmus test argument Date:   9/30/2021 11:12:43 AM

The Marines are... different.  They tend to view things very black and white, and in this case, they are making an example of what happens if you speak out on active duty.  It's silly to have that LTC in the brig, but they are sending a message and that message is "keep your opinions to yourself".   

Maybe, just maybe, since Milley has said that he didn't believe that Trump was about to launch a military attack, he was concerned that the Chinese were going to launch a pre-emptive strike.  We don't know what was in the intelligence reports and will likely never know.  Different countries tend to interpret actions and words differently - sometimes surprisingly differently and it may have been in the intelligence reports that the Chinese were concerned or even anticipating an attack and Milley and the leadership, less Trump, thought he was the best person to provide reassurances.  

There is a lot of discussion about the chaos that was the WH in the days after the election.  Even people that were loyal to Trump and part of his administration have talked about it.  Narcissists can become pretty unhinged when they aren't getting what they want. Trump clearly didn't believe that he could lose.  I don't think he would have launched a nuclear attack but then, I would not have thought he would have threatened to withold Ukraine's security assisstance for political purposes, with a dozen other people on the line.  I wouldn't have expected him to fire the Defense Secretary in the wake of the election either.  

No one is saying you or anyone else can't have an opinion, but as Hodja correctly points out, there are a lot of shades of gray between black and white, when it comes to position papers and decisions.