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| About to be former Secretary of Defense James Mattis (NPR) |
Yesterday, Trump’s Secretary of Defense, former General James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis resigned from his post with some surprising if not all that startling comments about his about to be former boss.
The precipitating factor was Trump’s sudden pullout of the
2000 remaining troops in Syria with the claim of victory over ISIS.
This was done against the advice of nearly everyone on both sides of the
political aisle as well as the military and the pentagon. According to media
reports experts tell us that ISIS is still there. They have not been fully
defeated.
Pulling out our troops endangers our allies in the Middle
East; concedes Syria to Russia and Iran; and makes the US and the entire world
a bit more perilous. The President doesn’t care what his best advisers say. He
has made up his mind. End of conversation. Mattis added a few
more choice unflattering words about the President. The most damning of which
according to him is the way the President treats our allies.
This is not a good thing, despite the fact that Mattis’s views on Israel are not exactly the same as most of Orthodox Jewry. That is not the point here.
This follows the resignation of another distinguished
general, Trump’s Chief of Staff, John Kelly. Not to mention the resignation of
UN Ambassador Nikky Haley and a host of other resignations and firings of
people that dared to cross him. Even when doing so was ethical thing to do.
Such as former Attorney General, Jeff Sessions.
Sessions recused himself from the Mueller investigation
because of a conflict of interest. Trump didn’t care about ethics. He saw only
a betrayal of loyalty. Now Loyalty is indeed a virtue. But when we speak about
loyalty as a public servant, that loyalty should be to country, not individuals
no matter what their station. Not even to the man sitting in the
Oval Office. They are not one and the same thing. Trump defines loyalty in
personal terms only. He saw Sessions betraying him and - eventually – out he
went.
And now he’s threatening to shut down the government again
if he doesn’t get funding for a border wall between the US and Mexico. Now
don’t get me wrong. Walls between borders work. Ask Israel. But this is not the
hill he should be sacrificing the country for. But again, Trump the ever
petulant child wants to get his way. The word compromise is not in his very
limited vocabulary. Let the chips fall where they may. He doesn’t care.
And the chips have certainly fallen. The stock market has
just seen its worst December since the Great Depression. Now it isn’t all
Trump’s fault. Some of the blame goes to Federal Reserve – which
keeps raising prime interest rates. But Trump is not blameless. Although his
polices started out having a major positive effect on the economy in general
and the stock market in particular, his tarrif policies began to turn things
around. Now that ‘boom’ is nothing but distant memory
Mass resignations and government shut downs do not exactly
help fuel confidence in the economy. Once this downward trajectory takes hold
(if it hasn’t yet) investors will soon be tripping all over themselves to get
out of the market as fast as they can. That may result in the worst recession
since the Great Depression. If not worse.
And then there is the Mueller probe. That things are getting
worse for the President is an understatement. He may not be in danger of
impeachment or removal from office. Or even an indictment while in
office. But he is in danger of becoming the worst President in US
history. By a country mile! If he isn’t already.
And all of this doesn’t even take into account his morals,
rhetoric, general behavior in office, and his egomaniacal style of governance
(if you want to call it that). A style marked by the rarity
of listening to the advice of his experts. Even politically
conservative ones. It seems like the ‘experts’ he listens to most are the right
wing talk show hosts.
And we are only two years into his 4 year term.
And yet there is his foreign policy with respect to Israel
and Iran. I could not be happier with him about that. As well as his more
socially conservative agenda which in my view strongly favors religious people.
That is why there is so much support for him by Orthodox
Jews. Who say don’t look at the man. Look at his polices. And with respect to
issues important to Orthodox Jewry, I get that. That is why writing a post like
this is so difficult for me. But the fact is that America cannot afford to have
a wrecking ball ‘leading’ this country. No matter how great some of his
policies are. Which leads me to a real dilemma.
What happens in 2020 when Trump runs for re-election? It
makes absolutely no sense to support a man like this. No matter how much we
like those of his policies that support our values. Which means that we may
have to look seriously at his Democratic opponent. The question is, who will
that be and what will his values be? How will his election (if he wins) impact
our values? Will we return to the days of blaming settlements as the sole
impediment to peace? Will US support for Israel wane if there is a Democrat in
the White House? Will the US embassy be moved back to Tel Aviv? Will religious
rights take 2nd place to civil rights? Will we return to more government
regulation of business and industry?
These are just some of the things that come to mind. I loath
to think we might have to choose between a Pro Israel egomaniacal demagogue
that is ruining this country and an ‘even-handed’ Democrat that will return to
the ‘cold’ friendship with Israel the last Democrat in office had. One that
resulted in the Security Council of the UN officially condemning Israel because
of its settlement policies!
I don’t know the answer to any of these questions. But even
though the election is 2 years off, things are not looking good, no matter
which way we go. And with the Democratic Party veering increasingly to the left
- deciding who to vote for is is making me sick to my stomach!
