18 October 2019 | Why Trust the Brass?

Are we supposed to be impressed with retired general Jim Mattis' joking jab about his former commander in chief? Are we supposed to think there's a dam breaking because a retired admiral, William McRaven, writes an editorial that our republic is danger, but sees fit to quote an unnamed military official who tempers his own negative feeling by claiming that he doesn't like Democrats? Gods forbid anyone look partisan here. Military bothsiderism.

Democrats and Democratic supporters keep looking to the alleged adults in the room among the military brass for that patriotism and daring they keep hearing is their exclusive domain, only to find, well, not much. For us, we start from the position that the military is co-opted early on within tyrannies, so we can’t be disappointed or confused when its upper echelon elects to remain quiet. Of course, with a Democratic president, they’ll grumble loudly for all to hear, giving aid and comfort to Republicans who *always* send them off to war and clearly don't support them.

As long as any military personnel needs to qualify that he don’t like Democrats but can’t stand what this reprobate Republican criminal is doing, then it really doesn’t matter at all.