Read this, with an eye toward the use of evidence. It’s not challenging, is how I’ll put this, polite person that I am. It’ll take you less than a minute to zip through it.
In the New York Times, alleged to be the nation’s newspaper of record, the retired US Army General Stanley McChrystal says that Kamala Harris has the character to serve as President of the United States, and Donald Trump doesn’t have the character to serve as President of the United States. This is very important, see, because a very senior military officer is writing in a very important newspaper about a consequential national choice. Draw near, America, as the wisdom of the elders lights our path.
So, then: What examples did he give to reveal his view of either person’s character? What story did he tell? What evidence did he use?
Let’s unpack a couple of paragraphs:
As a citizen, veteran and voter, I was not comfortable with many of the policy recommendations that Democrats offered at their convention in Chicago or those Republicans articulated in Milwaukee. My views tend more toward the center of the political spectrum. And although I have opinions on high-profile issues, like abortion, gun safety and immigration, that’s not why I made my decision.
Political narratives and policies matter, but they didn’t govern my choice. I find it easy to be attracted to, or repelled by, proposals on taxes, education and countless other issues. But I believe that events and geopolitical and economic forces will, like strong tides, move policymakers where they ultimately must go. In practice, few administrations travel the course they campaigned on. Circumstances change. Our president, therefore, must be more than a policymaker or a malleable reflection of the public’s passions. She or he must lead — and that takes character.
The first paragraph says that McChrystal has views. He has many of them. He lists some of the topics upon which he has views, but then he doesn’t say what any of those views are. Then he says that the views he has just not described — the things he mentioned but took a full paragraph not saying anything about them — don’t have anything to do with the decision he says he’s announcing. What is the purpose of this paragraph? What does it tell you?
With those questions in mind, look again at the second paragraph. Are you seeing what I’m seeing?
I used to grade undergraduate essays, an experience that caused lasting harm to my liver and probably my marriage. This is the writing style of the student who shows up to class for the first time on the day of the midterm, facing an empty page that must be filled with words. In the nineteenth century, in the United States, many events occurred. The events were of great importance. For example, some of the events were political events, and some of the events were cultural or economic events. The events occurred at various times and in many locations, such as in Congress and on battlefields, and involved a diverse array of people, including political leaders, native peoples, military leaders, and ordinary people. A lot of things that happened were very racist. These events reverberate still today.
This is the news. I read “news” all day, every day, except when I can’t take it anymore and I flee to the mountains. Or, to say it like an undergraduate, until I flea to the mountains. I constantly find myself thinking that I just spent hours and hours reading nothing.
Billionaire doesn’t have sex with politician, updates to follow. “Local Substack writer denies long weekend in Vegas hotel with Sydney Sweeney,” by the way.
McChrystal, building to his big finish:
Ms. Harris has the strength, the temperament and, importantly, the values to serve as commander in chief. When she sits down with world leaders like President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, representing the United States on the global stage, I have no doubt that she is working in our national interest, not her own.
He hasn’t described her strength, he hasn’t described her temperament, and he hasn’t described her values. He hasn’t described the national interest. He hasn’t described anything. He hasn’t said anything. No, but literally: nothing.
The purpose of a political op-ed from a former military leader — and the purpose of the New York Times — is to create a series of impressions, cognitive trail markers that point you this way or that way because a headline has given you a nudge. They could fill the page under the headline with random syllables or pictures of kittens. It wouldn’t matter. The purpose is a headline shaped like an arrow: GO THAT WAY. And so they’ve published an essay from a military leader, a category of honor and strength, while excluding from the frame the reality that the military leader in question was fired for behavior that the person at the top of his chain of command regarded as dishonorable.
Character matters, says leader relieved of command and forced into retirement.
But anyway, details unimportant. Former general says to vote for Kamala Harris, nudge nudge.
Empty. Meaningless.
Really boosts my confidence in our military’s ability to protect the homeland. Or the desire to do so.
That the deliberate destruction of America as a functioning, sovereign Constitutional Republic would happen from within was a warning that should always have been heeded. For eight solid years of the Obama Occupation, that’s all we heard from McKrystal, Romney,Cheney,French,Nicole Wallace, Jennifer Rubin,Mona Charen,George Conway, Bill Kristol,Adam Kinzinger,Christie,Steven Hayes, George Will,Ana Navarro,John Bolton… Which isn’t saying much… but now they’re literally cheering for Castro,Iran,Erdogan, Xi, BLM , MS-13, Dr. Money, Dr.Mengele, Dr. Moreau, the Symbionese Liberation Army, Farrakhan and the Night Stalker.
We’ve gone ,Eisenhower,Patton,McArthur,Lyons,Holt,Shaffer and Flynn to Panetta,Mueller,Rumsfeld,Milley,Gates,Austin, McMaster,Kirby and McKrystal. From JFK /RFK and Reagan to Obama/Biden/Harris/Garland to W/Cheney/Mueller/Tenet… but Trump, who wiped out ISIS,brought about the Abraham Accords, a peace treaty between Serbia/Kosovo, brought Iran to it’s knees, didn’t start any new wars, withdrew troops from places we never should have been, withdrew the U.S. from the WHO, UNWRA,Paris Climate Accords, cut off USAID from Palestine, and 75% of the corrupt entities, created opportunity Zones, apprenticeships, the First Step Act, permanently funded Historical Black Colleges,rebooted NAFTA, passed the “ Right To Try” Bill, made America energy independent, deported Nazis, enacted Remain In Mexico, built 700 miles of border wall, gave us a booming economy pre-Covid, brought home the remains of American soldiers from N Korea, squeezed NATO to pay up,not a single Islamist terror attack,lowered taxes for every American, created jobs, saved jobs…. With all the shit thrown at him, left, right, Deep State, overseas… the only President other than JFK that didn’t take a salary, lost much of his personal fortune…. McKrystal doesn’t like his “ tone”. Neither did Soleimani or Al Baghdadi. But you know who did like him? Queen Elizabeth, Al Sisi, MBS, Bibi, UAE,Bahrain,Sudan, Morocco, Serbia, Croatia,Shinzo Abe, Modi, Lopez Obrador, Kim( had Bolton not purposely tanked the denuclearization deal… Osama Bin Laden’s sister who hated what he was and was convinced Trump was the only leader capable of ending Al Qaeda.
Tulsi, RFK. Frank Gaffney, Robb Schmitt, David Horowitz,RezaPahlavi, Greta Van Sustern,Michael Savage, Brigitte Gabriel, Amber Rose, Alice Jonson, Dave Rubin, Orban, Milei, Geert Wilders, General Kellogg, Ben Carson, Tyrus, Dana White, Max Alvarez, Alveda King, Brandon Straka, Ric Grenell, Amanda Milian, Greg Kelly, Walid Phares, Asra Nomani, Zhudi Jasser, Joe Pinion, Richard Pollack, Elon Musk,Reza Pahlavi, Roseanne,Elizabeth Pipkin,Rudy Giuliani,Gen Tata,David Friedman, Leo Terrell, Charles Payne… That works for me.
I don’t like McKrystal’s demeanor.. Holier than thou deathmonger. Now paid hitman.
Ms. Teen South Carolina would make a great addition to Kamala's cabinet, or maybe she can be our South African ambassador.