Zeihan Calls Out Tuberville On National Security

[4Q Basket Case]

Peter Zeihan’s latest installment brings up some collateral damage on Tommy Tuberville’s blocking of military promotions that honestly hadn’t occurred to me — security clearances and strategic planning.

Here’s the deal: If an officer in question can’t get promoted to a specified rank, he or she can’t get the security clearances that go with the new rank. If they can’t get the security clearances, they can’t access the information necessary to formulate strategic plans.

IOW, they can’t do their jobs. IOW, they can’t protect the US citizenry.

At the end Zeihan accurately says that Tubervile is the dumbest member of Congress. In the process, he doubles down pointing out that, given the stupidity in that place, being the dumbest of the dumb is saying something truly remarkable.

 

[Padreruf]

TT is amazingly stupid...obviously he does not understand the notion of "unforeseen consequences." It's one thing to be conservative...quite another to be totally ignorant and willful.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

TT is amazingly stupid...obviously he does not understand the notion of "unforeseen consequences." It's one thing to be conservative...quite another to be totally ignorant and willful.

Unintended consequences are one of my favorite topics, and come up on both the left and right, most often when the decision-maker is playing to the fringe of his or her party.

In this case, Tuberville is playing to the hard-core anti-abortion crew who opposes all abortion at any time and without exceptions of any kind whatsoever. I don’t think he’s capable of thinking through multiple levels of consequences, or of anticipating collateral fallout.

But I also think he now perceives himself too far in. As in, having gone as far as he has, he can’t back down over a little thing like national security and strategic planning without admitting that his stunt was just that…a stunt.

I don’t know how this is going to end. I just hope it ends before some no-foolin’ serious damage occurs that can’t be un-done.

 

[T Bone]

If stupidity ever becomes an olympic event, TT would easily bring home the gold for the USA

 

[Go Bama]

Lol ... Senator Tooberville.

Obviously, Pete is not a sports fan.

I don't know if Tooby is the dumbest or not, but he's in the hunt, and right now, he's doing the most damage.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Lol ... Senator Tooberville.

Obviously, Pete is not a sports fan.

I don't know if Tooby is the dumbest or not, but he's in the hunt, and right now, he's doing the most damage.

"Gooberville" - FIFY...

 

[TexasBama]

My contempt is for the "good Bama fans" that put an Auburn coach in office

 

[TIDE-HSV]

My contempt is for the "good Bama fans" that put an Auburn coach in office

And who showed he was dumb as a stump numerous times, while being a HC...

 

[Bamaatthebeach]

He couldn't name the three branches of government when he was campaigning. I read also that he referred to Ukrainians as "Uranians"--don't know if that is accurate, but I wouldn't doubt it.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

He couldn't name the three branches of government when he was campaigning. I read also that he referred to Ukrainians as "Uranians"--don't know if that is accurate, but I wouldn't doubt it.

It is. I remember when he did it...

 

[Crimson1967]

 

[Tidewater]

I saw this just after it came out.
Tuberville is a knucklehead. Let me stipulate that up front.
A couple of problem with Zeihan's analysis.
1. That is not how security clearances work. The Senate has nothing to do with clearances. It is entirely inside the executive branch. If you need one for your position, you get one, even if it is an interim while they dig into your past.
2. While the Senate has rarely says no, it still has the right to say no to colonels nominated for brigadier general. Now, the Administration could remove the controversial colonels from the list and get everyone else approved, but the Administration would rather run on the issue. One guy, I read his op-ed in Air Force Times. He calls out all white colonels by virtue of their race in the summer of 2020. He is clearly a racist himself. Remove him from the nomination list and the rest will sale through the approval process.
This is a common parliamentary practice. Propose a noncontroversial bill. Add a poison pill to it, complain when your opponents decline to support the seemingly package because it includes the controversial codicil. Propose a really beneficial and necessary civil rights bill. Add a provision legalizing child molestation. Complain that you opponents voted against the "Civil Rights" bill because of the "legalize child molestation" provision.
Republicans and Democrats both do it. This issue works because only the Senate has to approve nomination for brigadier general.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I saw this just after it came out.
Tuberville is a knucklehead. Let me stipulate that up front.
A couple of problem with Zeihan's analysis.
1. That is not how security clearances work. The Senate has nothing to do with clearances. It is entirely inside the executive branch. If you need one for your position, you get one, even if it is an interim while they dig into your past.
2. While the Senate has rarely says no, it still has the right to say no to colonels nominated for brigadier general. Now, the Administration could remove the controversial colonels from the list and get everyone else approved, but the Administration would rather run on the issue. One guy, I read his op-ed in Air Force Times. He calls out all white colonels by virtue of their race in the summer of 2020. He is clearly a racist himself. Remove him from the nomination list and the rest will sale through the approval process.
This is a common parliamentary practice. Propose a noncontroversial bill. Add a poison pill to it, complain when your opponents decline to support the seemingly package because it includes the controversial codicil. Propose a really beneficial and necessary civil rights bill. Add a provision legalizing child molestation. Complain that you opponents voted against the "Civil Rights" bill because of the "legalize child molestation" provision.
Republicans and Democrats both do it. This issue works because only the Senate has to approve nomination for brigadier general.

I'll admit that I'm not fully up on Tuberville's objection, but I thought it was to the Army policy of providing transportation to states permitting abortion. I didn't know that it was just certain colonels he had a grudge against. You are correct about clearances. 12 years or so ago, when she was working for DCAA, she had top secret. Now, she's been working for USAF going on two years with an interim. The reason? When she was working for DCAA, she had been married to an American for a good many years. Now, she's married to a German national, so his background must be thoroughly anally probed...

 

[AWRTR]

If I understand correctly Schumer could just bring them to the floor individually for an up and down vote. If so why not do that and you can bypass Tubs altogether?

 

[92tide]

it never ceases to amaze me watching the spin adjust in real time

i'm assuming this is the real "racist" that is holding everything up. based on a quick google, he seems to have some folks knickers in quite a knot for being so "woke"

Dear white colonel … we must address our blind spots around race

"We can break these invisible barriers, if we choose to engage and stop excusing ourselves."

www.airforcetimes.com

 

[92tide]

gots to stop that woke

‘Attack on military readiness’: Human rights groups sound new alarm on extremism

Their letter cites a USA TODAY investigation that found the military had almost no progress to show on reforms ordered two years ago.

www.usatoday.com

Sounding a fresh alarm about white supremacism and extremism in the military, a coalition of more than 35 human rights groups, experts and faith organizations this week called on the Secretary of Defense to account for the department’s apparent lack of progress.

“Extremism undermines the strength of the military and our democracy,” the groups, led by Human Rights First, wrote in a letter Wednesday to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

If I understand correctly Schumer could just bring them to the floor individually for an up and down vote. If so why not do that and you can bypass Tubs altogether?

Because then they can't get the "Tubs threating national security" headlines. Both sides want their headlines from this.

What Tubs is doing is stupid but, at this point, he's not caving so just suck it up and start voting them in individually. Go around him and fill the openings.

 

[Go Bama]

One guy, I read his op-ed in Air Force Times. He calls out all white colonels by virtue of their race in the summer of 2020. He is clearly a racist himself

If the op-ed you are referring to is the one ‘92 posted, I didn’t get that the author was “clearly a racist himself.”

 

[NationalTitles18]

Republicans push Schumer to vote on top generals amid Tuberville hold

Senate Republicans are pressuring Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to vote on some of President Biden’s top military nominations amid Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) hold,…

thehill.com

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) called Cotton’s remarks “embarrassing” and “laughable” during the committee hearing.


“That’s laughable,” Kaine said. “Senator Schumer has not placed a blanket hold on any military nominee. During the entire 10 years I’ve been in the Senate. I don’t think he’s placed blanket holds on any nominees. I don’t see that happening on this side of the aisle, and the attempt to blame the vacancies in these confirmed positions on Senator Schumer is embarrassing. It’s laughable.”

________

I agree.

It's so weird how the totally nots always parrot far right wing talking points.

 

[NationalTitles18]

If the op-ed you are referring to is the one ‘92 posted, I didn’t get that the author was “clearly a racist himself.”

Anyone who talks about race is a racist unless they are calling those who talk about race a racist.