I was an Army brat, living the bulk of my life before college, in a wide assortment of Army bases, from Japan (where I was born), to Alaska, California, Alabama, Germany & Texas. So, if there is one thing I know, it is the everyday military environment. To use the phraseology of Arlie Hochschild in her book ‘Strangers In Their Own Land’, I know the “deep story” underlying a life immersed in the military. There is one central precept that undergirds the life of a soldier: a deep and abiding patriotism. And precisely because of who he is, Donald J Trump has absolutely no awareness or appreciation of this sentiment. This ignorance has the potential to become a mortal threat to his presidency.
From everything I’ve read HR McMaster appears to be an excellent choice. In fact, it would seem that the bulk of the military men he has enlisted in his administration appear to be standup guys. This could be a real problem for him down the road.
Particularly in the case of McMaster, who has a reputation for speaking truth to power, there is a good possibility that there will be a critical conflict between Trump and his generals down the road. Trump thinks only of himself and will not hesitate to enunciate policies which burnish his image, the well-being of the country be damned. On the other hand, if his generals evince the same love of country that I observed day-in and day-out for 18 years, there is the real potential for a momentous (pardon the crude military slang) shitshow. Precisely because of the military’s pre-eminent focus on honor and valor, these are the kind of guys who are abnormally resistant to the blandishments of money and power which Trump believes he can use to ‘turn’ and control his underlings. Trump may get the shock of his life when he realizes that there are some people who will not betray their country for a buck…
It will critical to observe how the McMaster appointment plays out. The first thing to focus on will be the situation involving KT McFarland. She is massively unqualified and any competent superior would insure she is quickly sidelined. If she stays and, more importantly, if McMaster is denied control over his underlings and is sidelined and muzzled by the core cabal of Bannon and Miller, there could be major political problems for Trump in very short order. An abrupt resignation by McMaster is the sort of event that might provide adequate cover to the national security wing of the Republican party to actively oppose the President.