by Hal Brown, MSW
Update: Read Tammy Duckworth bursts into VP contention in Politico.
Because Tammy Duckworth is in the news thanks to Tucker Carlson, and really, thank you very much Tucker, I thought it worthwhile to spend some time sharing my recommendation and my reasons why I think she’d be an excellent Secretary of Defense.
First, what precisely are the powers of the Secretary of Defense? Wikipedia explains them.
The secretary of defense (SecDef) is the leader and chief executive officer of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the Armed Forces of the U.S. The secretary of defense's position of command and authority over the U.S. military is second only to that of the president. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense minister in many other countries. The secretary of defense is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate, and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.
Mark Esper is currently the Secretary of Defense succeeding acting secretary Patrick M. Shanahan who withdrew his name because it was clear the Senate wasn't g tooing confirm him. Of course Jim Mattis was Trump’s first Secretary Defense.
If you have a subscription or know someone who can send you this NY Times OpEd it is worth reading in its entirety.
While it is a response to Tucker Carlson’s reprehensible attacks on her patriotism saying “people like her hated America” and that she called George Washington a traitor, it also demonstrates why she would be the perfect choice for Joe Biden’s Secretary of Defense.
These are her concluding paragraphs.
So when Tucker Carlson questions the patriotism of those willing to sacrifice for his freedom, or when Donald Trump promotes those smears — after having threatened to veto a pay raise for our troops to try to ensure the military continues honoring Confederate traitors who took up arms against our Union — remember Washington’s words. (She’s referring to where in his farewell address he urged Americans to “guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism” and be wary of excessive partisanship.)
Remember that part of what has always made America not just great but good is that every American has the right to question those in charge. Anyone claiming to stand up for “patriotic” values should recognize that, because, without it, the country these impostor patriots claim to love so much would not exist.
Our nation deserves leaders mature and secure enough not to race-bait or swift-boat anyone who dares disagree with them. After these past four years, and especially after these past four months, it’s clearer than ever that we must choose public servants who will focus on the serious issues facing our country — from the spread of the coronavirus to systemic racism to foreign adversaries threatening our troops’ lives — rather than cynical bullies who use schoolyard tactics to distract from their own shortcomings.
So while I would put on my old uniform and go to war all over again to protect the right of Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump to say offensive things on TV and Twitter, I will also spend every moment I can from now until November fighting to elect leaders who would rather do good for their country than do well for themselves.
This article from CBS News “Tammy Duckworth fires back at Tucker Carlson and Trump campaign over statue removal criticism” summarizes what she wrote in her Times OpEd.
Why is she qualified? You’ve seen her interviewed. This may be enough for you.
You may have considered her to be among your top choices to be Biden’s running mate before George Floyd was murdered and the focus on Black Lives Matter led to the opinion among experts that Biden would do best to select an African American woman. Currently Tammy Duckworth is number six on CNN’s speculation list.
6. Tammy Duckworth: While I've been pointing to the senator from Illinois as the likeliest dark horse in the veepstakes for months now, she finally got a major burst of national attention over the past week thanks to Fox News' Tucker Carlson. Carlson called Duckworth a "moron" for suggesting she was open to a conversation about removing statues of George Washington and lumped her in with those who "actually hate America." Those words rang particularly hollow -- and offensive -- given that Duckworth received a Purple Heart (and lost both of her legs) when a helicopter she was piloting was shot down over Iraq. Duckworth's response to Carlson was pitch perfect: "Does @TuckerCarlson want to walk a mile in my legs and then tell me whether or not I love America?"she tweeted. (Previous ranking: 7)
Among my friends who not afraid to be too optimistic we sometimes put together fantasy Cabinets for the Biden White House. If she isn’t the Vice President most of us lean towards Kamala Harris to be the Attorney General and if she is the veep, then Val Demings usually is the second choice for AG based on how well she did during the impeachment trail in the Senate. Stacey Abrams is in the running for AG too.
Of the appointed Cabinet secretary positions I think the top four in order in terms of importance are the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the Treasury Secretary.
Susan Rice, who is now number three on the CNN list, would make be an excellent choice for Secretary of State. I don't know enough about financial matters to have a choice for the Secretary of Treasury.
What we already know about Tammy Duckworth should convince you why she has the qualifications and qualities for leading the Department of Defense. If you aren’t persuaded read this from her Wikipedia profile.
Tammy Duckworth (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and a former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel serving as the junior United States Senator from Illinois since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented Illinois’s 8th district in the United States House of Representative from 2013 to 2017.
Duckworth was educated at the University of Hawaii and the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. A combat veteran of the Iraq War, she served as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot. In 2004, after her helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents, she suffered severe combat wounds, which caused her to lose both of her legs and some mobility in her right arm. She was the first female double amputee from the war.[2] Despite her grievous injuries, she sought and obtained a medical waiver that allowed her to continue serving in the Illinois National Guard until she retired in 2014.
Duckworth served as Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and as Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2011. She resigned to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, and defeated Joe Walsh. Duckworth was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, defeating Republican incumbent Mark Kirk. She is the first Thai American woman elected to Congress, the first person born in Thailand elected to Congress, the first woman with a disability elected to Congress, the first female double amputee in the Senate, and the first senator to give birth while in office. Duckworth is the second Asian American woman serving in the U.S. Senate, after Mazie Hirono, and before Kamala Harris. Read the rest here.
Not only do I think Tammy Duckworth would make a fantastic Secretary of Defense but her being in the national spotlight in this high profile and vital position it would burn the feathers off of Tucker Carlson’s chickenshit tail feathers. Put another way, it would burn his cowardly ass.
- 10. Karen Bass: California Democrat, chairs the Congressional Black Caucus,
- 9. Tammy Baldwin: The senator from Wisconsin
- 8. Gina Raimondo governor of Rhode Island
- 7. Elizabeth Warren, Mass. senator
- 6. Tammy Duckworth, Illinois senator
- 5. Val Demings: The Florida congresswoman, former police chief
- 4. Michelle Lujan Grisham: The New Mexico governor, who is one of the highest-ranking Latina officials in the country
- 3. Susan Rice: The former ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser
- 2. Keisha Lance Bottoms: The Atlanta mayor
- 1. Kamala Harris, California senator