Secretary of State

Word is that former CIA Director and commander of the Surge in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is a finalist for Secretary of State.  I think that would be unwise.  He has already shown bad judgment in sharing classified data with his mistress/biographer.  Much like Hillary Clinton, he was above the law, just not as far above it as she was.  Lower ranking officers who pulled that crap would have suffered more than an ignominious resignation.  Furthermore, despite years spent fighting 'Islamic terrorism,' he has learned nothing of Islam.  During the controversy over a Florida pastor burning Korans, Petraeus weighed with an opinion.  His opinion was that the pastor should not exercise his 1st Amendment right to free speech because some Afghanis and Iraqis might be offended.  Between the bad judgment with his mistress and the failure to see Islam for what it is, Petraeus disqualifies himself.  The first error should deny him a security clearance for life and the second makes him unsuitable to negotiate a long term peace in the Middle East.

 

The other finalist is Mitt Romney.  Mitt was one of the leading NeverTrumpers and gave a scathing speech about Trump.  That Trump would consider Romney after this speaks highly of Trump.  When looking at Romney's failed 2012 presidential run, it is obvious that he saw the diplomatic landscape far more clearly than did Obama.  He declared that Russia was a primary geopolitical foe and the last four years has demonstrated that beyond any doubt.  Obama's retort that the 80s want their foreign policy back does not play as well today.  Where Romney was squishy on domestic policy - thus his need for Ryan on the ticket - his planned foreign policy would have been more muscular and in the standard Republican mold.  Also, his business background is more suited to cutting deals (e.g. win-win) than Petraeus' military background that is more naturally confrontational (we win, you lose).

 

Given only these two, I would pick Romney.  Trump's base is not keen on him because of Romney's harsh attacks during the campaign.  That same base is better disposed toward Petraeus.

 

Trump is not going to be a normal president.  He has already done things that a no previous president-elect has done.  He is famous for saying "You're fired!" and might very well replace his cabinet on a more frequent basis than any other president.  We have had politicians and military men as presidents but never a businessman.  Will he settle into a more standard presidency or will it continue to be weird like the campaign?

Blind Spot

General David Petraeus, the former CIA head and the commander who turned a failed war in Iraq into a success, has written an editorial in which he suggests we institute Sharia with regards to speech about Islam.  Oh, he doesn't put it that way but speaking out against Islam or Muslims will only compound the threat.  Keep quiet in the corner and maybe they will leave us alone.

Petraeus repeatedly gives examples where Muslims were beneficial in defeating terrorists.  Do we dare risk losing these allies by speaking ill of their religion?  Does General Petraeus realize we allied with Communist Russia to defeat the Nazis.  Does that mean we should not have spoken ill of communism in the wake of that joint victory?  Should we not have questioned the validity of communism because they helped us defeat another totalitarian system?  What will the communists think if we speak out against gulags, mass starvations, oppression, and invading countries?  It didn't play out that way, fortunately for everyone on earth.

 

Despite years in the Middle East, Petraeus still doesn't understand Islam:

Again, none of this is to deny or diminish the reality that we are at war with Islamist extremism — a fanatical ideology based on a twisted interpretation of Islam.

 

No, it is not a twisted interpretation.  Why has the same "twisted interpretation" been implemented again and again since the death of Muhammad?  Because it is what the Koran says.  The only times that Islam is quiescent is when it has been defeated in war.  Islam is a totalitarian belief system that calls upon the followers to conquer non-Muslims.  There is nothing bigoted in non-Muslims disliking Islam.  Islam cannot be reformed and will forever be at war with non-Muslims.  If not for its religious aspects, it would be viewed as no different from Italian Fascism, German Nazism, Japanese Imperialism, or Soviet Communism.  Because it is a religion, it is politically incorrect to treat it based on its tenets.

 

General Petraeus is a smart man and a competent general.  However, as his fall from grace demonstrates, he has blind spots and sometimes spotty judgment.  Here is another of his bad judgments.  Wow, I actually prefer Donald Trump on this issue.