winnipegjets posted :
Why CIA tulan of Trump
I am going to try to explain why there is so much outrage in the
intelligence agencies about what Trump did on Saturday in his CIA
speech. Imagine having a campaign rally at the National Cemetery.
Or a cocktail fundraiser amid the grave markers of US soldiers in
Normandy. This "event'' Trump held, purportedly to greet CIA
employees, was in the Memorial Wall room, where 117 CIA employees
who died in service to our country are honored. Many more have
died, and it takes special approval to receive a star on the wall
or be listed in the book, called the Book of Honor. Many of the
names of the fallen will never be known, because their identities
have to be kept secret even in death.
Rarely is that room used for anything, but when it is, solemn
nature of it is recognized. GW Bush was, I believe, the first
president to hold an event there in 2001, but it was exceedingly
respectful and in keeping with the meaning of the room. The second
major event was an appearance by Obama after the killing of Bin
Laden, when he went to the CIA to thank the people there for their
often anonymous sacrifices that led to that success in the fight
against terrorism. Again, solemn and fitting with the meaning of
the room.
Both Bush and Obama paid deep homage to those honored in the
book and by the stars. CIA employees listened respectfully, but did
not turn the events into rallies. Then, Trump. He has the audacity
to bring people from his team to cheer for him and sit in the front
rows. I can't imagine CIA employees cheering and whooping it up at
Memorial Wall. It would be like screaming "BOO-yah!" at a funeral.
Trump made a single, over-the-shoulder mention of the stars. But he
spent most of his time griping about the media, bragging about the
number of times he had been on the cover of Time Magazine, and
complaining that everyone was lying about numbers at his
inauguration and all the while, his professional cheerleaders who
couldn't find their way to the CIA bathroom are sitting there,
cheering for the man who apparently needs applause everywhere he
goes. It was an abomination, perhaps the most disrespectful thing I
have ever seen done by any president in that kind of place.
I felt sure we would hear from former director Brennan pretty
fast. Why? Because one of those stars on the wall belongs to a
close friend of his who died in service of this country. And he
knows who all the others are as well. For him, I'm sure, it was
like watching someone having a picnic on the graves in the National
Cemetery. And then the same Trump staff that was too lazy or stupid
to do the advance work on the CIA trip, so that they knew the
meaning of the wall, go on TV to attack Brennan as a partisan hack
for wanting a room of such enormous meaning to be treated with the
solemnity it deserves. And that is an important element here.
I actually don't blame Trump for this horror show on Saturday.
Few people outside of government know the meaning of the wall. That
was his staff's job, and they clearly had no idea what they were
sending Trump to do. No sane person would agree to send a cheering
squad. They are incompetent. Worse, they are arrogant, and respond
to others pointing out their undeniable errors by attacking and
whining. No, anger at the dishonoring of patriots who died is not
partisan. U don't want criticism? Do your jobs better and when you
screw up, like you did by turning most solemn place in intel world
as a rah-rah location, just admit it, apologize, and move on.
