Back when John Kerry was being spun up as a consummate Vietnam War Hero and military commander extraordinaire – Democrats counted on the unfamiliar just latching on to surface details and the 3 war wounds and “hero medals” and swallowing the whole “proven under fire to be ready for CiC” spin.
What they forgot is that 1.3 combat zone Vets who served in ‘Nam that knew what it was actually like there and that Kerry had all the foul aroma of a duplicitous, embellishing officer. And another 24 million who served who had a fairly good idea of who was more credible to them – Kerry or his fellow officers who considered him a dishonorable dirtbag.
Republican spinmeisters are making a big mistake trying to fluff up Sarah Palin as a seasoned military and national defense CiC.
What Terry said is something that must be repeated so that people with no understanding of what Reservists do or who they report to is clear.
“Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, considers Palin “extremely responsive and smart” and says she is in charge when it comes to in-state services, such as emergencies and natural disasters where the National Guard is the first responder.
However, he said he and Palin play no role in national defense activities, even when they involve the Alaska National Guard. The entire operation is under federal control, and the governor is not briefed on situations.”
She is not in control.
She is not briefed.
Again,
She is not in control.
She is not briefed.
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Huan – Why would the feds give governor commands of troops in theatre like Iraq or Afghanistan?
But this does not negate the fact that as the governor, she does have command of the national guards in other time, giving her military commander in chief responsibility. which is far more “commander in chief” experience than Obama and Biden combined.
And for that matter, why would the feds give national defense responsibility to most governor anyway? … well the only exception is actually the Governor of Alaska does oversee a National guard unit that is part of the national missile defense.
Huan, she is not in control. She is not even briefed in those matters.
She does not oversee or have any command authority at any time over any Guard assigned national defense or Homeland Security missions. She has no authority to assign them as she wants to military missions, nor authority to pull them for natural disaster or civil disturbance duty (where she does have domestic control – when the Feds free them from national assignments.)
And not to puff up Biden, but the facts are he has has extensive experience in war college, Pentagon exercises evaluating national defense effectiveness. Biden is a player, who has worked in those evaluated exercises as anything from POTUS, to a top diplomat advising POTUS or engaging enemy diplomats – to being in the role of leader of an allied or enemy country he is familiar with – in the Blue-Red Force conflict scenarios.
Obama has been in one such exercise and “failed open” – unable to make decisions well or in a timely manner. (Can’t vote “present”, I guess..)
Palin has never been tested or in a military cammander capacity at any level. That is not a black mark. It is just the facts, and no different than many other people who have served well as VPOTUS or POTUS in the past. Think of Reagan, Clinton, VP Humphrey.
McCain has served as commander in actual conflict and in exercises and has done “satisfactorily” to “very well” in both. (With some negatives that McCain is too impulsive to some, lets his temper get in the way, and was/is not the smartest guy in Naval aviation or national defense exercises.
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William of Orange – ..I would have to say, from the above, it’s pretty clear that Governor Palin is pretty much the head honcho of her state’s troops.
She is the titular head. Meaning she has no authority over any military mission (“not in control, and we don’t brief her.”)
If not doing military duties, she can assign them to help clean up a salmon dieoff, or put them under the civilian police chain-of-command. If such situations involve Feds having the lead and ordering her Guard to pick up dead salmon here and there, or be subordinate to a Federal force for police actions in an emergency – she has to give consent – unless the President declares by Executive order that he takes away the governor’s authority and Federalizes the Guard because the Governor is not adequately discharging the duties of office. And Posse Commitatus does not apply.
This was done by Eisenhower when after Govs threatened to use their Guard to block civil rights orders, Ike just took their Guard away or showed up with a military command team ready to take over if the Governor remained intransigent.
It should have been done by Bush or threatened to be done in Katrina, when Gov Blanco became emotionally and mentally unable to cope with the disaster response and command her Guard do domestic 1st responder and civil order work..
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Point being, Republicans should avoid the Kerry Fiasco in thinking they can put one over on a guillable public by puffing up Palin. Kerry was hurt by the campaign calling him a war hero when all it did was dredge up what he actually did back then. And Palin will be hurt by Republican shills calling her a “national energy expert” and “seasoned military commander” when the public concludes those outlandish claims are not rooted in fact.
Palin has many impressive abilities and credentials. Republicans should avoid pretending she has abilities and credentials she doesn’t really have.
I say that as someone that wanted Thompson, found him too lazy, hate to have to hold my nose and vote McCain, but he is better than Obama – who unlike Palin so far – has embraced doing fraudulent testimony to his abilities and in matters of experience, that he has no dealings in.
