It is evident that Trump has paid no political price for his inaction on reports that Russia paid the Taliban bounties for dead Americans. In the latest outrage against the military, it has been reported that the reason Trump did not visit the American cemetery in France was because he thought of the American dead as losers.
In what is perhaps one of the most telling instances of how low people will stoop to please Trump, General Kelly stood by his son’s grave in Arlington while Trump asked what was the point of sacrificing for one’s own country. If General Kelly were a man of integrity, he would have instantly tended his resignation. As it was, Kelly stood silently and was rewarded with being White House chief of staff. This remuneration is the reason why the rest of the top military establishment kept silence while Trump denigrated John McCain’s capture and torture in Vietnam. They all know that bowing to Trump will ensure their promotions and their retirements.
Clearly the rank and file of the military cannot look to its leadership for guidance on how to react to Trump’s assault on the institution. The solution is for the rank and file to vote for Biden this November.