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Our 'War
President' Goes To Battle
By Eric
Margolis
`He who seeks to defend
everything, defends nothing.’
King Frederick the Great of
Prussia.
March 30,
2020 "Information
Clearing House"
- This is one of the most important
maxims of military history. Every young officer
should have it drilled into his head.
Yet the confused administration of President Donald
Trump has been doing just this as it fights an
invisible foe no one expected. Trump, who dodged US
military service using phony doctor certificated
about his feet, now shamelessly styles himself ‘a
war president.’
This new affectation mirrors Trump’s well-known love
of ostentatious displays, military parades, and
bombastic talk. When draft-dodgers grow old, they
often become flaming warmongers and carriers of the
big stick. Fox-TV watching older American men
replaced their long faded sexual prowess with calls
for martial action by…..the young, of course.
Now, as the coronavirus spreads, our self-proclaimed
‘War Leader’ has drawn his sword to defend
endangered America. But Trump can’t decide if he is
waging war against a vicious virus or fear itself.
For the first two weeks of the epidemic he dismissed
it as a ‘hoax’ spread by lefties. It was surprising
the Clinton Democrats did not claim the plague was
started by Moscow.
When the light of reality put an end to Trump’s
Panglossian cheer, the president assumed the costume
of doctor in chief and began warning that the
’Wuhan’ virus was very dangerous and likely
introduced by foreigners (read Muslims, Chinese and
Mexicans). If only his wall had been built.
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That’s
Trump’s happy story. The factual version shows
Trump & Co was so busy provoking Iran into an
air war, politicking in Washington and studying
polls of Midwestern evangelical voters that they
totally missed the advent of the coronavirus,
even though they had plenty of time to see the
onrush of this viral tsunami.
In the military, we used to call it ‘asleep on
guard duty’ – just like Bush, Cheney and
Rumsfeld on 9/11.
The mighty, all-powerful US had plenty of 500 lb
and 1,000 lb bombs, fuses, fuel air explosives,
napalm and 20mm shells for Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, West Africa, and
other unfortunate targets, and supplies to stock
over 800 military bases around the globe, but
not enough ventilators, respirators, face masks
or even beds to accommodate the flood of sick
Americans.
As the great Frederick said, one cannot defend
against everything or every eventuality. But a
strategic surge capability for such
life-and-death materials is essential. So are
emergency supplies of essential items.
The US is not Romania. We are spending $1
trillion on our military this year when all
departments are included. Tell me they can’t
afford backup face masks or ventilators?
Supposed there was a chemical/biological attack
on the US? What would we do? Use torn up pieces
of the NY Daily News as gas masks? This is what
people did in Europe for toilet paper in the
threadbare 1950’s. Maybe we will do it again.
Trump treated this virus attack as a political
problem, alternately dismissing it or claiming
decisive action. Proper government action was
delayed for weeks by Trump calling the virus a
‘hoax.’
A nation that could produce an entire Liberty
ship during World War II in 24 hours was left
telling frontline nurses to wear scarves around
their mouths because there were no stocks left
of N95 facemasks, respirators or gowns.
It was easier for the Italians. They have
Europe’s oldest population. So they just let
their elderly sick die off in favor of younger,
more robust patients. The Pope has remained out
of site with what are termed ‘sniffles’. He may
well have the virus as do many who mixed with
crowds. A penitent China is now shipping masks
to Italy.
In his usual regal style, Trump has been taking
responsibility for every aspect of the virus
epidemic. That’s dangerous, because he could end
up being blamed for some of this disaster’s
health and economic damage. A much better
example is California’s cool, competent
governor, Gavin Newsom who has managed this
crisis with skill and aplomb. He could very well
run for president in the next election.
Some environmentalists will even suspect that
the current plague is the planet’s payback
against Trump and his flat earth Republicans for
their devastation of our wildlife, forests and
waters.
Mother Nature’s revenge.
Eric S. Margolis
is an award-winning, internationally syndicated
columnist. His articles have appeared in the New
York Times, the International Herald Tribune the Los
Angeles Times, Times of London, the Gulf Times, the
Khaleej Times, Nation – Pakistan, Hurriyet, –
Turkey, Sun Times Malaysia and other news sites in
Asia.
ericmargolis.com
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Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2020
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