Our Guy Flynn

[adwinistrator]

Foreign Policy - Tom Ricks - Robert Harward plans a housecleaning of Trump’s National Security Council staff

President Donald Trump offered the job of national security advisor to retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward on Monday night, and was a bit surprised when Harward responded by saying he needed a couple of days to think it over.

If, as expected, Harward accepts the job today, he is likely to bring in his own team, from deputy on down, with a focus on national security types with some experience under their belts.

I think he would look especially to people he knows from his time working for the George W. Bush NSC from 2003 to 2005. No more Fox News talking heads. Instead, I think he would try to take a Scowcroftian approach to trying to run the interagency policy formulation process — deliberate, rigorous, careful. Just how that will fit with the style of the Twitterer-in-Chief, I don’t know.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see J.D. Crouch and David Trachtenberg appear at the White House gate in the next few days, with Crouch the leading candidate to be Harward’s deputy. Perhaps also Juan Zarate and Mike Singh.

Harward is, like the ousted Michael Flynn, a retired military flag officer. But I think he would be very different from Flynn.

Most importantly, he is not an ideologue, as Flynn seemed to have become in the last few years. Harward thinks of himself as a national security professional — and indeed once served on the NSC staff, during the Bush Administration. Before that, early in the Afghan war, he headed the Special Operations task force in Kandahar.

Harward also would work well with Defense Secretary James Mattis. When Mattis was chief of Central Command, Harward was his deputy. Mattis trusted him enough to put him in charge of planning for war with Iran. Mattis has urged Harward to take the NSA job.

If Harward becomes NSA, Mattis would emerge from the Flynn mess in a uniquely powerful position: He would have two of his former deputies at the table in some meetings. The other one is John Kelly, now secretary for Homeland Security, who was his number two when Mattis commanded a Marine division early in the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

At this point, Mattis has far greater influence over former military officers than the president does. His presence at the Pentagon is the sole reason some are considering climbing aboard Trump’s sinking ship.

[The Conservative]

Wow, there's a whole lot of overreacting going on here. One guy had to resign. Oh, no, the next 4 years have been turned to dust!!! One. guy. resigned.

The story here isn't that Flynn resigned, it's what happened that led up to it.

KY, calm down. This doesn't mean the entire direction of Trump's presidency has changed.

Monte, that "clown" IS running the country. That non-so-clever clown outflanked both parties for months and got elected. Enjoy Flynn resigning while the rest of us enjoy the many and more significant changes to come.

Standing by. Holding my breath.

Don't hold it too long, you'll get brain damage like the rest of the left.

[C-Mag]

I don't have a problem with Flynn going away, I'm just a little confused on how he goes away for a phone call and we allowed a Sec of State to stay in office for years while having a non-governmental entity she was tied to taking cash and talking to the same people.

I think it's pretty clear Trump is going to have to run the cleanest Administration in modern history if he wants to stay in power. That's not a bad thing. Because the Articles of Impeachment are already being drafted. I don't know what is going on behind the curtains, but it looks like to me the Establishment feels threatened by Trump and the Establishment intends to take him down.

[Speaker to Animals]

I don't have a problem with Flynn going away, I'm just a little confused on how he goes away for a phone call and we allowed a Sec of State to stay in office for years while having a non-governmental entity she was tied to taking cash and talking to the same people.

I think it's pretty clear Trump is going to have to run the cleanest Administration in modern history if he wants to stay in power. That's not a bad thing. Because the Articles of Impeachment are already being drafted. I don't know what is going on behind the curtains, but it looks like to me the Establishment feels threatened by Trump and the Establishment intends to take him down.

The administration states Trump asked him to resign because he misrepresented the conversations to Pence, and therefore lost Trump's trust. I suspect there is more to this story. Trump seems genuinely disappointed in something that happened (besides for the criminals leaking classified documents to the press to destroy political rivals).

[C-Mag]

Well, Flynn was a marked man.......acta non verba

He became an enemy of the establishment when he told the truth about the danger of ISIS when the Establishment Media was running with BHO's assessment that ISIS was a JV team.

One of the interesting things about this is that Flynn was head of the DIA. He knows his conversations are being tapped. So you have to believe the guy is stupid or he didn't think what he was saying was outside of SOP.

I don't think the guy is stupid. This is selective application of laws.

[Okeefenokee]

Well, Flynn was a marked man.......acta non verba

He became an enemy of the establishment when he told the truth about the danger of ISIS when the Establishment Media was running with BHO's assessment that ISIS was a JV team.

One of the interesting things about this is that Flynn was head of the DIA. He knows his conversations are being tapped. So you have to believe the guy is stupid or he didn't think what he was saying was outside of SOP.

I don't think the guy is stupid. This is selective application of laws.

That's what I'm feeling.

[Montegriffo]

Monte, that "clown" IS running the country. That non-so-clever clown outflanked both parties for months and got elected. Enjoy Flynn resigning while the rest of us enjoy the many and more significant changes to come.

Hey look if you can't work out the difference between beating a terrible opposition candidate in a popularity contest and running a complex, highly nuanced, national government I can't help you....

[SuburbanFarmer]

Monte, that "clown" IS running the country. That non-so-clever clown outflanked both parties for months and got elected. Enjoy Flynn resigning while the rest of us enjoy the many and more significant changes to come.

Hey look if you can't work out the difference between beating a terrible opposition candidate in a popularity contest and running a complex, highly nuanced, national government I can't help you....

Apparently, we elected a king... Whoever wins just runs shit as they see fit.

Any pointers on surviving in a monarchy?

[Montegriffo]

Monte, that "clown" IS running the country. That non-so-clever clown outflanked both parties for months and got elected. Enjoy Flynn resigning while the rest of us enjoy the many and more significant changes to come.

Hey look if you can't work out the difference between beating a terrible opposition candidate in a popularity contest and running a complex, highly nuanced, national government I can't help you....

Apparently, we elected a king... Whoever wins just runs shit as they see fit.

Any pointers on surviving in a monarchy?

Get yourselves a working parliament and make sure your head of state keeps out of politics.

[C-Mag]

Apparently, we elected a king... Whoever wins just runs shit as they see fit.

Any pointers on surviving in a monarchy?

The full force of Presidential checks to power is being employed. Hell even Dan is talking about checks and balances in power in a way he hasn't in a decade. The intelligence community that couldn't discover much of any wrong doing by government agents in the last decade can suddenly find a conversation that crosses the line. The Corporate Media has a been on a full court press for 18 months, we have GOP party members breaking ranks.

I'm fine with all of this. If it took Trump to wake up these people that are checks and balances GREAT.

Like I said earlier, Trump is going to be forced to run the cleanest ADmin in modern history because the Establhisment is listening to every phone call and conversation. That's a good thing for the average citizen.

It's pretty clear to me that the Establishment feels they need to take Trump out before he can put in place his policies that he was elected to put in place. That's the panic we see, the unhinged left, the unhinged media. It's clear the Establishment sees Trump as a threat to their power.