Open Letter on Donald Trump from GOP National Security Leaders

[norseamd]

We the undersigned, members of the Republican national security community, represent a broad spectrum of opinion on America’s role in the world and what is necessary to keep us safe and prosperous. We have disagreed with one another on many issues, including the Iraq war and intervention in Syria. But we are united in our opposition to a Donald Trump presidency. Recognizing as we do, the conditions in American politics that have contributed to his popularity, we nonetheless are obligated to state our core objections clearly:

His vision of American influence and power in the world is wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle. He swings from isolationism to military adventurism within the space of one sentence.

His advocacy for aggressively waging trade wars is a recipe for economic disaster in a globally connected world.

His embrace of the expansive use of torture is inexcusable.

His hateful, anti-Muslim rhetoric undercuts the seriousness of combatting Islamic radicalism by alienating partners in the Islamic world making significant contributions to the effort. Furthermore, it endangers the safety and Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of American Muslims.

Controlling our border and preventing illegal immigration is a serious issue, but his insistence that Mexico will fund a wall on the southern border inflames unhelpful passions, and rests on an utter misreading of, and contempt for, our southern neighbor.

Similarly, his insistence that close allies such as Japan must pay vast sums for protection is the sentiment of a racketeer, not the leader of the alliances that have served us so well since World War II.

His admiration for foreign dictators such as Vladimir Putin is unacceptable for the leader of the world’s greatest democracy.
He is fundamentally dishonest. Evidence of this includes his attempts to deny positions he has unquestionably taken in the past, including on the 2003 Iraq war and the 2011 Libyan conflict. We accept that views evolve over time, but this is simply misrepresentation.

His equation of business acumen with foreign policy experience is false. Not all lethal conflicts can be resolved as a real estate deal might, and there is no recourse to bankruptcy court in international affairs.

Mr. Trump’s own statements lead us to conclude that as president, he would use the authority of his office to act in ways that make America less safe, and which would diminish our standing in the world. Furthermore, his expansive view of how presidential power should be wielded against his detractors poses a distinct threat to civil liberty in the United States. Therefore, as committed and loyal Republicans, we are unable to support a Party ticket with Mr. Trump at its head. We commit ourselves to working energetically to prevent the election of someone so utterly unfitted to the office.

David Adesnik
Michael Auslin
Robert D. Blackwill
Daniel A. Blumenthal
Max Boot
Michael Chertoff
Patrick Chovanec
Eliot A. Cohen
Carrie Cordero
Patrick M. Cronin
Seth Cropsey
Tom Donnelly
Daniel Drezner
Colin Dueck
Eric Edelman
Richard A. Falkenrath
Peter D. Feaver
Aaron Friedberg
Jeffrey Gedmin
Christopher J. Griffin
Mary R. Habeck
Rebeccah Heinrichs
William C. Inboden
Jamil N. Jaffer
Robert G. Joseph
Robert Kagan
David Kramer
Matthew Kroenig
Frank Lavin
Philip I. Levy​

Mary Beth Long
Matthew McCabe
Bryan McGrath
Paul D. Miller
Lester Munson
Andrew S. Natsios
Michael Noonan
John Noonan
Roger F. Noriega
Robert T. Osterhaler
Everett Pyatt
Martha T. Rainville
Stephen Rodriguez
Daniel F. Runde
Richard L. Russell
Kori Schake
Randy Scheunemann
Gary J. Schmitt
Kalev I. Sepp
David R. Shedd
Kristen Silverberg
Michael Singh
Ray Takeyh
William H. Tobey
Frances F. Townsend
Jan Van Tol
Dov S. Zakheim
Roger Zakheim
Philip Zelikow
Robert B. Zoellick​

The statement above was coordinated by Dr. Eliot A. Cohen, former Counselor of the Department of State (2007–8) and Bryan McGrath, Managing Director of The FerryBridge Group, a defense consultancy. They encourage other members of the Republican foreign policy and national security communities wishing to sign the declaration to contact them.

http://warontherocks.com/2016/03/open-letter-on-donald-trump-from-gop-national-security-leaders/

 

[Indus]

Faux News > GOP National Security Leaders

 

[lopri]

%@$#(*^&_@^(+#^%&@!+%*(#)&%+)#@^&

 

[lopri]

never mind.

 

[HTFOff]

Trump shits on Bush and the iraq war, so pro-war types object to his candidacy. Good, vote hilary then.

Wtf is "republican national security community", anyway? Fuck that noise.

 

[MongGrel]

This should get very interesting.

 

[Indus]

This should get very interesting.

You mean till the next.. "They're LOSERS! Get em out of here!"

 

[SP33Demon]

You mean till the next.. "They're LOSERS! Get em out of here!"

And Trump would be right. Sore losers who can't stand that their establishment candidate just got the stuffing knocked out of them on Super Tuesday.

 

[trenchfoot]

A used up piece of toilet paper has more value than that letter. All I see there is a bunch of control freaks finally not getting their way and are venting their frustration, their envy and their angst over not being able to control the freak they themselves created with their incessant dissemination of hate, fear and suspicion.

Get used to it guys, your days are numbered. Obstruct all you want. Gerrymander all you want. Corrupt all you want, spread hate and fear all you want. Restrict and disenfranchise voters all you want. But that's exactly what's alienating you further and further from the unfolding reality you guys refuse to acknowledge, the reality that YOU guys unintentionally created.

Trump is YOUR problem. You guys didn't have the slightest clue how your fucking around with people's heads would come back at you in ways you could never imagine, huh?

Well, it seems to me that Trump is the tip of the iceberg, the opening shot, the preview of things to come.

Congrats assholes. Nice job.

 

[Moonbeam]

aS IF I NEEDED MOPRE reasons to vote for Trump.

 

[MongGrel]

And Trump would be right. Sore losers who can't stand that their establishment candidate just got the stuffing knocked out of them on Super Tuesday.

You're hilarious man, keep it up.

 

[Jaskalas]

His advocacy for aggressively waging trade wars is a recipe for economic disaster in a globally connected world.

Well we ARE getting murdered, economically, by "free" trade.
Questioning Trump's idea of "handling" it is certainly legit.
I don't like the sound of trade wars either... But we have to do... something!

His embrace of the expansive use of torture is inexcusable.

Ehh.... point granted, in a general sense.
But when are you going to disown Bush and company for that, you cowards?

His hateful, anti-Muslim rhetoric...

Someone better tell NATO it's "hateful, anti-Muslim rhetoric" to point out the obvious with refugees.

Nato commander: Isis ‘spreading like cancer’ among refugees
​

Your opposition to reality is pathetic. What, you need to be buddy buddy for your nation building and military welfare projects? How are those Afghan roads and hospitals working out, win any hearts and minds yet? Must be nice having to fund something that gets blown up and rebuilt year after year. Shovel ready projects?

Controlling our border and preventing illegal immigration is a serious issue, but his insistence that Mexico will fund a wall on the southern border inflames unhelpful passions, and rests on an utter misreading of, and contempt for, our southern neighbor.

Mexico will have nothing but hatred and contempt for the United States if we don't grant amnesty. In short, they already hate us if they cannot invade us.
This is little short of WAR already. You are telling us to surrender or face consequences... whose side are you on anyway?

Similarly, his insistence that close allies such as Japan must pay vast sums for protection is the sentiment of a racketeer, not the leader of the alliances that have served us so well since World War II.

Do we need global military bases to play world police?
This is just another part of the trade war crap... sounds terrible, but what's really the right answer?

His admiration for foreign dictators such as Vladimir Putin is unacceptable for the leader of the world’s greatest democracy.

With allies like Saudi Arabia and Turkey... on the issue of ISIS, who needs enemies?
As for dictators... well it IS Trump. Birds of a feather... I know who he is.

He is fundamentally dishonest.

And you are not?

Mr. Trump’s own statements lead us to conclude that as president, he would use the authority of his office to act in ways that make America less safe, and which would diminish our standing in the world.

I'm sorry, are you speaking of Bush, Obama, or yourselves?

Furthermore, his expansive view of how presidential power should be wielded against his detractors poses a distinct threat to civil liberty in the United States.

That's accurate... and why I will never vote for him.
But damn if he isn't a tempting !@#$ you vote to deserved scum like you, GOP.

 

[norseamd]

This should get very interesting.

Funny that considering how bad the War on Terror Neocons are, that this shows just how terrible Trump actually is. They did not just magically all get together and say just us voicing our opposition to him will mean some real important shit. They had to have a leg to stand on, and Trump has given them millions to pick from.

 

[norseamd]

That's accurate... and why I will never vote for him. But damn if he isn't a tempting !@#$ you vote to deserved scum like you, GOP.

This is a legitimate position. The main concern here is not the past misconduct of the Neocons, but a even worse problem with a reckless xenophobic fascist rabble rouser.

 

[SP33Demon]

Well we ARE getting murdered, economically, by "free" trade.
Questioning Trump's idea of "handling" it is certainly legit.
I don't like the sound of trade wars either... But we have to do... something!

Ehh.... point granted, in a general sense.
But when are you going to disown Bush and company for that, you cowards?

Someone better tell NATO it's "hateful, anti-Muslim rhetoric" to point out the obvious with refugees.

Nato commander: Isis ‘spreading like cancer’ among refugees
​

Your opposition to reality is pathetic. What, you need to be buddy buddy for your nation building and military welfare projects? How are those Afghan roads and hospitals working out, win any hearts and minds yet? Must be nice having to fund something that gets blown up and rebuilt year after year. Shovel ready projects?

Mexico will have nothing but hatred and contempt for the United States if we don't grant amnesty. In short, they already hate us if they cannot invade us.
This is little short of WAR already. You are telling us to surrender or face consequences... whose side are you on anyway?

Do we need global military bases to play world police?
This is just another part of the trade war crap... sounds terrible, but what's really the right answer?

With allies like Saudi Arabia and Turkey... on the issue of ISIS, who needs enemies?
As for dictators... well it IS Trump. Birds of a feather... I know who he is.

And you are not?

I'm sorry, are you speaking of Bush, Obama, or yourselves?

That's accurate... and why I will never vote for him.
But damn if he isn't a tempting !@#$ you vote to deserved scum like you, GOP.

Solid post, except define the use of torture and define the type of scumbag terrorists we're interrogating. A higher up ISIS official who is responsible for mass grave deaths? He wouldn't have rights under Geneva anyway. We can do what we want and have done what we wanted behind closed doors to get information.

If you think Trump would use a nuke then you're crazy and that indicates the media has indoctrinated you. He may be crass but he's not suicidal. He has a beautiful family to look after and loves to talk too dam much. I bet he gets more pleasure out of talking/bragging to people than sex.

 

[SP33Demon]

This is a legitimate position. The main concern here is not the past misconduct of the Neocons, but a even worse problem with a reckless xenophobic fascist rabble rouser.

Fascist would mean he could get congress to do his bidding. Not gonna happen. What will happen are 3 conservative SCOTUS noms of his choosing.

Xenophobic? Spare us. He is against any immigrants who come here illegally. Making this about race tells us more about you than him. He has repeatedly said he loves mexicans and hispanics (legal ones).

 

[MongGrel]

He has repeatedly said a lot of things over time that are complete BS.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Just checking several of the top names, this looks like a list of conservative, pro-war think tank representatives. Did any of these people serve in any meaningful fashion? Like, wow, a guy that co-wrote the Patriot Act is against Trump, how convincing!

Also

"His embrace of the expansive use of torture is inexcusable."

From what I recall, a month ago they were at a debate having a contest over who could endorse torture the most. Trump won, of course, but that's what he does.

EDIT: Also, iirc Trump is the preferred candidate among veterans, and a lot of people were wrong when they thought Trump going after Dubya/the Iraq War in South Carolina would hurt him. It's like they can't realize how they make him that much stronger every time they speak out against him.

EDIT #2: The authors say they represent a broad spectrum of beliefs; I'd like someone to point out just two that are largely anti-war (I'd say just one but they could have snuck one into there I guess).

EDIT #3: The more I go through this list the more I want to vote Trump as a fuck you to all of these guys. I really genuinely hope that he runs independent if/when the Repubs decide to pull the plug.

 

[trenchfoot]

He has repeatedly said a lot of things over time that are complete BS.

And yet, every time he spreads it around, it only makes his numbers go higher and higher. That right there is going to be studied for years to come.

Interesting how the RNC got their loyal base pilfered away from them by the same kind of BS the RNC used to build up that base to begin with.

Sweet Dorothy of Justice, how you do have a sense of humor.

 

[norseamd]

Did any of these people serve in any meaningful fashion?

You are missing the last name on the list.

 

[woolfe9998]

A used up piece of toilet paper has more value than that letter. All I see there is a bunch of control freaks finally not getting their way and are venting their frustration, their envy and their angst over not being able to control the freak they themselves created with their incessant dissemination of hate, fear and suspicion.

Get used to it guys, your days are numbered. Obstruct all you want. Gerrymander all you want. Corrupt all you want, spread hate and fear all you want. Restrict and disenfranchise voters all you want. But that's exactly what's alienating you further and further from the unfolding reality you guys refuse to acknowledge, the reality that YOU guys unintentionally created.

Trump is YOUR problem. You guys didn't have the slightest clue how your fucking around with people's heads would come back at you in ways you could never imagine, huh?

Well, it seems to me that Trump is the tip of the iceberg, the opening shot, the preview of things to come.

Congrats assholes. Nice job.

I agree conservatives have created this Frankenstein, but regardless of who is at fault, if he is elected, he'll be everyone's problem. With that in mind, I think that letter cogently summarizes Trump's deficiencies in foreign policy. Might be more helpful if it had wide distribution around the time of the general election. It's too late to make a difference in the primary. Unfortunately, it will likely be lost in obscurity 6 months from now.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I glance at this

We the undersigned, members of the Republican national security community...

skim to this

Mr. Trump’s own statements lead us to conclude that as president, he would use the authority of his office to act in ways that make America less safe...

and see it's an endorsement.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I agree conservatives have created this Frankenstein, but regardless of who is at fault, if he is elected, he'll be everyone's problem. With that in mind, I think that letter cogently summarizes Trump's deficiencies in foreign policy. Might be more helpful if it had wide distribution around the time of the general election. It's too late to make a difference in the primary. Unfortunately, it will likely be lost in obscurity 6 months from now.

Trump being everyone's problem might be the one thing that gets the Republican party governing again. Like a giant weird-haired asteroid hurtling towards us.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

David Adesnik
Michael Auslin
Robert D. Blackwill
Daniel A. Blumenthal
Max Boot
Michael Chertoff
Patrick Chovanec
Eliot A. Cohen
Carrie Cordero
Patrick M. Cronin
Seth Cropsey
Tom Donnelly
Daniel Drezner
Colin Dueck
Eric Edelman
Richard A. Falkenrath
Peter D. Feaver
Aaron Friedberg
Jeffrey Gedmin
Christopher J. Griffin
Mary R. Habeck
Rebeccah Heinrichs
William C. Inboden
Jamil N. Jaffer
Robert G. Joseph
Robert Kagan
David Kramer
Matthew Kroenig
Frank Lavin
Philip I. Levy
Mary Beth Long
Matthew McCabe
Bryan McGrath
Paul D. Miller
Lester Munson
Andrew S. Natsios
Michael Noonan
John Noonan
Roger F. Noriega
Robert T. Osterhaler
Everett Pyatt
Martha T. Rainville
Stephen Rodriguez
Daniel F. Runde
Richard L. Russell
Kori Schake
Randy Scheunemann
Gary J. Schmitt
Kalev I. Sepp
David R. Shedd
Kristen Silverberg
Michael Singh
Ray Takeyh
William H. Tobey
Frances F. Townsend
Jan Van Tol
Dov S. Zakheim
Roger Zakheim
Philip Zelikow
Robert B. Zoellick

The guys are loooossers

http://warontherocks.com/2016/03/open-letter-on-donald-trump-from-gop-national-security-leaders/

That website is for losers

 

[Hugo Drax]

even more reason to vote Trump.