A brave few summon the courage to speak
I’m sick to death of these spineless, supine Republicans. Yesterday, I brought you video of Marine LTC Scheller, who had serious questions for the chain of command relating to this catastrophe in Afghanistan. By mid-afternoon on Friday, I updated the post, because he’d been relieved for cause. This is despicable. Almost the entirety of the chain of command should be relieved. Every general officer involved in this mess should be gone. Every one. The fact that none of them have the courage to lay down their stars to stand up for the men and women in their charge speaks to the disgrace that is our Pentagon today. If you missed Colonel Scheller’s video, you can watch it near the bottom of the post linked here. Every question he asks is a valid, important question. Every implied criticism is correct. While from Joe Biden down to the theater commander, every person in that chain is responsible for this disastrous retreat from Afghanistan, none of them have been or will be held accountable, but Colonel Scheller is being given the boot. What are our Republican representatives and senators doing? Apart from a couple voices that are summarily silenced by media and the tech giants, absolutely nothing. Not one damned thing!
If our more junior officers can summon the courage to lay it on the line, surrendering their positions after long and honorable service, then our elected officials ought to be able to summon the courage to say something about it. Instead, they remain silent. So far today, I’ve only read of Marjorie Taylor Greene saying anything substantial about this, but she’s hampered by the media’s hatred of her. Most media isn’t covering it at all, but a few like John Solomon have the guts to mention it. Bannon’s War Room is all over it this morning, as they continue coverage of this “withdrawal under fire.” Here’s a tweet from Representative Greene:
Marine Lt Col Stuart Scheller should be re-instated and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley should be held accountable.
They are the ones who failed, Scheller just said it. https://t.co/pD7kmvCyZY
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) August 28, 2021
She’s right, of course, but I want to know why the rest of the Republican caucus isn’t making a stink, while they like to play war-hawk, and to tell us how they support the troops. Here’s a Colonel who basically laid down his eighteen year career to ask respectful but important questions of the chain of command, and he’s being drummed-out of the Marines. If it were up to me, he’d be promoted to commandant of the Marine Corps and all the useless sacks above the rank of Colonel who have anything to do with this mess would be given their walking papers with no retirement, and no honors. Meanwhile, the useless majority of the Republican caucuses in both houses of Congress sit on their thumbs, or hide in their offices, unwilling to say or do anything in support of Colonel Scheller or the American people.
It’s time to read these feckless Republicans the riot act, but also the maniacal Democrats who shamelessly support this disaster. It’s like I said two days ago about failing our war-fighters. We have an honor-bound duty to speak on their behalf. When people like Colonel Scheller become moved to speak out, risking and surrendering their careers, it’s a sign that we, the people, have failed.
As this went to press, Representative Matt Gaetz also spoke out about Colonel Scheller via twitter:
Stuart Scheller would make a better Secretary of Defense than Lloyd Austin.
We hear you.
Accountability must come. https://t.co/ykklyT7poj
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) August 28, 2021
