Alexander Haig

Militarization Of Civilian Government Under Donald Trump: A Double Edged Sword

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The fact that Donald Trump has three top military figures as key figures in his administration is troubling in a way, but also good in a way.

We have never had military figures in top government positions as a group. and so soon after retiring from the military.

Yes, we had Alexander Haig in the government under Richard Nixon, and George C. Marshall in the government under Harry Truman.

But now we have John Kelly as White House Chief of Staff, H. R. McMaster as National Security Adviser, and James Mattis as Secretary of Defense.

This is troubling, as our civilian government is not supposed to have such close association with the military in making policy, and the civilians are in charge at all times.

These men are patriots and good people, but still, it creates unease among many observers.

On the other hand, it seems to be reality that IF it is proved that Donald Trump has committed treason, that they will refuse to cooperate in a coverup, and would be likely to work to force Trump to resign for the good of the nation.

So this might be the way to hasten the demise of the Trump Presidency!

August 9–One Constitutional Crisis (Richard Nixon) Solved, But Three Months To Potential New Constitutional Crisis (Donald Trump)!

Ronald 5 Comments

On this day, August 9, 1974, a major constitutional crisis was solved with the resignation of Richard Nixon, who had abused the law and the Constitution, and who finally decided to resign under pressure of an impending impeachment.

But there were concerns that he might declare martial law, and the Chief of Staff, Alexander Haig, told the Pentagon to ignore any such order that might come from the President, who clearly was unraveling mentally in his last days in the Presidency.

But Nixon had enough sense to realize that his historical reputation would be even worse, so he still had a sense of reality, as he fell from power.

Now 42 years later, we have a true maniac, a madman, a demagogue, a Fascist, a bully, a misogynist, a racist, a nativist, a xenophobe, an ignorant person on foreign policy, a threat to world stability, and a very mentally unstable individual, in Donald Trump!

And just today, on the 42nd anniversary of the Nixon crisis coming to an end, the present crisis grows as Trump called for “Second Amendment’ supporters to do what must be done if Hillary Clinton was to win, a hint of assassination!

Trump’s language today at a rally in North Carolina only encourages the nuts and whackos among us, and he should be prosecuted for what he said.

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut has called for prosecution, and former CIA head Michael Hayden said that if any ordinary citizen said what Trump uttered today, he would be lo9cked up and prosecuted.

This is the time to stop Donald Trump, as he is emerging as a direct threat to civil order, with hints that he will not accept defeat, and will encourage violence among his lunatic and clueless followers, even after November.

This is, without a doubt, the worst moment in our political history since the Watergate scandal, and in many ways, more dangerous!

March 4, 1789–227 Years Without A Tyrant–Not About To Allow It To Happen Now With Donald Trump!

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The American Constitution went into effect officially on March 4, 1789, even though the first President, George Washington, was inaugurated belatedly on April 30, 1789.

We so revere the Constitution without realizing that through domestic and foreign crises over the years, we have only come fairly close to danger just once–the lawlessness of Richard Nixon.

But even with Nixon, we were far from Fascism or dictatorship, and the Constitution did work well  in the 1970s.

Despite acts of illegality, and plans for more, Richard Nixon was stopped dead in his tracks, including Alexander Haig telling the Pentagon to ignore Richard Nixon if he ordered martial law!

So when we hear that Donald Trump would order the military to break international law and American law, and return to the George W. Bush-Dick Cheney system of torture through waterboarding that has been banned by Barack Obama; and when we hear that Trump would wish to kill the entire families of suspected terrorists, and have no limit on military engagement as the military would obey him–then we know we have a tyrant in the making.

And when we hear that Trump wishes his crazy followers to beat up anti Trump protesters at rallies, and would plan to curb freedom of speech, press and assembly, including against media critics including the New York Times and Washington Post when he gains power, then we know we have Fascism in our midst, much greater than Huey P. Long, Joseph McCarthy, George C. Wallace, Pat Buchanan, or other lesser demagogues!

We have not had a tyrant for 227 years of our Republic, and we are not about to allow it to happen now with Donald Trump and his ilk!

New Revelation About Richard Nixon, Watergate, And Resignation!

Ronald 19 Comments

The historian Douglas Brinkley has just published a new book, “The Nixon Tapes, 1973”, which reveal the details of the Watergate White House tapes, now all released after 40 years.

The point that is most noticeable is that Richard Nixon considered resigning, and said so to his White House Chief of Staff, Alexander Haig, on May 25, 1973, almost 15 months before he actually resigned on August 9, 1974.

Had he done that, Vice President Spiro Agnew would have become President, just months before the revelation that he had engaged in illegal activities, including accepting cash bribes as Vice President.  That revelation in October 1973 led to his resignation, and his replacement by Gerald Ford, under the 25th Amendment, a very lucky break for the nation!

So history would have been transformed, with Nixon quitting, and possibly revelation of President Agnew as deserving of removal from office as well!

So Gerald Ford was a blessing, and Nixon’s thoughts of resigning but not doing so, transformed American history!

The End Of A Dangerous Situation: The Resignation Of Richard Nixon In 1974

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When one looks back at crises in American history, the top of the list are the Civil War, the Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, and the Cuban Missile Crisis up to that time in our history.

But in all four situations mentioned, we had a strong, decisive President who handled the situation extremely well.

We were fortunate to have Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy as our Presidents at the times of these crises.

But once one goes beyond these four transformational moments in our history, then we come to the Watergate scandal and the resignation of Richard Nixon on this day 41 years ago.

Yes, the argument can be made that Richard Nixon had a dramatic and positive effect on areas of domestic and foreign policy, during his five and a half years as President.

But Richard Nixon was also, without question, the most corrupt, dangerous President we had ever had in our history, bar none.

Richard Nixon had mental issues, and saw opponents as enemies, and seemed willing and able to allow aides to abuse power, and for himself to set out to destroy opposition in any way possible.

There was concern in the tense times of the summer of 1974 that Nixon might try to declare martial law, and his Chief of Staff, Alexander Haig, had already told the Pentagon to ignore any potential order from Nixon to suspend the Constitution, which would have established a dictatorship.

This is not to say that Nixon actually would have done so, as he was well aware of the need to do what he could to protect his damaged legacy in history, in any way that he could, but still, the threat, and the sense of mental instability was terrifying at the time.

And this lesson of Richard Nixon makes clear that the news media must be aggressive in pursuing the truth about the true character of all Presidential candidates, and despite attacks, make us aware of their shortcomings, particularly in the mental health area, as the nation cannot afford to elect a man or woman who might be dangerous to our national security and safety due to mental instability.

No one is entitled to be President, and we do not need an unstable person holding the powers of the most significant political position in the entire world!

As John Kerry Becomes Secretary Of State, An Assessment Of The Most Influential Secretaries Of State In American History

Ronald 25 Comments

With Hillary Clinton leaving the State Department, and John Kerry becoming the 68th Secretary of State, it is a good time to assess who are the most influential Secretaries of State we have had in American history.

Notice I say “most influential”, rather than “best”, as that is a better way to judge diplomatic leadership in the State Department.

Without ranking them, which is very difficult, we will examine the Secretaries of State who have had the greatest impact, in chronological order:

Thomas Jefferson (1789-1793) under President George Washington—set the standard for the department, and was probably the most brilliant man ever to head the State Department.

John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) under President James Monroe—brought about the Monroe Doctrine, treaties with Canada, and the acquisition of Florida.

William H. Seward (1861-1869) under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson—brought about the neutrality of Great Britain and France in the Civil War, and purchased Alaska from Czarist Russia, a fortunate development.

Hamilton Fish (1869-1877) under President Ulysses S. Grant—involved in many diplomatic issues in Latin America, had America become more engaged in Hawaii, and settled differences with Great Britain, and often considered the major bright spot in the tragic Grant Presidency.

James G. Blaine (1881, 1889-1892) under Presidents James A. Garfield and Chester Alan Arthur briefly, and full term under President Benjamin Harrison—helped to bring about eventual takeover of Hawaii, and promoted the concept of a canal in Central America.

John Hay (1898-1905) under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt—-involved in the issues after the Spanish American War, including involvement in the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam, and a major influence over TR’s diplomatic initiatives in his first term.

Elihu Root (1905-1909) under President Theodore Roosevelt—-a great influence in TR’s growing involvement in world affairs in his second term in office.

Robert Lansing (1915-1920) under President Woodrow Wilson—a major player in American entrance in World War I and at the Versailles Peace Conference.

Charles Evan Hughes (1921-1925) under Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge—-had major role in Washington Naval Agreements in 1922.

Henry Stimson (1929-1933) under President Herbert Hoover—-was a major critic of Japanese expansion, as expressed in the Stimson Doctrine of 1932.

Cordell Hull (1933-1944) under President Franklin D. Roosevelt—-was the longest lasting Secretary of State, nearly the whole term of FDR, and very much involved in all of the President’s foreign policy decisions.

Dean Acheson (1949-1953) under President Harry Truman—-involved in the major decisions of the early Cold War, including the Korean War intervention.

John Foster Dulles (1953-1959) under President Dwight D. Eisenhower—had controversial views on Cold War policy with the Soviet Union, including “massive retaliation”.

Dean Rusk (1961-1969) under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson—highly controversial advocate of the Vietnam War escalation, but served under the complete terms of two Presidents, and never backed away from his views on the Cold War.

Henry Kissinger (1973-1977) under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford—-easily one of the most influential figures in the shaping of foreign policy in American history, earlier having served as National Security Adviser.

George Shultz, (1982-1989) under President Ronald Reagan—-very close adviser to the President on his major foreign policy initiatives.

James Baker (1989-1992) under President George H. W. Bush—very significant in Persian Gulf War and end of Cold War policies.

Madeleine Albright (1997-2001) under President Bill Clinton—-first woman Secretary of State and played major role in many issues that arose.

Colin Powell (2001-2005) under President George W. Bush—-involved in the justification of the Iraq War based on Weapons of Mass Destruction, which undermined his reputation because of the lack of evidence on WMDs.

Condoleezza Rice (2005-2009) under President George W. Bush—second woman Secretary of State and intimately involved in policy making.

Hillary Clinton (2009-2013) under President Barack Obama—third woman Secretary of State, and hailed by most as a major contributor to Obama’s foreign policy initiatives.

This is a list of 21 out of the 68 Secretaries of State, but also there are 15 other Secretaries of State who were influential historical figures, including:

John Marshall
James Madison
James Monroe
Henry Clay
Martin Van Buren
Daniel Webster
John C. Calhoun
James Buchanan
Lewis Cass
William Jennings Bryan
George Marshall
Cyrus Vance
Edmund Muskie
Alexander Haig
Warren Christopher

So a total of 36 out of 68 Secretaries of State have been major figures in American history, and contributed to the diplomatic development of the United States in world affairs!

The 30th Anniversary Of The Attempted Assassination Of Ronald Reagan: A Time To Reconsider Stronger Gun Control Laws!

Ronald 2 Comments

Today, March 30, thirty years ago, after only ten weeks in office, President Ronald Reagan was subjected to an assassination attempt by John Hinckley.

Reagan was seriously wounded, and without the wonders of modern medicine, would have died after what would have been the second shortest term of a President in American history, only surpassed by William Henry Harrison, who died of pneumonia from cold weather conditions on Inauguration Day, exactly one month after he became President in 1841.

Reagan is also the only President ever shot who would recover from his wounds, although former President Theodore Roosevelt, shot while campaigning for election as a Progressive in 1912 after his time in office, also recovered from his wounds.

Reagan’s shooting demonstrated the chaos and anarchy that can happen for a period of time after such a tragic event, with no one really sure who was in charge in the moments after the assassination, due to Vice President George H W Bush traveling overseas at the time, and Secretary of State Alexander Haig claiming he was in charge, when actually Speaker of the House Thomas (Tip) O’Neill technically was next in line, but Bush able to act from afar, not having to be present in the nation to be in charge.

Press Secretary James Brady suffered much greater wounds than Reagan, who fully recovered, although some wonder if he suffered mental damage that led to his later Alzheimers diagnosis after leaving the Presidency. But Brady suffered major brain damage, was paralyzed and forced to spend his life in a wheelchair, and even today, speaks in a distorted manner. But his wife, Sarah, is a true example of a loyal wife, who has stuck through thick and thin with her husband, an example of true love!

The Brady Bill for gun control finally resulted in the Clinton Administration, but was not renewed ten years later during the Bush Administration, and we have seen the dangers of lack of gun control, with the recent attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona in January.

We need President Obama to speak up on this issue in a much more forceful manner, and of course, we know that the National Rifle Association and the Republican Party will fight any attempt at gun control, but this is a moral cause, and the memory today of how we almost lost our 40th President thirty years ago today should sustain us in this fight!

The Passing Of Alexander Haig: An Important Part Of American History!

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Former Army General, White House Chief of Staff, and Secretary of State Alexander Haig passed away this morning, and his death at age 85 brings back many memories.

After a great Army career, he became Richard Nixon’s last White House Chief of Staff, and played a very important role in the waning days of Nixon, as the Watergate scandal evolved. He informed the Pentagon to ignore the President if he called for them to impose martial law and suspend the Constitution! Apparently, Haig felt that Nixon was so mentally unbalanced under pressure that he could be a threat to constitutional order, so quietly and secretly so instructed the Pentagon in this unusual way.

Later, Haig was Secretary of State for one year under President Reagan, but eventually lost his position because of the controversial way he handled the attempted assassination of Reagan by John Hinckley in March 1981. At the time of the shooting, Vice President George HW Bush was in flight, so Haig took over the White House Press Secretary’s podium and said he was “in charge”, and acted very nervously and exuded sweat, leaving the image almost of a coup d’etat being initiated. Of course, Haig was absolutely wrong, because if the Vice President is not available, the presidential succession laws call for the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to be next in line before the Secretary of State. Haig never recovered from this disastrous episode, and did not get along well with others in the Reagan Administration, so in 1982 he was replaced by George Shultz.

Haig had also served under President Ford, and made a feeble attempt at a Presidential candidacy in 1988, and then he disappeared from the public scene.

If for nothing else, Haig must be commended for his intervention with the Pentagon at the time of the crisis over Watergate. For that alone, he will be a part of our history textbooks!