McCain Not Revisited

When I first saw this, I thought to myself “oh, they’re just worried that he’ll see the damage and say something stupid.” Didn’t occur to me that the Navy was (apparently legitimately) worried that the very mention of John McCain would send the President off the edge…

The White House wanted the U.S. Navy to move “out of sight” a warship named for the late Sen. John McCain, a war hero who became a frequent target of President Trump’s ire, ahead of the president’s visit to Japan last week, according to an email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

In a May 15 email to U.S. Navy and Air Force officials, a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command official outlined plans for the president’s arrival that he said had resulted from conversations between the White House Military Office and the Seventh Fleet of the U.S. Navy. In addition to instructions for the proper landing areas for helicopters and preparation for the USS Wasp—where the president was scheduled to speak—the official issued a third directive: “USS John McCain needs to be out of sight.”

“Please confirm #3 will be satisfied,” the official wrote.

I know folks who, grudgingly or no, supported Trump out of the idea that he would be better for the health of the armed forces than Clinton. “Hillary the Hawk, Donald the Dove” was not a widely-held illusion in the uniformed military. At this point, however, it should be clear that the sheer humiliation that the United States endures every moment that man is President far outweighs the dream of 355 ships…