CIA Waits Until Target is Away From Family Before Initiating Drone Strike, Trump Asks "Why Wait?"
By Shane Ryan | April 6, 2018 | 10:25am
Photo courtesy of Getty Politics Features War
Well, here's this:
The CIA showed Trump video of a drone strike in which they had waited until the target wasn't at home with his family.
The president's response: "Why did you wait?"https://t.co/d5zl332R5zpic.twitter.com/GMdkWlNEwB
— Eric Umansky (@ericuman) April 6, 2018
Umansky's tweet comes from a Washington Post story by Greg Jaffe on the current state of our conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Recounting Trump's first day in office, Jaffe takes us to Langley, where Trump visited the CIA and was shown video footage of a drone strike:
Later, when the agency's head of drone operations explained that the CIA had developed special munitions to limit civilian casualties, the president seemed unimpressed. Watching a previously recorded strike in which the agency held off on firing until the target had wandered away from a house with his family inside, Trump asked, "Why did you wait?" one participant in the meeting recalled.
A couple things here. First off, there's only one immediate way to react to this news, and Glenn Greenwald captured it succinctly:
This is actual sociopathy: https://t.co/nLYRJ78Ney
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 6, 2018
But also, as a pro-Trumper from the Washington Reporter pointed out, this is exactly what he said he'd do:
Nope. Just keeping his campaign promises. "You have to go after the families"
— Jacob Wohl (@JacobAWohl) April 6, 2018
And it's true—I don't know why we're surprised by this level of cruelty. It was what he promised to us on the campaign trail.
Meanwhile, the rest of the WaPo article is well worth reading if you want to get depressed not just about our status in each of these wars, but about the stubborn-yet-defeatist mindset of our military leaders. We're losing in Syria, where Assad is absolutely not going to be deposed and our own generals have no idea if that's even our main goal anymore. We're losing in Afghanistan (in year 17 of that war), where a huge escalation in bombing has created a sort of temporary stalemate that will last only as long as we continue to drop bombs, at which point the government will start to lose ground to the Taliban again. And in all three countries, even our top military brass has adopted the view that forever wars without a chance of victory are actually a good thin…or at least not a desperately awful thing:
In the absence of a clear outcome, winning for much of the U.S. military's top brass has come to be synonymous with staying put. These days, senior officers talk about "infinite war."
"It's not losing," explained Air Force Gen. Mike Holmes in a speech earlier this year. "It's staying in the game and .?.?. pursuing your objectives."
It's an ugly situation, and it's not going to get better.
Also from War
Detaining American Citizens, Threatening Cultural Landmarks: What You've Missed in Trump-Iran By Shane Ryan January 6, 2020 | 10:38am
War With Iran Is the Shiny Object Donald Trump Can't Stop Touching By Shane Ryan January 3, 2020 | 10:56am
Senate Shocker of the Year: Republicans Cast A Meaningful Anti-War Vote on Yemen By Jacob Weindling November 29, 2018 | 11:44am
Incompetence at the VA Is Creating More Homeless Veterans Each Day By Jacob Weindling November 12, 2018 | 1:10pm
Children Born After 9/11 Are Now Eligible to Serve in Our Endless War in Afghanistan By Jacob Weindling September 13, 2018 | 1:45pm
Trump's Unappointed Mar-A-Lago Cronies Are Literally Running the Department of Veterans Affairs By Jacob Weindling August 8, 2018 | 4:20pm
More from War
The New York Times Doing a "Both Sides" on their Democratic Endorsement Is a Poetic Sign of the Times By Jacob Weindling January 21, 2020 | 11:05am
As Bernie Sanders Comes Closer to the Nomination, Things Are Going to Get So Much Dumber By Rob Rousseau January 17, 2020 | 2:59pm
Hillary Clinton on Her Hulu Documentary Series and Being a Polarizing Figure in a Divided Country By Allison Keene January 17, 2020 | 1:35pm
The Death of Alberto Nisman, and a Night Out With "La Testigo"—The Witness By Annie Merkley January 17, 2020 | 11:45am
Where Does the Senate Impeachment Trial Stand? A Quick Update By Jacob Weindling January 16, 2020 | 2:37pm
Politics Is in the Midst of a Generational War By Jacob Weindling January 16, 2020 | 1:10pm
JC Brooks 2016-11-22T00:00:00-07:00
Counting Crows 2012-08-24T00:00:00-07:00
Chicano Batman 2017-10-09T00:00:00-07:00
New Poll Shows 83% of African Americans Believe Trump Is Racist By Jarrod Johnson II January 17, 2020
Why Moderates Should Support Bernie Sanders: A Primer By Lizzie Manno January 13, 2020
#RefundWarren Trends as Elizabeth Warren's Offensive Strategy Divides Progressives By Walker Bragman January 14, 2020
Elizabeth Warren Failed to Mention "Medicare-For-All" Once During Tuesday's Debate By Walker Bragman January 15, 2020
Where Does the Senate Impeachment Trial Stand? A Quick Update By Jacob Weindling January 16, 2020
Once You Accept CNN's Bias, the Sanders-Warren "Feud" Was a Low-Impact Dud By Shane Ryan January 15, 2020
Hillary Clinton on Her Hulu Documentary Series and Being a Polarizing Figure in a Divided Country By Allison Keene January 17, 2020
More Politics Most Popular