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Mattis and MacMaster resigned from Trump, why not Austin and Milley from Biden?

Taking responsibility for disagreement, not to mention failure

When President Trump, the commander-in-chief of all US military forces, announced his policy of American withdrawal from Syria, his Secretary of Defense James Mattis objected on principle. So he resigned. It was 2018. At about the same time, Trump’s National Security Adviser H. R. MacMaster objected on principle to Trump’s policies on South Korea, the Iran nuclear deal and other national security matters. So he resigned. Also resigning from the Trump administration’s national security team were Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell and other senior advisers.

The president was going in a direction that all of this top brass could not countenance — and they brought decades of experience to the table — so they resigned.

When President Biden announced his withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan, down to the last one, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark A. Milley counseled a different course. They pointed out that an unnecessarily chaotic and dangerous withdrawal would result. They pointed out that no American had died in Afghanistan in 18 months, while keeping the Taliban at bay. President Biden, the commander in chief, rejected their wise counsel. We all know what happened. Austin and Milley were right. Chaos and unnecessary loss of life resulted. American and former Afghan allies were left behind in Afghanistan, and still remain behind. Austin and Milley objected on principle. So why did they not resign?

Further, the Washington Post and The New York Times now report that what was characterized as a revenge attack for the death of 13 Marines actually targeted and killed civilians, not terrorists. Who is addressing this issue in the White House or the Pentagon?

For Mattis and MacMaster and others, it was the honorable thing to resign. It also had the effect of publicly highlighting the deficiency of Trump’s wisdom, especially in his policy in Syria. What makes Austin and Milley’s position any different? What makes Biden’s policy in Afghanistan any different?

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