The Silence of the Generals

 

Another political writer's comments on the debacle rants to our military generals and admirals from the anti-American regime in Washington.

The silence of the generals, by Robert B. Hubbell

The most remarkable aspect of Trump’s speech to the assembled generals and admirals of the US military was the silence. 

The generals sat in silence.

They sat in silence as Trump slurred and rambled through a “speech” that insulted the intelligence, professionalism, and loyalty of the generals.

They sat in silence as Trump attacked their former commander-in-chief, Joe Biden.

They sat in silence as Trump claimed that the military would use U.S. cities as “training grounds” for waging war against American civilians.

They sat in silence as Trump said he would ask the military to fight “the enemy from within.”

They sat in silence as Hegseth said the generals were free to ignore the law of war and international treaties that separate the US military from barbarians and war criminals.

They sat in silence as Trump said that the Navy should “consider the concept of battleship.”

They sat in silence as Trump wondered aloud why the generals sat in silence.

They sat in silence even after Trump pandered for their applause.

Their silence spoke volumes. In their silence, the generals affirmed their oaths to defend the Constitution. In their silence, the generals demonstrated their professionalism, discipline, and judgment.

It could have been otherwise. Trump and Hegseth expected it to be so. In their adolescent fantasies, Trump and Hegseth believed the generals would fête them with standing ovations, chanting, “USA! USA! USA!” Instead, Trump and Hegseth were humiliated as their unhinged, delusional words slapped sharply against the bare walls and fell to the ground, their lunacy heightened by the silence of the generals.

Without the crutch and cover of cheering crowds, Trump’s mental deterioration was laid bare for all to see. Trump told the generals that the city of Portland “looks like a war zone. . . . unless they’re playing false tapes, this looked like World War II.” 

Every general who heard Trump say that Portland “looks like a war zone” knew it was a lie and understood that their Commander-in-Chief is so feeble that he is unable to distinguish between reality and “false tapes” replayed on Fox News.

Every general who watched Pete Hegseth’s peurile speech immediately recognized him as one of the posers and video-game warriors that the generals identify as misfits to be counseled out of the military at the first opportunity.

The generals were not impressed by Trump or Hegseth. The generals are sophisticated, successful professionals who have risen to the top (in part) because of their ability to judge people—the good, the bad, and the flakes. They left the meeting understanding exactly who Trump and Hegseth are.

All Americans should take confidence and comfort from the silence of the generals. Their silence was an act of protest—because their silence exhibited loyalty to the Constitution and respect for the Office of the President, rather than for Donald Trump.

Prior to Trump’s meeting with the generals, dozens of readers forwarded Substack and social media posts claiming that Trump would use the occasion to declare martial law. Other readers sent posts claiming that Trump would administer a loyalty oath requiring fealty to Trump. Still others predicted on-the-spot mass firings and public humiliation of generals perceived to be disloyal. Such fears are both understandable and exaggerated. I hope everyone will reconsider the credibility and good faith of the authors of the posts and articles that sold short the loyalty and professionalism of the senior leaders of the US military. In the end, Trump could not declare martial law, administer a loyalty oath, or engage in ritual firings of “disloyal” generals because the generals would not have tolerated such outcomes—and Trump knew it.

In his final insult, Trump told the generals they looked like they came out of “central casting.” In doing so, he trivialized and demeaned their accomplishments and professionalism, telling them they were nothing more than props for infantile speeches by men who hold the military in contempt. And so, the generals sat in silence, depriving Trump of the thing he values most--obsequious adulation. The silence of the generals spoke volumes.

Another comment...

"Donald Trump walked into Quantico on Tuesday expecting a rally. He has a funeral."
Written by Michael Jochum

The generals sat in perfect silence, their faces locked in the kind of grim stillness that comes from years of watching idiots talk and choosing not to react. Trump, of course, couldn't handle it. "I've never walked into a room that quiet before," he confessed, his voice trembling somewhere between wounded pride and panic. Then came the kicker: "If you want to clap, clap."

This wasn't leadership. This was a failed act in Las Vegas begging the crowd to applaud. The commander in chief became the clapper-in-chief, reduced to lobbying the nation's top brass like a sad carnival barker who'd forgotten his punchline. A campaign rally in uniform. Instead of strategy, Trump delivered his usual medley of grievances: Barack Obama blew it all, Joe Biden blew it twice as badly, and only Donald J. Trump, self-proclaimed "two-term, maybe three-term president," could s ave America. It was less a military briefing than an episode of The Apprentice: Pentagon Edition.

The generals, trained to withstand chaos on the battlefield, sat stonily through the barrage of nonsense. They have endured artillery fire with more gusto.
Enter Pete Hegseth, America's gun-toting pastor. Trump's "Secretary of War" took the podium with the intensity of a man who thinks Tom Clancy novels are true military doctrine. He promised "fire and brimstone," called for purges of "fat generals," and announced that he wants the next war to look exactly like the Gulf War, because apparently it's still 1991 and CNN is running the same grainy footage of tanks in the desert. But Hegseth wasn't done. He led them in prayer. Yes, prayer. The nation's top generals, summoned by presidential ego, now double down on a forced altar call as extras in a megachurch revival. The separation of church and state? Obliterated. The Constitution? Shredded. Jesus, apparently, is now Commander in Chief. Trump can play Vice.

Weakness in the Parade
Trump likes to boast about firing generals who are "not warriors." But on Tuesday, the real firing squad was silence. Not a clap. Not a single cheer. Just the constant drone of contempt that vibrates the brass like feedback from a dead microphone.
These men and women have seen real combat. They have buried soldiers. They have lived with the weight of real command. And now they are expected to applaud a man who boasts about moving "a submarine or two" as if it were a toy in a bathtub, or who lectures on "two N-words" as if nuclear strategy were a stand-up routine. No wonder they didn't applaud.

The Pin-Drop Presidency
What happened at Quantico wasn't just awkward. It was diagnostic. The Trump presidency is a hollow shell propped up by applause, and when the applause disappears, so does he.
And Hegseth? He's the fanatic in chief, lecturing. about war and Christ in equal measure, a man confusing the Book of Revelation with the Pentagon's operations manual. Together they make quite the duo: one desperate for applause, the other desperate for amens. The generals gave them neither. Instead, they gave silence, the sharpest judgment of all.