Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) got a lesson in military discipline and patriotism when he attempted to suggest that Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, should have have resigned when President Joe Biden decided to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan despite military leaders suggesting some U.S. troops should remain.
Cotton, who served in the Army, specifically asked Milley why he didn’t resign in protest when his recommendations weren’t followed. To that, the general replied:
“Senator, as a senior military officer, resigning is a really serious thing. It’s a political act if I’m resigning in protest. My job is to provide legal advice or the best military advice to the president. That’s my legal requirement. That’s what the law is. The president doesn’t have to agree with that advice. He doesn’t have to make those decisions just because we’re generals.”
Milley added that resigning just because a president doesn’t take his advice, “Would be an incredible act of political defiance for a commissioned officer to just resign.”
“This country doesn’t want generals figuring out what orders we’re going to accept and do or not. That’s not our job. It’s critical. My dad didn’t get a choice to resign at Iwo Jima. They can’t resign, so I’m not going to resign. There’s no way. If the orders are legal, we’re in a different place. If the orders are legal from civilian authority, I intend to carry them out.”
The fact that Cotton would ask such a question proves his only goal was to try and trash Biden as commander-in-chief and score political points instead of giving a damn about what’s in the long-term best interests of the United States.
If Sen. Cotton is unhappy with American foreign policy under this administration, then he should toss his hat into the 2024 presidential race and see if voters like his ideas. Otherwise, he should sit quietly and be thankful we have a president who gives a damn about our troops.
