![]() And Secretary Esper, his direct boss, thought that Spencer was doing an end run and cutting a side deal with the White House that was different from the united front that the secretary of defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley were presenting. President Trump thought he was foot-dragging on - in terms of not implementing what Trump wanted with the Gallagher case. What kind of message does that send to the military?įEAVER: Well, Secretary Spencer was - managed to run afoul of both his bosses. But Spencer was reportedly negotiating a side deal with the White House in which the outcome of this disciplinary proceeding would be predetermined - that he would guarantee to President Trump that Gallagher could keep his SEAL status if the president stayed away. R MARTIN: So we heard Spencer in that clip say that the president's interference sends this message to troops that they can get away with things. Thanks so much for being with us this morning. He's a professor of political science and public policy at Duke University and a former National Security Council official. R MARTIN: We're joined now by Peter Feaver. We have to have good order and discipline. ![]() SPENCER: That you can get away with things. RICHARD SPENCER: What message does that send to the troops?ĭAVID MARTIN: Well, what message does it send? Here's what he told David Martin of CBS News about the ramifications of the president's interference. The former Navy secretary is now speaking out. And when Defense Secretary Mark Esper found out, he fired Spencer. Navy Secretary Spencer tried to quietly strike a deal with the White House that would allow Gallagher to stay a SEAL as long as the president stayed out of the disciplinary process. The Navy had moved to strip Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher of his Navy SEAL status after he was convicted of posing with the corpse of an ISIS fighter in Iraq. The tension between President Trump and ousted Navy Secretary Richard Spencer started over the handling of a war crimes case. SUBSCRIBE: Get the analysis of Mark Shields and David Brooks delivered to your inbox every week.For a president who has gone to war with his own intelligence community and members of his own diplomatic corps, it seemed only a matter of time before he would clash with the military establishment he oversees. “So I still get to use the gym on base and, of course, the golf course.” “I understand that I still have a little bit of rank as ex-president,” Obama said. ![]() Yet as he bid farewell to troops in Hawaii, Obama ended on a lighter note, pointing out that it might not be his final goodbye. The brutal civil war in Syria shows no signs of ebbing. military also fighting in Yemen, Syria, Somalia and Libya. He leaves office in January with the U.S. involvement in those conflicts, some 8,400 troops remain in Afghanistan and 5,000 in Iraq. combat missions in both countries and drastically ramped down U.S. Obama ran for president eight years ago as an opponent of the war in Iraq, then inherited conflicts there and in Afghanistan. “Our commitment to standing by you every step of the way - that won’t stop,” Obama said. He said even though he wouldn’t be addressing them again as president, he wanted to convey that as a private citizen, “my gratitude to you will remain.” He said his wife felt the same way. “I just want all of you to know that it has been the privilege of my life to serve as your commander in chief,” Obama said. As Obama spoke, a few hundred troops sat around tables in uniforms, many with their families, in a mess hall hosting their Christmas meal. Obama has made it a tradition to spend some time on Christmas at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, not far from the rented house that he and his family have made their winter home away from home. “As tough as it is to be deployed, the people here in America, back home, understand that every single day you serve, you’re fighting for our freedom,” the president said, with first lady Michelle Obama at his side. He said some were carrying out missions against the Islamic State group even on Christmas Day. troops are serving in dangerous, remote places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The president, who spent Christmas Eve calling troops serving overseas, pointed out that as Americans celebrate the holidays, U.S. troops on Christmas for the last time, and some solemnity, too. There was a tinge of nostalgia as Obama visited U.S. On Sunday, he sought to pay tribute to the men and women who sacrificed along the way in battles that will continue even after his presidency comes to a close. history to serve full two terms with the nation at war. KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii - For eight years, Barack Obama has led a military fighting in multiple theaters overseas, becoming the only president in U.S.
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