THE BEST MAN – AT 11:26 A.M. ET: Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter is the best man, the best person I should say, in the Obama Administration. Given his quality, and independence, I have no idea how he got the job. Maybe Obama had a rare intelligent day.
Is Carter going rogue? His comments are far more blunt than those of Field Marshal Obama or Grand Admiral Kerry. They could easily be made by a Republican secretary of defense. From Fox:
Defense Chief Ash Carter on Saturday slammed Russia, saying it's endangering world order through its incursions in Ukraine and loose talk about nuclear weapons, and said the U.S. defense establishment is searching for ways to deter Russian aggression to protect U.S. allies.
Carter, speaking to the Reagan National Defense Forum in California, also expressed concern about China’s expanding influence and growing military might. National security experts and defense officials attended a gathering at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Carter said Russia is undertaking "challenging activities" at sea, in the air, in space and in cyberspace.
"Most disturbing, Moscow's nuclear saber-rattling raises questions about Russian leaders' commitment to strategic stability, their respect for norms against the use of nuclear weapons, and whether they respect the profound caution nuclear-age leaders showed with regard to the brandishing of nuclear weapons," he said.
His remarks were perhaps the strongest he has expressed about America's former Cold War foe.
"We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot, war with Russia," he said. "We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake; the United States will defend our interests, our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords us all."
COMMENT: Recently, the White House took FBI Drector James Comey to task for daring to suggest that police officers around the country are reluctant to do their jobs fully because of anti-cop agitation in some communities. Will Carter be next? Will he be called to one of those White House meetings to "clarify" his views? I wouldn't be surprised.
November 8, 2015 |