It was Dunford, and not (as reported) Tucker Carlson, who had the most influence in stopping the president from striking Iran in June, when Tehran downed an American drone. The key to Trump’s turnaround on the strike, Pentagon officials said, was Dunford’s decision to flood the White House with plans and papers laying out the costs and likely Iranian response—and arguing that the United States needed a measured response. In the end, Trump decided that swapping 150 Iranian lives for an American drone was simply too much. “[Dunford] told the president what would be involved, what it would cost, how Iran might strike back, and how many people would die,” as the senior Pentagon official told me in July. “He just laid it out. It was pretty grim, but it’s what made the difference.”
“Slow-rolling Trump,” as a retired senior U.S. Army officer described it, is a Dunford specialty. The Joint Chiefs chairman signed on to the president’s July 4 military parade but then nibbled away at it—providing Trump with plans and costs and inundating the Oval Office with details. “He flooded the zone,” this officer noted
You know how we all wondered who was keeping our emotional President in check. It appears it was Dunford and now he’s leaving.
Are there any extremely talented people left in this administration?
It’s nice to have patriots (if they are patriots and not folks bent on lining their own pockets) but it does no good if they aren’t good at their jobs.
Things are going to get ugly when the last competent handlers decide enough is enough, and Donald’s worst impulses go uncheckedor worse, encouraged by sycophants.
Mick Mulvaney is the perpetual “acting” chief of staff so he can walk off the job the second Trump starts insulting him or ignoring him.
My favorite Trump admin story is about Pence’s chief of staff, would be getting coffee in any other administration but is widely considered the only competent political staffer left, and he was Trunp’s chief of staff for exactly three days before he demanded to go back to Pence or he’d quit.
They can not even come close to the devastation that the Trump administration has done to itself.
Very poor vetting which leads to numerous withdraws. The lack of qualified people who even want to work for this administration. The vast number of positions that are not filled. And the vast number of high level managers and supervisors that are “acting”. I believe it when those who have worked in past west wing administrations say that this group is total inept in handling the work required to operate this government.
