Blockade

Meanwhile, required to vacate the position after four years, Gen. David Berger stepped down as US Marine Corps commandant this week. The Marine Corps will be without a Senate-confirmed leader for the first time in more than a hundred years as a consequence of Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).  

Gen. Eric Smith has been nominated to fill the position, but will serve in an acting capacity as his confirmation has been held-up by the junior senator's pledge to hold-up all senior military confirmations and promotions that require Senate consent until such time as a Biden rule allowing travel reimbursement for service members traveling across state lines seeking abortions and related care is rescinded.

Senator Tuberville's obstructionism has blocked 250 nominations and effectively jammed-up some planned retirements in the ranks.   

This could also jam-up the nomination of Air Force Gen. CQ Brown to replace Gen. Mark Milley who steps down as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September of this year.

Tuberville's actions have unsurprisingly been a source of frustration to White House and defense officials and drawn the ire of of the national security community and members of his own party.  Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell had this to say a couple of months ago:  No, I do not support putting a hold on Military nominations.    

This arm chair general has ascertained from reliable sources that none of this has impacted military readiness in a meaningful fashion.  Nevertheless, this is evidence of flaws and vulnerabilities in our institutions where one individual can put a stop to hundreds of critical national security positions.  Tuberville is entitled to his views on abortion yet I struggle to see a connection to filling key defense and security positions.

Obstructionism is not new to the political landscape in Washington.

Watch him double-down on white nationalists in the military at the 7:40 mark. The Senator from Alabama is an interesting dude.....

 

 

White Nationalism

noun

1. the belief, theory, or doctrine that white people are inherently superior to people from all other racial and ethnic groups, and that in order to preserve their white, European, and Christian cultural identities, they need or deserve a segregated geographical area, preferential treatment, and special legal protections.