Dan Rather Rips Donald Trump A New One Over Wrong Way Aircraft Carrier
Legendary journalist Dan Rather has emerged as one of the leading voices of criticism against Donald Trump’s agenda and incompetence. And on Wednesday Rather blasted Trump’s ineffectual aircraft carrier misstep.
Trump made a big show last week of saying he was sending a U.S. aircraft carrier to the waters near North Korea in a show of force to Kim Jung Un. Trump said he was “sending an armada” to the Sea of Japan in an attempt to send a message to North Korea. Well here’s the problem… turns out Trump’s armada went the wrong way.
In response to Trump botched show of force, Rather warned, “make no mistake the world is watching – and is worried.”
“For over a week, the American people and the world were led to believe that the United States was sending an aircraft carrier strike force to the waters off of North Korea, in an escalating tension over the standoff with that troublesome nation over its nuclear and missile ambitions,” Rather continued.
Framing the issue perfectly, Rather points out why Donald Trump’s mistake is so worrying. Donald Trump said that “We are sending an armada, very powerful. We have submarines, very powerful, far more powerful than the aircraft carrier,” Rather quoted.
“Except it wasn’t true. The carrier USS Carl Vinson and its accompanying ships were heading in the other direction, thousands of miles away.” Rather said.
“How and why can this happen? There are no good explanations. Incompetence, deceit, a lack of communication?” Rather asked.
“This is how wars can get started by accident. This is how allies can feel betrayed and adversaries emboldened. Our world is less stable today because of this situation. And this was supposed to be the relative area of stability within the Trump Administration – national security,” Rather continued.
Here is the full post by Dan Rather:
“As far as I am concerned, this week brought perhaps the most dangerous and destabilizing events in the presidency of Donald Trump, and it has been almost completely overshadowed by a cavalcade of news such as elections in Georgia and the Bill O’Reilly story.
“But while many of us may be preoccupied, make no mistake the world is watching – and is worried. For over a week, the American people and the world were led to believe that the United States was sending an aircraft carrier strike force to the waters off of North Korea, in an escalating tension over the standoff with that troublesome nation over its nuclear and missile ambitions.
“President Trump boasted about his show of force. “We are sending an armada, very powerful. We have submarines, very powerful, far more powerful than the aircraft carrier,” he said. The National Security Advisor and the Secretary of Defense both reiterated the information. Except it wasn’t true. The carrier USS Carl Vinson and its accompanying ships were heading in the other direction, thousands of miles away.
“How and why can this happen? There are no good explanations. Incompetence, deceit, a lack of communication? This is how wars can get started by accident. This is how allies can feel betrayed and adversaries emboldened. Our world is less stable today because of this situation. And this was supposed to be the relative area of stability within the Trump Administration – national security.
“The fact that this has gone on for days is inexcusable. The world’s nations rely on being able to trust what an American president says, especially on an issue like this. More than anything else that has happened, more than the missile strike in Syria or even the worrisome congratulatory phone call to the increasingly dictatorial president of Turkey, this is a foreign policy debacle that is shaping world affairs in big ways. I hope you all take the time to read much of the fine reporting that has been done on this event. It is something we all should be talking and thinking about – a lot.”
