There's one person, though, who would be absolutely perfect, considering:
- The unstable times in which we live;
- The enormity of the despicable, but intimidating--and unfortunately mesmerizing too far to many--person we apologetically have in the position at the moment;
- The kind of reputation that the position begs for--the exact opposite of Agent Orange;
- The diminishment of our international standing, which continues by the day; and
- Especially, the kind of character that we all cry out for--now that we have seen what 45's utter lack of character has done to all of us.
That person is William McRaven.
McRaven, former Navy SEAL, spear-headed the Special Operations plan called Neptune Spear, which rolled the dice in no small way to take out Osama bin Laden in May, 2011. President Obama, who ordered the preparation and attack, called the situation a 55-45 chance. It worked.
In a Time magazine article in 2012, McRaven called Obama "the smartest man in any room." McRaven also served under President George W. Bush and speaks well of him. (Which takes more character than I have.)
He has an unquestioned meritorious service record. Besides the bin Laden mission, he has a Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and a Bronze Star among his collection of awards. Above that, he's a SEAL. He's tougher than tough. Anyone who's aware of SEAL training knows that these people are those who you would follow into any battle, anywhere, for any reason.
A campaign for president would, and does, test anyone's mettle and resilience, sometimes beyond the breaking point. Let me ask: Does anyone else out there, as good as they are, look like they could handle it better than he could?
He has already been sullied by 45, who stupidly smeared him with an accusation of unnecessary delay in going after bin Laden--as if he was responsible, somehow, for that big-picture planning. He has entered the fray in his defense of former CIA Director John Brennan, who had his security clearance removed in another display of 45's inability or unwillingness (pick one: it doesn't matter) to discern service from politics. McRaven dared 45 to do the same to him. I almost hope he does.
"Revoke my security clearance, too, Mr. President," McRaven wrote in an open letter to 45 in the Washington Post. "Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage, and, worst of all, divided us as a nation."
Let me put that last statement in italics: You have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage, and, worst of all, divided us as a nation. That simple statement quite completely summarizes the damage 45 has done. It would make one hell of a campaign slogan.
Yes, he was, apparently, on Hillary Clinton's short list for running mate in 2016. That must mean that first, once again, she has excellent political judgment; and second, he must at least lean toward Democratic thinking. 45 would immediately try to fuse him with her, endlessly, in every attack.
McRaven could answer that beyond what he already has: that he has served two other presidents who at least had some decent values and moral judgment (though 43's incursion into Iraq was a terrible mistake, based I believe on personal revenge because Saddam Hussein tried to assassinate his father, Bush 41). He could simply add that, had Clinton offered him the vice-presidency, he would not have been ready to take it right then and there--but subsequent events have proven that he needs, once again, to step up and serve his country.
Maybe that's true and maybe it isn't, like 45 ridiculously says about Saudi King Mohammad bin Salmon's involvement in the Khashoggi murder, CIA evidence untrusted (and which undermines it, of course). This would have plausible deniability, unless it can be proven that he discussed it with friends back then.
Except I don't think McRaven would hide behind that; he would step up and tell the truth. That would get his campaign off to an extremely effective start and immediately distinguish him from his predecessor. Yes, I thought about it, but I had a great job at UT and I was determined to finish it. Now that I've done that, I can consider other things.
Not only that, but McRaven must be a fan of public education. After all, he has just served four years as chancellor of the University of Texas System. He might have some innovations to be made in public education's advancement. At the very least, he would be a staunch defender and positive promoter of it, another way to set himself apart from 45's embarrassing (dis)appointment of Betsy DuVos as Secretary of Education. It would also be a signal that he'll shore up not only that position but the other Cabinet spots to insure competence, for heaven's sake, instead of having, in several notable cases (try, for starters, that aforementioned one, EPA, HHS, and Energy), the intentionally misplaced, incompetent and/or undermining people that are presently there.
McRaven's record as an administrator is significant in that it wasn't controversial. He handled issues wisely. He avoided the kinds of lurid, sensational headlines that Texas is known for. That, in itself, is a signal that he would be the one to calmly utilize his powers as president appropriately and not overreach, as 45 does daily.
Not only that, but let's talk electoral politics for a moment: He's from Texas. Texas, which very nearly bumped Ted Cruz, and which, if he chooses to run again, might just put Beto O'Rourke into the Senate instead of John Cornyn, another remnant of the Republican (very) old guard who needs to retire. One may ride the coattails of the other--and 35 electoral votes fall to the Democrats, who never expected it. Along with what appears to be the re-awakening of the Rust Belt, that would be far more than needed to put him over the top and make Florida irrelevant.
His support for press freedom has already been documented. He would never, ever call the press "the enemy of the people." And he would call out Agent Orange for his spectacularly despicable shambling on Khashoggi's murder, noting (hopefully) that, with that mentality, all have a price on our heads--it's just a matter of how much.
His military background would assure moderates or fence-sitters that, despite 45's attempts at further smearing, funding and support of the military would continue at an acceptable level. He's an admiral, for heaven's sake. Expect him to be a peacenik?
But his judgment about what to say about it would be measured and moderate, the way presidents are supposed to do things. It's not 'politically correct.' It's decent. It's respectful. 45 isn't.
Need discipline? McRaven is a walking, talking, living example of it. 45 has absolutely none. Take a good look at him, if you would (and it's never been easy for me): corpulent, slovenly, pathetic. The comparison is stark.
I think, too, that Hillary Clinton, as well as some other Democratic would-be's, might step aside and let this big dog eat. If there's a single person around whom the country could rally to bring us out of this horrible cesspool created by the single worst person who could possibly be in the single most important position in the world, it's Bill McRaven.
The more I write this, the more I like it. I wish I could take him to lunch--which I'd offer as my treat, but, ethically, he'd probably insist on going Dutch. Regardless, I'd say this: Admiral, it's time. Your country needs you as never before. It's a lot to ask, but somebody has to save us from further damage by this monster. I urge you to think about it. You have about six months.
And then I'd go door-to-door for this man, wherever he sent me. I'd say, to paraphrase him: Let's start the day, America, by making the bed. Let's start there. We can do it. Let's not overlook anything. We can do a do-over if we do it now. But we can't wait for disaster. The ship of state is foundering; I know you can see it. We need to replace the mad captain, who makes Queeg look rational. We must do it now.
He's not perfect for the job, but no one is. It's too difficult to do. But he's as close as anyone could be at this pivotal moment. He's a perfect combination of character, a military background, and an educated individual who could stare down an incompetent, nihilistic braggart who wrecks whatever he touches.
I cast my line out to sea. William McRaven for President.
Be well. I'll see you down the road.
Mister Mark
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