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Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Something Worth Noting About the National Security Advisor

H.R.McMaster is the National Security Advisor.  He was brought in after General Flynn was fired by President Trump, but he is not your typical second choice.  If you've ever seen McMaster interviewed, it is a refreshing and educational experience.  General McMaster actually answers the question he is asked (a rarity in Washington) except when he cannot because of security concerns.  In such a case, he says that he cannot answer.  On top of his directness and responsiveness, General McMaster also displays a remarkable command of the subject matter pertinent to his job.  He is a smart and well educated man who has thoughtful views on key subjects.

There is something else about General McMaster which I did not realize until this evening and it is worth noting.  I wondered when he was appointed if this was a man who would have the courage to advise the President to take the right course even if that course might be difficult.  I now understand that McMaster is someone with a great deal of courage.  Let me explain.

I was just flipping channels on the TV and I came to AHC, the American Heroes Channel (it used to be called the Military Channel.)  There was a program about a large tank battle during the Gulf War, the battle of 73 Easting which is named for the map coordinates where it took place.  It was the largest tank battle of the war and a smashing success for American armor over the forces of the Iraqi Republican Guard tanks.  I watched for a few minutes and the documentary switched to an interview with the commander of the American forces who described the minute by minute decisions he made to lead his force to victory.  The guy looked familiar and it suddenly hit me that it was McMaster.  Sure enough, he was identified in this old film as Colonel H.R. McMaster.  If McMaster could lead his forces to victory in a tank battle where the tanks he commanded beat an Iraqi force that had four times more tanks than the Americans, there ought to be no question about either his courage or his strategic ability.  It is good to know.

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