Are you saying “Gulf of America”? Or are you sticking with “Gulf of Mexico”? I begin my Impromptus today with this question. My column has other political questions as well — and cultural ones. To give it a try, go here.
Here on the Corner, I’d like to bring up a couple of other political questions, related to continuity: American continuity. This is strangely, or mysteriously, worded. But you’ll see what I mean and judge for yourself.
A report from ABC News begins,
The White House ordered that retired Gen. Mark Milley’s official portrait as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff be taken down from the Pentagon hallway where all of the paintings of the previous chairmen are located . . .
That portrait was put up on January 10. It was gone just ten days later, when Donald Trump, once more, was sworn in. General Milley is a Trump bête noire.
ABC’s report continues,
Two U.S. officials confirmed that the portrait of Milley, whom President Donald Trump suggested could be executed for treason on Truth Social in 2023, had been taken down from that hallway, and one of the officials said the whereabouts of the Milley portrait is currently unknown.
In my opinion, this is petty, juvenile. You may not like General Milley or other past chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the Pentagon has portraits of all of them (or did). You may not like some U.S. presidents, from Washington onward. I think we’ve had several stinkers. But would you remove their portraits?
If you were newly inaugurated as president — congratulations! — would you remove the portraits of your least favorite presidents, from the White House or the National Portrait Gallery or both?
I believe in “American continuity,” by and large. The observance of traditions. I think that outgoing presidents should attend the inaugurations of their successors. This, President Trump did not do in 2021.
Reading about General Milley and his portrait, I was reminded of an episode in 1985 (when I was in college). A little Googling has brought back the details.
Lieutenant General John T. Chain Jr. was the director of a State Department bureau: the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. In the lobby of the bureau hung pictures of all the previous directors — including Leslie H. Gelb, who served in the position from 1977 to 1979.
Gelb had a long and varied career: in academia, on the Hill, at the Defense Department, in journalism, at the State Department, in journalism again, etc.
In 1985, he was working as a correspondent for the New York Times. He published a report that General Chain and others in the State Department strongly objected to. They thought it was injurious to national security. There was the usual tussle between press and government. (I am not here to adjudicate it now. It is an interesting case.)
Chain had Gelb’s picture removed from the bureau lobby. What’s more, he had a sign put in its place:
Removed for Cause. The P.M. director, 1977 to 1979, did willingly, wilfully, and knowingly publish, in 1985, classified information the release of which is harmful and damaging to the country.
It all got worked out. In any event, I believe that the removal of General Milley’s portrait is silly and infra dig (as Bill Buckley would say).
Gravely serious — deadly serious — is the removal of Secret Service protection from John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and Brian Hook. These are three other bêtes noires of Trump and his world. In the first Trump term, Bolton was one of the president’s national security advisers; Pompeo was CIA director and secretary of state; Hook was a top aide to Pompeo.
All three of them are targets of assassination by the Iranian dictatorship. Therefore, the Biden administration afforded them Secret Service protection. That was yanked by Trump the second he became president again.
(For National Review’s editorial on this subject, go here.)
People laugh at the word “norms.” I think we can all agree that practices should be reviewed and reevaluated. But norms are important, sometimes very much so. (This is a key ingredient of conservatism, and of human life more broadly.)