I argued yesterday that Tulsi Gabbard was a superb choice for Director of National Intelligence, and the impressive list of critics she has accumulated proves my point perfectly.
Cruise the Twitterverse today, and you will find a rogue's gallery of Democrats and neocons united in their hatred of Gabbard. The neocons argue that Tulsi is too much of a dove to be trusted with our nation's intelligence, while Democrats are arguing that she is a Russian plant who is also a secret warmonger.
Gotta love that!
AOC's critique has the virtue of being amusing rather than downright slanderous. First of all, nobody sane takes AOC seriously enough to care what she thinks about national security issues; he one great virtue is that she looked great in the Boston University promotional video. I have to admit that it made me like her more.AOC is a dumb clown who says Tulsi Gabbard is pro-war. I can’t believe my ears. pic.twitter.com/HdXc5FhIbJ
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) November 15, 2024
Too bad she is an airhead.
The more serious attacks on Gabbard come from the RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA crowd, who seem to believe that anybody who disagrees with them are Russian plants intent on handing to Vladimir Putin the world on a platter. Unless you think a Big Mac, fries and a coke are the world, Trump won't be handing Putin much of anything on a silver or other kind of platter.
Elizabeth Warren just said on MSNBC that Tulsi Gabbard “has clearly been in Putin’s pocket”. She’s accusing Tulsi of treason but unable to show any evidence to back her claim. We shouldn’t tolerate this level of McCarthyism in 2024. pic.twitter.com/UxVWpHAQCR
— Giuseppe Mercadante (@itsmercadante) November 14, 2024
Elizabeth Warren may see Russians under every bed, but claiming that Tulsi is a Russian agent seems as plausible as the claim that Trump conspired with Putin to steal the 2016 election. But this, apparently, is the line of attack Democrats are going with. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has picked up the theme as well, despite Tulsi having been a high-ranking DNC member along with Schultz not so long ago.
Tulsi Gabbard resigned as DNC Vice Chair in 2016 because Debbie Wasserman Schultz was rigging the election to ensure Hillary won -- as Liz Warren, Donna Brazile and WL all showed.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 15, 2024
Imagine fighting for your country and then having pro-war cretins like this impugn your loyalties: https://t.co/R8xKGPswJo
I guess loyalty to Hillary Clinton and loyalty to America are the same thing in Schultz's eyes.
From the other side of the aisle John Bolton hates Tulsi as well, although just slightly less than Matt Gaetz. From his point of view Tulsi isn't enough of a warmonger, I suppose.
🇺🇸 Panic Warmonger John Bolton Demands Senate Block Trump's Nominations of Matt Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard
— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) November 14, 2024
And now he's asking the FBI to investigate Tulsi and Gaetz...
This is what using government as a weapon against your political enemies looks like. pic.twitter.com/8QnuJr7M4e
None of these critics has much of a leg to stand on. Tulsi's patriotism isn't much in doubt, having served in our military for over 20 years, currently holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserves. I'm pretty sure she holds a security clearance or two.
From my perspective Tulsi's main task is beating back the mission creep that has corrupted the "intelligence community." Its legitimate purpose is to provide intelligence and insight into what is happening in the world and especially into our adversaries. In recent years it has put its energies into psychological warfare on American citizens.
As it stands now, the "IC" is a greater danger to our Constitutional rights than most of our adversaries. The disinformation it spreads and censorship it pushes has caused incalculable harm.
The DNI is, of course, part of the foreign policy team, and I doubt I would agree with every position she would take. We'll have to see about that, but really that shouldn't worry anybody. Trump has assembled a team with very diverse opinions--hawks like Marco Rubio and doves like Gabbard. Trump will be the final decisionmaker, and the diversity gives him a great deal of flexibility in negotiations.
Trump liked to joke that Bolton served one purpose: to frighten our enemies so Trump would gain an advantage in negotiations, helping him prevent wars.
The last thing we need right now is a predictable establishment that makes our allies and adversaries comfortable. Xi Jinping will look to the Trump administration and wonder: what would they do? He will have no idea, and that is a good thing. It gives Trump the upper hand.
These attacks on Tulsi show how scared the establishment is of her. They are going back to an old playbook they hope will work--cry RUSSIA!--to weaken her.
It won't. Gaetz may or may get confirmed, but I doubt Gabbard will have as much trouble as he. She retains a reservoir of goodwill and personal popularity that few politicians have accumulated.
Trump knows the IC's game, and they are using the same playbook as in 2017-2020. He's prepared to fight back effectively, I expect. And he is hiring Gabbard as part of his plan to do so.
The attacks on Gabbard are the result of the howls of rage from the Deep State. Every person you see attacking her like this is merely echoing what they are told to say.
Look carefully at who is attacking her. They are, to a person, a tool of the Deep State.
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