First, apologies to NICK-TV (formerly Nickelodeon)
Second, you can read 5 free articles per month on the Atlantic website.
Kelly offers a full throated defense Of LT COL Vindman. He also makes clear he wishes he had stayed because he felt he could prevent impeachment. AND, he claims to have advised Trump not to hire a “yes man”. There is a lot more from his talk in New Jersey, but this is the most critical he has been since departing.
GEN Kelly was one of the adults in the room of the Trump administration. I was sorry when he left, and I am more so now.
A 24 year Navy vet, cancer survivor, father, grandfather, assistant caregiver for my live-in mother-in-law. Enjoys golf, football (real and fantasy), being the best grandfather I can, supporting the endeavors of my children (both involved in the education of our younger generations) and tormenting my wife of 34 years. Also prefer bourbon over scotch, but will drink both, just not at the same time. Discovering craft beers and trying trying hard to get to a consistent golf swing.
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36 thoughts on “Former COS John Kelly explains it all.”
All true and well said; shame it is too little and increasingly too late.
You realize that according to Gen Kelly, he enabled Trump. His entire speech was about “wishing he had”, “he could have”, etc., etc. Hindsight is the very definition of “failure to act.”
Plus, how much of an ego (Kelly’s) must it be to believe that it could have averted Trump from anything?
While your assessment of Kelly as an enabler is accurate, I would stand by my statement that he was “one of the adults in the room” and did his level best to curb some of Trump’s more irrational decisions. But people like Miller and Mnuchin undermined Kelly’s attempts as COS to do his job.
Ego aside, most people think they could make a difference in a bad situation if they had stayed instead of left.
I think Kelly, like almost everyone back then failed to realize just how truly fucked-up trump is as a human being.
While his many flaws and shortcomings were on daily display it did take to time for it to become clear that he is clinically mentally ill to the point where control of any type is beyond possibility.
All the more reason the GOP Senate needed to put Country before any individual consideration.
I notice you say nothing about Kelly’s comments which was the primary reason for the post.
You also missed the fact that it was Kelly who was QUOTED concerning the Obama policy wrt Ukraine. Here it is so you don’t have to go back to the article.:
“That amounted to a momentous change in U.S. policy toward Ukraineāone that Vindman was right to flag, because other federal agencies needed to know about the shift, Kelly said.
āThrough the Obama administration up until that phone call, the policy of the U.S. was militarily to support Ukraine in their defensive fight against ā¦ the Russians,ā Kelly said. āAnd so, when the president said that continued support would be based on X, that essentially changed. And thatās what that guy [Vindman] was most interested in.ā”
Your defense of Trump (as USUAL), while completely ignoring the voice of the man who was there tells us all we need to know: You are a full throated Trump supporter who would rather see him destroy our democratic principles then a Democratic president. That is chilling.
You should wipe that spittle off your chin. You always drool while lying about President Obama.
As a matter of fact, the Obama administration and the then GOP Congress took very strong measures in support of Ukraine, It was not just limited to blankets and shoes – a completely dishonest talking point which you embarrass yourself by repeating. Beyond he extensive military aid were severe economic sanctions which Russia is still reeling from and one of the primary reasons that Putin wanted Trump in the White House.
Why are you ignoring the rest of the article? Why have you not acknowledged that what you claimed the author wrote was actually what Kelly said? Why do you hate Obama so much? Why are you a Trump apologist?
Obama did not provide ANY aid to Ukraine. Neither did Trump. Military aid is provided by Congress. The House – where spending decisions are made – was in Republican hands from 2011 onward. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014.
With that said, Obama did oppose – and the Congress agreed – providing Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles a decision based on multiple considerations regarding the risk of wider war, opposition to such a move by NATO allies and the need to maintain some sort of productive relationship with Russia.
Here is the full answer prepared in rebuttal to one of your favorite lying liars . . .
But this factual recounting is certain not to stop you from spreading lies about President Obama. No amount of factual rebuttal ever has, to my knowledge anyway.
Your hatred of Obama has no bounds; providing arms so they can be used as leverage to extort the foreign receiver to help in your own re-election is your point?
I’m glad to know Kelly’s perspective on current events, but I’m not inclined to read much into it. For example, I think he’s right that Vindman was just doing his job, but I wouldn’t assume from that that Vindman was effective or essential.
Kelly’s own resignation struck me as a significant loss of talent in the White House. At the same time, his talents were wasted in the position he held.
…”I wouldnāt assume from that that Vindman was effective or essential.” Yeah, I guess you’re right that a Russian speaking Ukrainian national wouldn’t be essential to understanding Ukraine. Let’s just hire another one of Miller or Mnuchin’s pals. Or better yet, let’s send the personal attorney to run a shadow foreign policy outside of the State Department and try to dig up dirt as part of our diplomatic efforts to maintain a good relationship with the new President there and tell him as soon as we have the dirt, or only just announce an investigation, you can have your military aid.
RE: “Yeah, I guess youāre right that a Russian speaking Ukrainian national wouldnāt be essential to understanding Ukraine.”
Don’t confuse being useful with being essential. That aside, Kelly’s remarks don’t change the fact that Vindman, along with 70 other NSC staff, turned out to be neither.
Hold on. I have to sneeze. BULLSHIT. There. Kind of needed that.
Subject matter experts are essential. And to think that Vindamn, who was chosen to serve with NSC in 2018, which if the math serves me right was during the Trump administration, would not fall into that category is asinine.
Trying to cover the vengeance tour Trump is in with pettiness fits right in with the man himself. Well played, Mr. Roberts, well played. Or chould I say YOU have been well played?
Because you say so? Sorry, Mr. Roberts, but your attempt call Vindman anything but an essential part of our efforts in Ukraine is disingenuous, wrongheaded, and just an attempt to cover Trump’s vengeful backside. -IMHO
And you further prove my assertion that you are being very well played.
RE: “your attempt call Vindman anything but an essential part of our efforts in Ukraine is disingenuous, wrongheaded, and just an attempt to cover Trumpās vengeful backside.”
If Vindman or any of the others NSC staffers were truly essential then none could have been reassigned.
Trump and his peons don’t understand the word essential. He only wants people that will tell him what he wants to hear. If you aren’t doing that in Trump world, not only are you not essential, you are an enemy of the administration.
Truly essential? Is that the No True Scotsman fallacy? If not, pretty close.
If you think the President is a “stable genius” who knows more than anyone and everyone then no one is essential but him. But the truth is, he is not. The opposite in fact. He needs more help, not less, than other Presidents. And that is pretty obvious to anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together.
{Kelly made clear that Trump indeed conditioned military aid on Zelenskyās help digging up dirt on the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.}
John Kelly is a confused man. For the focus of Mr Trump’s query was Hunter Biden and the millions of Ukrainian $ flowing into his bank account for a no-show job. Despite what the fakestream media has reported, the investigation into Burisma was dropped just four days before Uncle Joe’s quid pro quo.
Mr Kelly is also wrong about LTC Vindman, for he broke protocol and leaked classified info re the call, to Eric CIAramella. Subsequently, Mr CIA contacted Adam Schiff and they conspired to topple the POTUS by way of a phony impeachment.
This is war — and Mr Trump needs to take the gloves off and go after these slimy, seditious creeps with every tool that is available to him.
Bot lies and ignorance. Please stop while you are so far behind. The rest of the free world would hate to lap you in the human race. Tin Hats r’ Us called and said your residual check was being held up because, well, because they just don’t have your address in St. Petersburg, Russia.
That Goebellsesque, Russian bogeyman propaganda is beyond tired and worn out. Aside from that, the IG report has essentially inverted that narrative. Fhe Steele dossier is a product of Russian intelligence.
The DNC and the Clinton campaign paid for it and subsequently, the FBI used it to obtain a warrant to illegally spy on the Trump campaign.
Maybe. But at least they used their own money. Trump is using yours, mine and ours.
And if you don’t believe in Russian boogeymen, as you continually call yourself, maybe you should check the feeds and posts to your Facebook page. I am sure you and the rest of your Putin cronies will be very happy.,
I haven’t watched MSNBC with any regularity in over 2 years. Not even for election coverage. You however, should stop reading articles by anonymous sources and take them at complete and total face value.
Your fakestream media whine has been debunked by European and Ukrainian sources about the Burisma investigation. I’ve posted it before, but you seem to need soemthing to do to fill your time. Google “why was shokin fired”. You might be surprised at what you find. Enough to fill even your feeble mind.
I am not as confused as you would like to believe. In fact, I am quite clear headed in that you are a purveyor of, to put it nicely, bullshit conspiracy theories that have been debunked more times than Trump has assaulted women.
Trump is now – predictably – hitting back at John Kelly and with a typical degree of Trumpian crassness tries to bring Kelly’s wife into it. What a piece of shit! And, with his astonishing lack of self-awareness Trump’s jibe is that Kelly “can’t keep his mouth shut.” You cannot make this stuff up.
Kelly proves that he is a patriot and not some power hungry imbecile. And Trump can’t stand it. Next, some one will be calling Kelly “a slimy, seditious, creep”. Oh, wait. The
troll-bot already spit that out.
Even among Trumpās supporters many apologetically admit he is hard to defend or dislike his tweets or wish heād shut up.
Given that, his attacks on exiting staff is indicative of just plain immature nastiness. When Trump disparaged those GOP who didnāt, in his view, support him sufficiently by calling them human scum I think we know we are dealing with a total embarrassment.
We have endured a lot worse, of course. And we will survive this regime, but not without damage to our principles, Constitution and our international standing.
One thing we have learned recently though is that the GOP is āDead Man Walkingā.
Basically, the old saying still applies. Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one. So what!! Is this newsworthy because you agree with an opinion?
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
All true and well said; shame it is too little and increasingly too late.
I have nothing but contempt for the enablers.
LikeLiked by 3 people
You realize that according to Gen Kelly, he enabled Trump. His entire speech was about “wishing he had”, “he could have”, etc., etc. Hindsight is the very definition of “failure to act.”
Plus, how much of an ego (Kelly’s) must it be to believe that it could have averted Trump from anything?
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While your assessment of Kelly as an enabler is accurate, I would stand by my statement that he was “one of the adults in the room” and did his level best to curb some of Trump’s more irrational decisions. But people like Miller and Mnuchin undermined Kelly’s attempts as COS to do his job.
Ego aside, most people think they could make a difference in a bad situation if they had stayed instead of left.
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I think Kelly, like almost everyone back then failed to realize just how truly fucked-up trump is as a human being.
While his many flaws and shortcomings were on daily display it did take to time for it to become clear that he is clinically mentally ill to the point where control of any type is beyond possibility.
All the more reason the GOP Senate needed to put Country before any individual consideration.
Assholes…..
LikeLiked by 3 people
C’mon Jimmie. Are you saying Trump hasn’t become more Presidential as the GOP backers promised he would?šš¤£š¤š¤®
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Unteachable
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mr Nichols. the author, seems fond of having his own facts.
The policy of the Obama administration was full support for the Ukraine it is war with Russia? With what? Blankets and shoes?
Ukraine was not provided any weapons until Trump was in office.
Obama gave them just enough useless aid to keep them in the fight so they could get killed.
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I notice you say nothing about Kelly’s comments which was the primary reason for the post.
You also missed the fact that it was Kelly who was QUOTED concerning the Obama policy wrt Ukraine. Here it is so you don’t have to go back to the article.:
“That amounted to a momentous change in U.S. policy toward Ukraineāone that Vindman was right to flag, because other federal agencies needed to know about the shift, Kelly said.
āThrough the Obama administration up until that phone call, the policy of the U.S. was militarily to support Ukraine in their defensive fight against ā¦ the Russians,ā Kelly said. āAnd so, when the president said that continued support would be based on X, that essentially changed. And thatās what that guy [Vindman] was most interested in.ā”
Your defense of Trump (as USUAL), while completely ignoring the voice of the man who was there tells us all we need to know: You are a full throated Trump supporter who would rather see him destroy our democratic principles then a Democratic president. That is chilling.
LikeLiked by 1 person
@Tabor
You should wipe that spittle off your chin. You always drool while lying about President Obama.
As a matter of fact, the Obama administration and the then GOP Congress took very strong measures in support of Ukraine, It was not just limited to blankets and shoes – a completely dishonest talking point which you embarrass yourself by repeating. Beyond he extensive military aid were severe economic sanctions which Russia is still reeling from and one of the primary reasons that Putin wanted Trump in the White House.
LikeLiked by 2 people
What weapons did Obama provide for the Ukraine?
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Why are you ignoring the rest of the article? Why have you not acknowledged that what you claimed the author wrote was actually what Kelly said? Why do you hate Obama so much? Why are you a Trump apologist?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Obama did not provide ANY aid to Ukraine. Neither did Trump. Military aid is provided by Congress. The House – where spending decisions are made – was in Republican hands from 2011 onward. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014.
With that said, Obama did oppose – and the Congress agreed – providing Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles a decision based on multiple considerations regarding the risk of wider war, opposition to such a move by NATO allies and the need to maintain some sort of productive relationship with Russia.
Here is the full answer prepared in rebuttal to one of your favorite lying liars . . .
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/oct/25/matt-gaetz/matt-gaetz-says-obama-permanently-stopped-military/
But this factual recounting is certain not to stop you from spreading lies about President Obama. No amount of factual rebuttal ever has, to my knowledge anyway.
LikeLiked by 2 people
One day later and still no answers to my question?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your hatred of Obama has no bounds; providing arms so they can be used as leverage to extort the foreign receiver to help in your own re-election is your point?
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m glad to know Kelly’s perspective on current events, but I’m not inclined to read much into it. For example, I think he’s right that Vindman was just doing his job, but I wouldn’t assume from that that Vindman was effective or essential.
Kelly’s own resignation struck me as a significant loss of talent in the White House. At the same time, his talents were wasted in the position he held.
And so it goes.
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…”I wouldnāt assume from that that Vindman was effective or essential.” Yeah, I guess you’re right that a Russian speaking Ukrainian national wouldn’t be essential to understanding Ukraine. Let’s just hire another one of Miller or Mnuchin’s pals. Or better yet, let’s send the personal attorney to run a shadow foreign policy outside of the State Department and try to dig up dirt as part of our diplomatic efforts to maintain a good relationship with the new President there and tell him as soon as we have the dirt, or only just announce an investigation, you can have your military aid.
Yeah, and so it goes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
RE: “Yeah, I guess youāre right that a Russian speaking Ukrainian national wouldnāt be essential to understanding Ukraine.”
Don’t confuse being useful with being essential. That aside, Kelly’s remarks don’t change the fact that Vindman, along with 70 other NSC staff, turned out to be neither.
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Hold on. I have to sneeze. BULLSHIT. There. Kind of needed that.
Subject matter experts are essential. And to think that Vindamn, who was chosen to serve with NSC in 2018, which if the math serves me right was during the Trump administration, would not fall into that category is asinine.
Trying to cover the vengeance tour Trump is in with pettiness fits right in with the man himself. Well played, Mr. Roberts, well played. Or chould I say YOU have been well played?
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RE: “Subject matter experts are essential.”
They are also a dime a dozen.
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Because you say so? Sorry, Mr. Roberts, but your attempt call Vindman anything but an essential part of our efforts in Ukraine is disingenuous, wrongheaded, and just an attempt to cover Trump’s vengeful backside. -IMHO
And you further prove my assertion that you are being very well played.
LikeLike
RE: “your attempt call Vindman anything but an essential part of our efforts in Ukraine is disingenuous, wrongheaded, and just an attempt to cover Trumpās vengeful backside.”
If Vindman or any of the others NSC staffers were truly essential then none could have been reassigned.
LikeLike
Trump and his peons don’t understand the word essential. He only wants people that will tell him what he wants to hear. If you aren’t doing that in Trump world, not only are you not essential, you are an enemy of the administration.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Truly essential? Is that the No True Scotsman fallacy? If not, pretty close.
If you think the President is a “stable genius” who knows more than anyone and everyone then no one is essential but him. But the truth is, he is not. The opposite in fact. He needs more help, not less, than other Presidents. And that is pretty obvious to anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together.
LikeLiked by 2 people
{Kelly made clear that Trump indeed conditioned military aid on Zelenskyās help digging up dirt on the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.}
John Kelly is a confused man. For the focus of Mr Trump’s query was Hunter Biden and the millions of Ukrainian $ flowing into his bank account for a no-show job. Despite what the fakestream media has reported, the investigation into Burisma was dropped just four days before Uncle Joe’s quid pro quo.
Mr Kelly is also wrong about LTC Vindman, for he broke protocol and leaked classified info re the call, to Eric CIAramella. Subsequently, Mr CIA contacted Adam Schiff and they conspired to topple the POTUS by way of a phony impeachment.
This is war — and Mr Trump needs to take the gloves off and go after these slimy, seditious creeps with every tool that is available to him.
LikeLike
Bot lies and ignorance. Please stop while you are so far behind. The rest of the free world would hate to lap you in the human race. Tin Hats r’ Us called and said your residual check was being held up because, well, because they just don’t have your address in St. Petersburg, Russia.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You, too, are a confused man.
I urge you to turn off your MSNBCTV and expand the nature of your curiosity.
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@TK
“Expand the nature of your curiosity?’
That is very odd phrasing. Maybe it works in Russian but it does not make a lot of sense in English.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That Goebellsesque, Russian bogeyman propaganda is beyond tired and worn out. Aside from that, the IG report has essentially inverted that narrative. Fhe Steele dossier is a product of Russian intelligence.
The DNC and the Clinton campaign paid for it and subsequently, the FBI used it to obtain a warrant to illegally spy on the Trump campaign.
LikeLike
Maybe. But at least they used their own money. Trump is using yours, mine and ours.
And if you don’t believe in Russian boogeymen, as you continually call yourself, maybe you should check the feeds and posts to your Facebook page. I am sure you and the rest of your Putin cronies will be very happy.,
LikeLike
I haven’t watched MSNBC with any regularity in over 2 years. Not even for election coverage. You however, should stop reading articles by anonymous sources and take them at complete and total face value.
Your fakestream media whine has been debunked by European and Ukrainian sources about the Burisma investigation. I’ve posted it before, but you seem to need soemthing to do to fill your time. Google “why was shokin fired”. You might be surprised at what you find. Enough to fill even your feeble mind.
I am not as confused as you would like to believe. In fact, I am quite clear headed in that you are a purveyor of, to put it nicely, bullshit conspiracy theories that have been debunked more times than Trump has assaulted women.
You may continue with your lunatic rant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
āYou may continue with your lunatic rantā
IT will, the troll must roll as its programming dictates…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Trump is now – predictably – hitting back at John Kelly and with a typical degree of Trumpian crassness tries to bring Kelly’s wife into it. What a piece of shit! And, with his astonishing lack of self-awareness Trump’s jibe is that Kelly “can’t keep his mouth shut.” You cannot make this stuff up.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-hits-back-at-john-kelly-over-comments-about-fired-impeachment-witness-cant-keep-his-mouth-shut
LikeLiked by 2 people
Kelly proves that he is a patriot and not some power hungry imbecile. And Trump can’t stand it. Next, some one will be calling Kelly “a slimy, seditious, creep”. Oh, wait. The
troll-bot already spit that out.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Even among Trumpās supporters many apologetically admit he is hard to defend or dislike his tweets or wish heād shut up.
Given that, his attacks on exiting staff is indicative of just plain immature nastiness. When Trump disparaged those GOP who didnāt, in his view, support him sufficiently by calling them human scum I think we know we are dealing with a total embarrassment.
We have endured a lot worse, of course. And we will survive this regime, but not without damage to our principles, Constitution and our international standing.
One thing we have learned recently though is that the GOP is āDead Man Walkingā.
IMHO
LikeLiked by 2 people
He could just read aloud from the testimony of Rudolf Hess at Nuremberg.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Basically, the old saying still applies. Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one. So what!! Is this newsworthy because you agree with an opinion?
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