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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...at-isis-as-of-now-hes-not-planning-to-use-it/
This did not go over well.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/07/politics/mark-hertling-trump-30-day-isis-plan/
Well, now we know what Trump's "foolproof" and "absolute" plan for defeating ISIS is — to ask the generals to come up with a plan, quickly. That's what he said he would do during a speech Tuesday. "They'll have 30 days to submit to the Oval Office a plan for soundly and quickly defeating ISIS," he told supporters in Greenville, N.C.
These are the generals, mind you, who Trump has said don't understand ISIS like he does. "I know more about ISIS than the generals do," he said in a rambling Iowa speech in November. "Believe me."
The charitable conclusion that could be drawn here is that Trump has decided to abandon his secret plan — or at least set it aside — in favor of letting the generals come up with their own plan. Perhaps he decided the generals actually do know more about the Islamic State than he does. But that doesn't really make sense if Trump's plan was anywhere near as great as he said.
These are the generals, mind you, who Trump has said don't understand ISIS like he does. "I know more about ISIS than the generals do," he said in a rambling Iowa speech in November. "Believe me."
The charitable conclusion that could be drawn here is that Trump has decided to abandon his secret plan — or at least set it aside — in favor of letting the generals come up with their own plan. Perhaps he decided the generals actually do know more about the Islamic State than he does. But that doesn't really make sense if Trump's plan was anywhere near as great as he said.
This did not go over well.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/07/politics/mark-hertling-trump-30-day-isis-plan/
"I had to ask myself, what [...] does he think we've been trying to do for the last 14 years in terms of al Qaeda?" Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling told Anderson Cooper on AC360 on Tuesday.
At a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, Trump said that on day one of his presidency, he would convene his top generals and give what he called a "simple instruction" to in 30 days submit to the Oval Office "a plan for soundly and quickly defeating ISIS."
The former commanding general decried Trump, calling his orders "simplistic" and insulting to individuals working to defeat ISIS.
"It shows a complete lack of understanding of the threat and the ways to fight it," Hertling said. "It's a sophomoric approach to elements of national security policy because if he's just calling in the military, he's missing the point that there are several other elements of national security that will help defeat ISIS."
So Trump's big suggestion for beating ISIS: get all the Generals together and have them hammer out a plan. Because, you know, that's not exactly what they've already been doing for the last 15 years in the war on terror. A bit of a dramatic shift from "I alone can solve" and "I know more about ISIS than the generals do" and "the generals have been reduced to rubble", to be sure, but also not really a plan. Trump's big plan for dealing with ISIS apparently adds up to "Let the military take care of it. Also fire a lot of the military."At a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, Trump said that on day one of his presidency, he would convene his top generals and give what he called a "simple instruction" to in 30 days submit to the Oval Office "a plan for soundly and quickly defeating ISIS."
The former commanding general decried Trump, calling his orders "simplistic" and insulting to individuals working to defeat ISIS.
"It shows a complete lack of understanding of the threat and the ways to fight it," Hertling said. "It's a sophomoric approach to elements of national security policy because if he's just calling in the military, he's missing the point that there are several other elements of national security that will help defeat ISIS."
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