Well said.Kismet wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 7:38 am I really cannot fathom how you take what I wrote and end up where you do. I suggested that perhaps the media accounts who referenced Ambassador Taylor's military record were referencing the fact that with a high class rank he might have had more active duty choices as a result yet he still opted for duty commanding a rifle platoon in a war zone. I never mentioned anything else about graduates of military academies. You the one who brought up Patton and Eisenhower.
My last word on the subject is to thank you for your service no matter what your class rank.
LandM, take the thanks for your service.
If you then truly wish to "move on", I suggest you stop with the recitations of what you did, who you know and what they did in the service, as if that matters. Actually, I think it does matter and is interesting, however if your logic is that none of that matters, none of the choices made in the past matter, then I suggest you start at home, with yourself.
On Taylor, he has credibility. He's made decisions throughout his adult life with integrity, appointed by Reagan, appointed by Bush, has served in Administrations under 3 R's, 2D's. Indeed he has served in hot zones, where his service has put his own life at risk and where his work has been focused on saving lives and promoting US foreign policy interests in the most challenging and important of situations.
So, his experience 'on the front lines' of what became a 'shakedown scheme' in direct conflict with US foreign policy interests is highly relevant. His expert, informed views of Ukraine and its challenges, both with Russia and corruption, are essential to understanding the situation in which the scheme was taking place. His first hand interactions were with the people who were interfering with US foreign policy, ostensibly at the direction of the President, corruptly.
Others will need to verify what and when and how the President directed his wishes, however Trump himself has confirmed what he intended, what he wanted to happen, including on TV to all of us. He's quite admitted what he wanted from Zelensky. However, he claims that such was 'perfect' and that he has every right to pressure whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He's not actually disputing it.
That leaves his supporters in the hugely awkward position of trying to argue that Trump's 'wishes' were actually in alignment with US foreign policy, the rooting out of 'corruption' in Ukraine and Eastern Europe more generally. So...Taylor, Kent, Yovanovich are the actual experts on exactly that issue, the folks who had to be pushed out or gone around in order to actually ask for a corrupt act from the new President of Ukraine if he wished to have the ongoing support of the US and its President.
