America Could Lose a War with Such Fools In Charge

The Gaslighting Over National Security Breach is a Bridge too Far

In an astonishing breach of national security, key information about an imminent American attack on Yemeni terrorists was shared by national security officials in a Signal chat group that included Atlantic editor Jeffry Goldberg, who was inadvertently invited. We will get into the specifics later, but the main lesson gleaned from this communications meltdown is that the United States is strategically unprepared for a serious military conflict with Trump as president.

We must also accept that we are exceptionally vulnerable to terrorist attacks at home if the three stooges, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, DNI Tulsi Gabbard and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are tasked with keeping us safe.

These amateurs are circus buffoons who don’t know what the hell they are doing. We literally have dunce cap-wearing children at the wheel of national security, evidenced by the silly emojis in the Signal chat.

Gabbard, a Russian asset who shares “news” from Russian state media, should never have been confirmed. Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, is essentially the town drunk who was chosen to run the Pentagon because Trump thought he looked good on TV.

Waltz has a stronger resume, but he has consistently put loyalty to Trump over allegiance to the country. In 2020, the Orlando Sentinel editorial board opined, “We had no idea, had no way of knowing at the time, that Waltz was not committed to democracy,” after the then-Congressman supported a lawsuit to throw out presidential election results in states lost by Trump.

Whatever experience Waltz had as a former green beret is far eclipsed by his stunning lack of character. Not only is he fully responsible for incompetently inviting Goldberg to the chat group, but he viciously responded to his inexcusable snafu by berating the Atlantic journalist as “the bottom scum of journalists.”

Contrary to Waltz’ attack, Goldberg acted with the utmost professionalism, withholding military operational details provided by Hegseth from public view. Such an unwarranted attack on a top-notch journalist, for revealing embarrassing information about our government, is a terrifying prelude to the stifling censorship and media persecution we would likely endure in the event of a major military conflict.

This week’s sorry performance by Trump’s bootlicking quislings is reminiscent of the leadership structure that led Russia’s Vladimir Putin into erroneously believing he could defeat Ukraine in a matter of days. Years later, with hundreds of thousands of casualties, the Russian people are still paying an enormous price for Putin installing partisan toadies rather than military professionals.

Our key European allies have surely taken stock of America’s stunning national security lapse. It’s difficult to imagine they will continue to share vital information with a country that has no regard for keeping life-and-death secrets. If we don’t respect the safety of our own service members, they know we won’t protect their soldiers.

In the short-term, this will make us more susceptible to terrorist attacks. In the long run, this could lead to our former allies refusing to join the necessary economic and military coalition needed if war broke out with China. It is hard to imagine they would support us when Vice President JD Vance and Hegseth harshly criticized our European friends in the Signal chat as “freeloaders” and “pathetic”.

For all their shortcomings, EU countries spent $457 billion on defense in 2024, significantly multiplying America’s ability to project strength. Without their assistance in a major conflict, the US is appreciably weaker. Our know-nothing isolationism, in this increasingly dangerous world, is a tragic mistake that will eventually cost us dearly in blood and treasure.

Our armed services should also be concerned about future recruiting. What right minded parent would put their child’s life in the hands of these bozos? To fill the ranks, America might have to drop standards, signing recruits who are dumber, physically unfit or motivated by Hegseth’s white supremacist tattoos. Trump’s outlandish assault on diversity will also dissuade many of the brightest minorities from joining the ranks.

Additionally, we should worry about attrition. By now, our smartest service members are keenly aware their top leaders are Keystone Cops. Some are surely concerned, as well, that they could be fighting on the wrong side of a conflict, such as an invasion of Canada, Panama or Greenland. In the back of their minds, given Hegseth’s past, they are contemplating if they would be asked to commit war crimes.

I suspect that many are privately seething over their superiors playing fast and loose with national secrets, while they know that they would be discharged or imprisoned for the same behavior. Such double standards, arrogantly flouted by shameless leaders, are a disaster for morale and deplete military readiness.

Most concerning is Trump’s ongoing attacks on higher education, particularly research institutions. The next big war will largely be won by technological advances in AI. China is a worthy competitor in this arena, and with Trump gutting our research capabilities and scaring away brilliant foreign scientists, one would have to give the edge to Xi Jinping’s China.

In terms of the Signal chat, the Trump administration is brazenly gaslighting the American people. They incredulously claimed that Hegseth’s detailed military plans were not “war” plans, merely “attack” plans.

“There were no war plans on there,” Marco Rubio said of the Signal chat that he participated in. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X, “This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin.”

Goldberg called the bluff of these inveterate liars and posted the entire Signal chat. The military details provided by Hegseth included, “‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME — also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s).”

To anyone with a working cerebral cortex, this is obviously classified material. Indeed, it would be significantly more disturbing if such highly detailed attack plans, provided only hours prior to implementation, were unclassified. If that’s not classified material what on earth would qualify?

When you add to the mix that several of the text chain participants were likely to have been using their personal cell phones, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was communicating from Moscow, the spinning of events is unseemly and grotesque.

“This is security malpractice,” wrote the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board. “Russian intelligence services must be listening to Mr. Witkoff’s every eyebrow flutter. This adds to the building perception that Mr. Witkoff, the President’s friend from New York, is out of his depth in dealing with world crises.”

I’m old enough to remember when Republicans were apoplectic after Bill Clinton, famously uttered, "It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is," during grand jury testimony in 1998 concerning his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. But now these unpatriotic hypocrites smile and shrug when Trump and his minions parse the difference between “war” and “attack” plans to cover their asses.

Such vomit-worthy chutzpah, that insults our intelligence, is a bridge too far. The sheer audacity displayed in this sordid episode directly threatens the core fabric of our nation and endangers our unity. It’s unclear how we can recover after such a blatant rupture of trust, where Republicans revealed they are willing to jeopardize our national security in support of a cult leader. Worse, they do so without shame or compunction.

Tragically, we are at the fateful point where common ground can no longer be reached. How does the reality-based community coexist with a lawless, fact-free Trump regime that is cheered on by legions of social media monkeys who place party before country?

I fear we are one incendiary event from our country imploding. It could come from a terrorist attack caused by the administration’s negligence, a stock market collapse or a concerted effort to destroy Social Security.

Given our deep internal divisions at home, the cavalier break with our European allies and the breathtaking incompetence of our national security apparatus, America is a severely weakened nation. I’m gravely concerned, given our rapid Trump-induced deterioration, that America could potentially lose a war and be saddled with the horrific and humiliating consequences that come with catastrophic defeat.