Wouldn't It Be Nice?

This is just sickeningly pathetic.

Okay, we know that Trump trashed war hero John McCain who had been tortured during the Viet Nam War as a POW by saying he likes people who weren't captured.  And he trashed Gold Star families by insulting Khizr and Ghazala Khan who had lost their son Humayun in war.  Only only last week, he refused to go to the 100th anniversary memorial at an American war cemetery in France because of it raining.  And the next day, on Veterans Day, he didn't even go to Arlington National Cemetery down the block to honor those who died in war.

And now he's trashing the honored Admiral who lead the attack that killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, because he didn't get him fast enough!!!

No, really.

No -- really.

Honest.

In an interview with Chris Wallace on "Fox News," Trump was ridiculing honored, retired Admiral William McRaven on a range of unsupportable issues (like his politics, which Trump got wrong, of course) and then added about the military plan that McRaven ran, “It would be nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner,” Trump whined. “Wouldn’t it have been nice?”

Former Navy Seal McRaven was blunt in his response.  “I did not back Hillary Clinton or anyone else,” he said. “I am a fan of President Obama and President George W. Bush, both of whom I worked for.  I admire all presidents, regardless of their political party, who uphold the dignity of the office and who use that office to bring the nation together in challenging times"  He then added, "I stand by my comment that the president’s attack on the media is the greatest threat to our democracy in my lifetime. “When you undermine the people’s right to free press and freedom of speech and expression, then you threaten the Constitution and all for which it stands.”

Retired Lt. General Mark Hertling was perhaps even more blunt.  He slammed Trump by noting, “I’d use one word. And that’s ‘disgusting.’ You know, everyone knows Bill McRaven as being the guy that led the bin Laden raid.  Having someone like the president of the United States, a man that holds an office that’s supposed to represent all people and who says he supports the military, to just dismiss this great American hero as a guy who was a Hillary Clinton lover, which is patently not true, is just really disgusting."  Later, Hertling referenced Trump avoiding going to Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, noting, “It’s a factor of leadership. “Leaders know what to do, where to be, what things to say. And in all three of those things, I think the president is currently a failure.”

"It would be be nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner. Wouldn’t it have been nice?”

It would have been nice.  It would also have been nice if bin Laden hadn't lead the attack against the U.S. on 9/11.  It would have been nice if George W. Bush had paid attention to the Presidential Daily Briefing that bin Laden was planning to attack the U.S. with airplanes.  It would have been nice if there was no gun massacre at the Jewish synagogue in Pittsburgh.  It would have been nice if there was no gun massacre at the black church in Charleston, North Carolina.  It would have been nice if Trump hadn't said there were many fine people among white supremacists.  It would have been nice if we'd had proper communication when the Japanese were flying to attack Pearl Harbor and it could have warned off.  It would have been nice if there hadn't been the Holocaust.  If would have been nice if polio had been eradicated centuries earlier.  It would have been nice if he had landed on the moon in the late 19th century.  It would have been nice if women had had the right to vote since the day the U.S. Constitution was signed.  It would have been nice if the United States had never allowed slavery.  It would have been nice if Trump hadn't been elected president despite losing the popular vote by almost three million people.  It would have been nice, too, if Trump supporters had long ago grasped the easily understood point that Trump, despite his empty, flowery words, has continual and very public disdain for national defense, the military, veterans and sacrifice contrary to the professed patriotism they cry is so important to them.

Yes, it would have been nice if we got Osama bin Laden sooner.  But then that's what happens when people hide out in near-impenetrable mountains and have armed soldiers protecting them, and you have to find out where he is, using all the intelligence resources you have, and then once you think you probably know where he likely is, you have to prepared a military plan to raid the compound in a way that will be successful and minimize American loss.  Especially if you like people who aren't captured.

Wouldn't it have been nice, indeed.