(Reviewed by JD Jung)
Why do so many politicians and public servants continue to support a man who has little regard for the military, no regard for the Constitution, and holds dictators in such high regard? Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor in chief of The Atlantic gives us clues.
There are some though, who refuse to compromise their values, and their oaths to the Constitution. Goldberg provides us with examples, history and quotes from prior interviews in his recent book, On Heroism: McCain, Milley, Mattis, and the Cowardice of Donald Trump.
He begins the book by relaying his time with the late senator John McCain, who downplayed his service and years as a POW during the Vietnam War. The bulk of the book are essays, starting in 2019, of two military leaders: Defense Secretary James Mattis, who resigned in December of 2018, and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mark Milley.
We learn how these heroes guided Trump to resist his worst impulses. Chairman Milley tried to teach Trump the difference between battlefield aggressiveness and war crimes, unfortunately to no avail. In fact, Trump’s idea of the military has not evolved since he became president. He continues to show contempt for soldiers, seeks to politicize the military and use them against American citizens. It says a lot when White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Mattis made a pact with each other that one of them would always remain in the country, so that President Trump would never be left unmonitored.
I consider myself to be knowledgeable of current politics, but I learned so much more about the Trump presidency and the actions of these men to protect our country amidst chaos. Goldberg does not use broad generalizations; he provides specifics. The worries about the nuclear arsenal still resonate with me.
Personally, I am afraid of another Trump presidency where no heroes will be in the White House to provide these guardrails. At barely over a hundred pages, there is no excuse for any American voter not to read this book.
