Do you care about our military and national security?

[Dill]

(06-12-2020, 10:09 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: This really doesn't track. He's not anti-war as he has enabled Russian and Turkish aggression. He has also threatened extreme military force, has embraced dictators, and has abandoned allies. Peace through military strength isn't anti-war if your peace rests on people being afraid of going to war with you. The biggest kid threatening everyone else on the playground isn't passive just because he hasn't punched too many kids. 

Agreed. And it's not even clear people are "afraid to to go war" with us.

Our adversaries don't waste time trying to stop us from building a new ship or increasing the size of our military by 250,000 souls.

What they seek is strategic opportunity created by disruption of alliances and the vacuums of military and economic control created by trashing treaties. They seek the paralysis or our intel and military resources at the command level.

What counts as "show of strength" to Trump's base--insulting allies, praising dictators, attacking the "deep state" (our own government resources) while withdrawing economic and military commitments abroad--is more cheered by US adversaries, some very much encouraged to help him win re-election.

Many argue that fear doesn't really "keep us safe" they way credibility and the trust of our allies does; but those who insist on "fear" must agree that under Trump we have the wrong kind.  In the Middle East, friend and foe alike fear the US misstep that could exchange thousands of rockets across the Persian Gulf engulfing multiple countries in war. Our allies fear we won't keep our commitments. Serious adversaries like China, NK and Russia see their chances are better under Trump.