Navy SEAL Says He Voted for Joe BidenAn example of the intervention into political affairs by active and former members of the armed forces was provided recently by Retired Adm. William McRaven, a former U.S. Navy SEAL commander who served as the head of U.S. Special Operations Command. He wrote an op-ed article in the Wall Street Journal on October 19 in which he said the U.S. was no longer a country that set an example of democracy. Describing himself as a "pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, small-government, strong-defense and a national-anthem-standing conservative" he said that while he aligned himself with those conservative ideals, "we need a president for all Americans, not just half of America." Indicating it may be necessary to intervene in the elections, he said, "if we fail to choose the right leader, then we will pay the highest price for our neglect and shortsightedness." "I also believe that black lives matter, that the Dreamers deserve a path to citizenship, that diversity and inclusion are essential to our national success, that education is the great equalizer, that climate change is real and that the First Amendment is the cornerstone of our democracy," McRaven added. Stressing the importance of international alliances, McRaven stressed that U.S. influence had been on the decline. "Now, the world no longer looks up to America," McRaven wrote. "They have been witness to our dismissiveness, our lack of respect and our transactional approach to global issues. They have seen us tear up our treaties, leave our allies on the battlefield and cozy up to despots and dictators." "They have seen our incompetence in handling the pandemic and the wildfires," McRaven added. "They have seen us struggle with social injustice. They no longer think we can lead, because they have seen an ineptness and a disdain for civility that is beyond anything in their memory," he said. Writing for Business Insider, David Choi and Ryan Pickrell point out: "McRaven has been a vocal critic of the president. He has given interviews and written numerous opinion articles expressing great frustration with the policies and practices of Trump and his administration, everything from the president's hostile responses to critics to his targeting of long-standing U.S. institutions. "In 2017, he characterized Trump's repeated criticisms of the media as 'the greatest threat to democracy' in his lifetime. The following year, he said Trump had 'embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage, and, worst of all, divided us as a nation.' In 2019, he wrote an article that said 'our republic is under attack from the president,' arguing that Trump was harming the 'nation's principles.' "This year, McRaven sharply criticized the forceful clearing of Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, by law enforcement for a presidential photo op at a church, saying there was 'nothing morally right' about what happened. He also called out Trump for his repeated attacks on the U.S. Postal Service [USPS], arguing that Trump was undermining not only USPS but every major U.S. institution. "The retired Navy SEAL held numerous leadership positions within the special-operations community during his nearly four decades in the service, including overseeing the successful military raid that killed the al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011. Trump previously criticized McRaven, saying it would have been nice if the U.S. found bin Laden sooner."
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