JED BABBIN: TRANSFORMATIONAL TRANSITIONS
http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/nov/20/donald-trumps-transformational-transition/
Presidential transitions smooth the way for the peaceful transfer of power that has always characterized our democracy. When a transition passes power within a political party it changes little but the names on the door. Even when power passes between the Democrats and Republicans a transition isn’t necessarily transformational.
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition will and must be transformational because it not only passes power between the parties but is passing power from a president and administration that have intentionally and greatly weakened America to one that has as its principal objective completion of the daunting task of rebuilding America’s economic, military and political influence at home and abroad to restore its greatness.
From the beginning of his presidency, Mr. Obama has reduced our military, our intelligence capabilities and our influence abroad to such a degree that we are no longer a superpower. We are no longer able to influence the world’s important events.
Mr. Trump has to rebuild our powers and influence to regain the superpower status. It can be done, but only with the right sort of transition. As we learned in the Reagan era, personnel is policy. That’s why Mr. Trump’s team has to create a transformational transition.
The media — having done everything it could to prevent Mr. Trump from being elected — is now in full voice trying to prevent him from selecting the kind of people he needs to fill his cabinet. Consider former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose name is being floated as a possible secretary of State.
On Nov. 15, The New York Times published an editorial proclaiming that Mr. Giuliani should never be secretary of State. The Times said he had no experience as a diplomat, that his international security firm had earned millions from foreign governments and that he was insensitive at times.
The editorial reminded me of one incident that disproved all of the Times’ principal arguments.
Less than a week after the 9/11 attacks killed thousands of Americans in New York City, Saudi Prince Alaweed bin Talal gave the city a check for $10 million and released a press statement saying that America should reexamine its Middle East policy and be more sympathetic to the “Palestinian cause.” In effect, Alaweed said America was as much to blame for the 9/11 attacks as al Qaeda.
Mr. Giuliani sent the check back to Alaweed. As a fellow New Yorker, I was surprised by what he said only because those of us from the Bronx would have used far more immoderate words. He said, “There is no moral equivalent for this attack Not only are [Alaweed’s] statements wrong, they’re part of the problem.”
Mr. Giuliani was forceful, diplomatic and above all correct in what he said and did. It was considerably different from the conduct we’ve seen from Mr. Obama and his team since 2009.
Mr. Obama’s actions and those of his chief diplomats — first Hillary Clinton and now John Kerry — have shunned our allies, embraced our enemies and failed to project American power when and where it was needed. Examples abound, from 2009 when Mr. Obama stood with Fidel Castro and against freedom-loving Hondurans in support of their would-be dictator Manuel Zelaya, to Bashar Assad’s quick violation of Mr. Obama’s infamous “red line” on chemical weapons, to the Iran nuclear weapons deal and China’s aggression in the South China Sea.
Mrs. Clinton’s corruption sacrificed diplomacy for personal profit. Mr. Kerry’s dedication to incompetence has spread a Jimmy Carter-like malaise among our allies. It’s another proof of the ideologically-driven failures of the entire executive branch of government.
Another horrid example was revealed by a joint report by the House Armed Services and Permanent Select Intelligence committees August. It showed that civilian and military leaders at U.S. Central Command were changing intelligence analysts’ reports to paint a rosier picture on ISIS than the facts allowed. It was shocking to anyone in the intelligence and military communities (especially where they intersect).
We don’t know how far this infection has spread throughout those communities. Given the Obama administration’s dedication to ideology, it may have gone through all 16 intelligence agencies.
With those examples as predicate, the Trump transition team has its work cut out for it. If a president doesn’t have people dedicated to implementing his agenda in every position of responsibility throughout the administration, the agenda will soon be abandoned and forgotten.
Mr. Trump’s transition hasn’t been — and shouldn’t be — entirely smooth. It already has made key decisions such as replacing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie with Vice President-elect Mike Pence and booting out former Michigan congressman Mike Rogers. Now it can get down to its most serious job of transforming America back into a superpower.
There are many excellent and highly capable people standing by and ready to help Mr. Trump do that in addition to Mr. Giuliani. Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican, will make a fine attorney general. Either Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican or Rep. Randy Forbes, Virginia Republican, would be a slam-dunk for Navy secretary. And no matter what The New York Times says, I’d pay money to see Rudy Giuliani making his first speech at the U.N. as secretary of State.
• Jed Babbin served as a deputy undersecretary of defense in the George H.W. Bush administration. He is a senior fellow of the London Center for Policy Research and the author of five books including “In the Words of Our Enemies.”
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