Seventy-six years ago, Allied forces successfully stormed the beaches of Normandy, gaining not only a decisive foothold on Northwest Europe, but sealing the fate of the Nazi regime less than a year later.
Looking back, the success of D-Day seems a foregone, if hard-fought conclusion. But in those first hours — as paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines and soldiers clambered into landing craft — there was no way for any of them to know that theirs would be a victory so well remembered three quarters of a century later.
At the same time, unable to sleep, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme Allied commander, prepared an announcement to read to the world in case the great invasion was repelled:
“Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this place and this time was based on the best information available. The troops, the air, and the Navy did all the Bravery and devotion could do. If any fault or blame attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone.”
Fortunately, the Normandy invasion ended in triumph, and Eisenhower never had to deliver this announcement. But at a moment of unimaginable pressure and worry — and with nothing less than democracy’s very existence at stake — Eisenhower not only prepared for the worst-case scenario, he prepared to take responsibility for the worst-case scenario.
What a difference 75 years makes.
Today, we have a president who doesn’t take responsibility for anything, much less the awesome responsibilities that are inherent in his great office. His first responsibility? To safeguard the American people.
If a government cannot, or will not, protect its peoples’ lives, its legitimacy wanes. President Trump talks of protecting America by rebuilding the military and building a wall, but neither of those things could stop the march of a virus that has destroyed our economy and left more than 100,000 Americans dead.
As the of the coronavirus spread, Trump first ignored it, then denied it was as bad as experts were saying, and finally — inevitably — he has finally resorted to blaming the bungled response on anyone other than himself. This despite the fact his administration systematically dismantled the offices and teams of people that understand how to react, respond and contain pandemics.
Unlike Eisenhower, who surrounded himself with the best subordinates available, Trump’s White House is a toxic mixture of family members and sycophants.
None of them have the desire, ability or wherewithal to stand up to him. His intelligence community and public health experts provided him with the best information available, going back to late last year, about the spread of COVID-19 to our shores. Did Trump process the information and put people to work? No. He went golfing.
As infections spiked and the death toll rose, Trump blamed China, governors and engaged in daily displays of delusion and self-victimization. This wasn’t about 320 million Americans stuck in their homes, it was about how badly he was being treated by the whole thing.
Even before the unrest of the last week, we’ve seen Trump withdraw from discussing COVID-19 altogether. He’s bored with it, he can’t wish it away, and it doesn’t knuckle under to the threat of a mean tweet.
This week, in his role as national leader and commander-in-chief, Donald Trump actively incited further violence on America’s streets, invoking racist language and history. He threatened to deploy the military to put down protests.
He ordered security forces to clear Pennsylvania Avenue of peaceful protestors with tear gas, flash grenades and officers on horseback, so he could stand before a church, holding a Bible — desecrating both, and his office, in the process.
In response, America’s retired military leaders have followed Eisenhower’s example, unafraid to voice hard truths to the American people. General Jim Mattis, General John Allen, and Admiral Mike Mullen, all took unprecedented stands against Trump’s actions and his willingness to send American soldiers into our neighborhoods and communities.
Donald Trump is constitutionally incapable of accepting the responsibilities of his office, much less the responsibilities of his own actions. Time and again, he has said it in his own words, and shown it in his deeds. That is the very opposite of leadership.
There now sits behind the Resolute Desk a small, petulant man, out of his depth and so manifestly unfit for office that he is threatening the very fabrics of our society.
In November, the voters must make a choice: America or Trump.
