Blowing up the world!
To begin with, let me stipulate that I know far less about war than Rep. Joe Heck.
Heck is a brigadier general in the U.S. Army reserve, the deputy commander of the 3rd Medical Brigade based in Atlanta, and a member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees.
Not only that, but Heck served a three-month tour in Iraq in 2008.
But I was still struck by his answers to a CNN interviewer who asked him about his support for Republican nominee Donald Trump. Reporter Manu Raju asked if Heck trusted Trump “to have his finger on the nuclear button.”
“I do,” Heck replied curtly.
“Why do you say that?” Raju asked.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Heck shot back.
An excellent question. Let’s delve into just a few of the reasons. (Before we do, let’s also acknowledge that 88 retired high-ranking generals and admirals last week endorsed Trump, apparently sharing Heck’s optimism. Meanwhile, 110 retired high-ranking officers have backed Hillary Clinton.)
But consider this:
• Other people, including Republican conservatives, are concerned. Writer P.J. O’Rourke, reluctantly endorsing Hillary Clinton, said: “This man [Trump] just can’t be president. They’ve got this button, this briefcase. He’s going to find it.” Former rival Sen. Marco Rubio said of Trump we “can’t give the nuclear codes of the United States to an erratic individual.” And Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the NSA and CIA, expressed doubts on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” last month, arguing that Trump is inconsistent and unpredictable “so, I would be very concerned.”
• Trump’s own remarks raise concerns. “I’m good at war,” Trump said at a rally in November 2015. “I love war, in a certain way.”
Trump’s defenders question the way his remark has been interpreted. But it’s impossible to imagine Heck ever saying anything similar. Instead, Heck says things that sound like someone who’s been there and done that: “Nobody wants to go to a combat zone, but there are dedicated men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our freedoms,” he said in 2008.
• Trump’s loose talk about weapons. Of oilfields controlled by ISIS, Trump famously said, “I would bomb the shit out of them.” (We presume he meant with conventional weapons, although he’s refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons.)
Even if you ascribe Trump’s belligerence to machismo, the trouble with bravado is that it doesn’t always work. A wrong word in diplomacy may kill a trade agreement; a wrong word in military statecraft may kill thousands of real people.
In addition, Trump has spoken plainly about using nukes to fight ISIS, and even contemplated their use in Europe, although he allowed that “the last person to press that button would be me.” But he’s also said that he wants to be intentionally unpredictable when it comes to the use of nuclear weapons. He’s also contemplated other nations, including Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, getting nuclear weapons so they don’t have to rely on the United States for self-defense. And “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough claimed he’d heard from a national security expert who was in a briefing with Trump and said the GOP nominee asked repeatedly why the United States doesn’t use its nuclear arsenal. (Trump’s campaign denied that account.)
Those are just a few reasons that Heck — as well as the rest of us — might have a moment of pause envisioning Trump’s hand on the nuclear trigger.
Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist. Follow him on Twitter (@SteveSebelius) or reach him at 702-387-5276 or SSebelius@reviewjournal.com.
