Kellyanne Conway's scathing letter rejecting President Biden's demand that she resign from the US Air Force Academy's Board of Visitors went viral earlier this week, and not without reason. The Biden administration sent letters to nearly a dozen of President Trump's nominees to serve three-year terms on military academy advisory boards, informing them that if they declined to resign, they would be fired. Several recipients publicly refused to step down, including Conway, who made a few important points in her response. If you missed it, here's her missive in its entirety:
President Biden, I'm not resigning, but you should. pic.twitter.com/HuRYM4bLYP
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) September 8, 2021
It's true that she and others were duly appointed to their positions. It's also apparently true that Biden's move is a departure from presidential norms – which he explicitly pledged to restore as a candidate. Conway's conclusion that this mass dismissal is motivated by petty politics, or even personal grievance, is a reasonable one. And her point about distracting from negative news cycles is right on the mark, in my view. The Biden administration is presiding over a national disgrace and humiliation in Afghanistan, our withdrawal from which has been marred by stunning incompetence, and littered with violated covenants with Americans and allies alike. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki framed the decision as driven by concerns over "qualifications":
“The president's objective is what any president's objective is — to ensure you have nominees and people serving on these boards who are qualified to serve on them and who are aligned with your values,” Psaki said at a White House press briefing Wednesday. She added: “I will let others evaluate whether they think Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer and others were qualified, or not political, to serve on these boards. But the president's qualification requirements are not your party registration. They are whether you're qualified to serve and whether you're aligned with the values of this administration.”
I suspect it's not a coincidence that Psaki specifically name-checked Conway and Spicer, two controversial lightning rods who frequently engaged in bare-knuckles rhetorical battles with President Trump's critics. I'll also "let others evaluate" whether they are qualified to hold these positions, but I will pause to note that Spicer has served in the US Navy Reserves for more than two decades. "The next White House press secretary will be a Navy commander with 17 years experience in the reserves," the Military Times reported in late 2016, when Spicer was assigned to the Joint Staff's naval reserve contingent in DC. But the two Trump spokespeople, widely loathed by Biden's base, including the news media, aren't the only figures who got the axe. Among those terminated are former National Security HR McMaster and retired four-star Gen. Jack Keane. Let's peruse their qualifications, shall we? McMaster:
He was the 26th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018. From 2014 to 2017 McMaster designed the future army as the director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center and the deputy commanding general of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). As commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, he oversaw all training and education for the army’s infantry, armor, and cavalry force. His has extensive experience leading soldiers and organizations in wartime including Commander, Combined Joint Inter-Agency Task Force—Shafafiyat in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012; Commander, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Iraq from 2005 to 2006; and Commander, Eagle Troop, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Operation Desert Storm from 1990 to 1991. McMaster also served overseas as advisor to the most senior commanders in the Middle East, Iraq, and Afghanistan. McMaster holds a PhD in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was an assistant professor of history at the United States Military Academy from 1994 to 1996.
General Keane, a four-star general, completed 37 years of public service in December 2003, culminating in his appointment as acting Chief of Staff and Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army. As the chief operating officer of the Army for over 4 years, he directed 1.5 million soldiers and civilians in 120 countries, with an annual operating budget of 110 billion dollars. General Keane was in the Pentagon on 9/11 and provided oversight and support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since 2004, General Keane conducted frequent trips to Iraq and Afghanistan for senior defense officials with multiple visits during the surge period in both countries. General Keane is a career infantry paratrooper and a decorated combat veteran of Vietnam who spent much of his military life in operational commands, including the famed 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the legendary 18th Airborne Corps, the Army’s largest war fighting organization...He is a graduate of the Army War College and the Command and General Staff College...General Keane’s numerous military service medals and citations include two Defense Distinguished Service Medals, five Legions of Merit, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, three Vietnam Service medals, Combat Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, and Ranger tab, to list a few.
I would like to hear, in detail, why Joe Biden believes McMaster to be "unqualified" to serve on West Point's advisory board, given that he's an alumnus, taught there, and is receiving a distinguished graduate award this week. Keane, a decorated and respected combat veteran, was the US Army's acting Chief of Staff. He graduated from the Army War College. In what world is he "unqualified" to advise West Point? In a text message to Politico, Keane called it "very disappointing that President Biden is not upholding the previous president's appointments which has been pretty much the tradition." As for the "values" component of Psaki's rationale, which alleged Biden administration values have McMaster or Keane violated, exactly? And is anyone on Team Biden really in a position to lecture anyone else about values right now, having stranded thousands of American citizens and permanent legal residents in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, in an egregious betrayal of a solemn presidential promise (to say nothing of the tens of thousands of Afghan allies they abandoned, also breaking America's word)?
It also seems instructive that in the midst of the ongoing withdrawal debacle (the new Taliban "deal" to allow some quasi-hostages to depart, while refusing to release others, including Americans, continues to be extremely worrisome) nobody in a position of real power or leadership has resigned or been relieved of their duties. They all remain firmly ensconced in their jobs, despite myriad astounding failures. But Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer, and a few other names the media isn't as interested in mentioning got the boot from military academy advisory boards. "Accountability" and "healing," Biden style. If President Biden truly believes that certain figures deserve the highly unusual step of being stripped of their three-year appointments, make that case. But highlighting a few divisive names without further explanation is classless stuff. Biden and company are likely eager to distract their media allies with an irresistible contretemps involving Trump, and to please their hardcore supporters by manufacturing a bad day for Kellyanne Conway. But it's a petty move that flies in the face of the president's pledge to voters about how he'd govern.
Then again, if he's willing to discard a vow not to leave US citizens behind in Afghanistan, why should anyone trust anything Biden says, on any subject? Regardless, regarding this "look over here" flare-up, the White House should have to defend its decision in each individual case, especially the least defensible ones. Speaking of values, here's my somewhat snarky summary of the Biden brain trust's expressions of concern over the terrorist-laden Taliban "government's" lack of...diversity:
Taliban: Murders collaborators, blocks evacuation flights for Americans & allies, appoints high-level terrorists to senior positions in interim “government.”
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) September 9, 2021
WH: We are troubled by the lack of menstruating people in the Taliban’s leadership, which does not look like Afghanistan.
I'll leave you with Keane reacting on Fox:
Retired Four-Star General & decorated combat veteran Jack Keane reacts to getting terminated by President Biden, who abruptly ended Keane’s 3yr term on West Point’s advisory board. Everyone involved in the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle has kept their jobs, but Keane is out: pic.twitter.com/gp4K8Wa2km
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) September 9, 2021