“I cannot help but think [that the vacancies have] added a level of complexity and danger to an already bad situation,” one DOD official said.

Pentagon officials have been frustrated for months over an Alabama senator’s blockade of more than 300 senior military nominations. But after the Marine Corps chief was hospitalized over the weekend, that frustration is turning into rage.

Gen. Eric Smith had been filling both the No. 1 and No. 2 Marine Corps posts from July until he was finally confirmed as commandant in September. He, along with more than 300 other senior officers, was swept up in the promotions blockade put in place by GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy.

In an interview Wednesday, Tuberville brushed off the comments from the DOD officials.

“They’re looking for someone to blame it on, other than themselves,” he said. “We could have all these people confirmed if they’d have just gone by the Constitution.

“I don’t listen to these people,” he added. “They’re just looking for any possible way to get themselves out of a jam.”

  • flipht@kbin.social
    5·
    1 year ago

    There’s a thought experiment about babies in a river. Do you save each baby as it floats down the river, or do you go upriver to stop them from throwing babies in?

    If you choose to stay, are you enabling the baby throwers?

    If you go, are you consigning all the babies that are thrown to death while you search?

    It’s not black and white. There’s no good solution when bad actors are doing bad things. A coordinated response would be great, but at the same time, this is a constant problem. It’s not like Democrats haven’t been trying to get “reasonable republicans” to handle their own shit for decades. It’s not like republicans won’t have another mole pop up after this one gets whacked back into his hole.

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
      2·
      1 year ago

      Ok, but what if you stand on the side of the river and call everyone over to watch them throw babies in the river because it makes you look better by comparison? If you honestly believe there are any “reasonable Republicans” you haven’t been paying attention.

      • flipht@kbin.social
        2·
        1 year ago

        I used quotes around that because I do not believe it.

        But a bunch of idiots do, and politicians have to have some backing from those idiots, so even though everyone knows these people are shills and grifters, they have to pay lip service to the idea that they’ll do the reasonable thing, and hope that eventually cultists start dropping out and realizing they’ve been duped.

        You can lead a horse to water and all that.