TRADOC ordered to watch President?

[Schmedlap]

Further realize that a number of folks who have gotten out of the services in the last few years have run for office waving their military credentials

Some of them don't even wait until they get out of the service. Some of them don't even wait until they return from deployment. Some don't even wait until they've deployed before they kick off their campaign. See an earlier thread.

Schmedlap mentioned an officer who referred to himself as a Liberal Democrat and that apparently offended him. My question would be why?

It wasn't offense. It was concern about simple rules, like keeping one's mouth shut about personal political views, and a general concern about the health of the profession. There is a slippery slope.

A couple of years ago I took a polygraph interview for a criminal investigation. Prior to the polygraphed questions, the interviewer spent about 45 minutes asking me about my values, where I got them, and whether I had stolen anything ranging from a pack of gum to "someone's trust" to something of large monetary value. I didn't have all day, so I asked him why he was wasting time asking me whether I'd ever stolen a pack of gum when I was 5 (full disclosure: no). He explained that an individual doesn't just live 30 years of relative purity and then wake up one morning and decide, "I'm going to rob a bank!" There is a slippery slope that he descends down - he steals a pack of gum, then a CD, then a pair of sneakers, then a laptop, then a dirt bike, then a car, and so on. He doesn't start out robbing banks. I think there is a similar good reason for zealously guarding the a-politicization of the military.

The S-2 in my unit did not imperil the war effort by disclosing that he was a liberal Democrat. But he did express, in no uncertain terms, that he is not apolitical. Enter the slippery slope: political allegiances divulged, political discourse ensues, political discourse while in uniform starts to become commonplace, Soldiers start to feel less restraint in voicing their political views while in uniform, the public starts seeing more Soldiers airing their political views, Soldiers become a ready source of fodder to be used against the CinC or his challenger or likewise in other campaigns. Even worse, some start seeing the military as a springboard to political office, rather than as a tenure of service to the nation. Hopefully this doesn't sound too far fetched. It has already happened.

Admiral Mullen's guidance was that "Keeping our politics private is a good first step." Or, as another SWC contributor paraphrased the Admiral's comments on personal views about politics...

Signal flags from the Admiral read Sierra Tango Foxtrot Uniform.

This is pretty easy to abide by. Some people think it's unnecessary - but so what?