Romney announces 359 member military advisory council - WTF???

[flyguyjake]

Last edited Thu Oct 18, 2012, 03:29 PM - Edit history (1)

19 Days until election day Mitt Romney decides now is the time to form a military advisory council. Prior to Libya we've heard nothing from Mitt Romney regarding any military positions or policies. Mitt Romney and his campaign have until today, done everything possible to separate themselves from Bush & Cheney and the war in Afghanistan. If Mitt Romney was serious about forming a military council, wouldn't it be just a handful of experienced people?

So today the Romney campaign has released this news regarding his military advisory council comprised of 359 retired military members. General Tommy Franks, USA (Ret. 2003) is reportedly leading the council.

In the press release Romney says "Together we will restore our military might"

Military might? After thirteen consecutive years of growth, between 1998 and 2011, spending on the military has reached an all-time high.

The "super-committee's" $1.2 trillion cut Romney accuses Obama for was supported by Paul Ryan who was one of the many Republicans who voted for the agreement. And in fact, he was one of its biggest cheerleaders!

General Tommy Franks says "The fact of the matter is that we cannot afford another four years of feckless foreign policy."

Feckless really? So our current military is lacking in efficiency, vitality and is irresponsible? I wonder how our military men and women would feel if they heard this? As you may recall, General Tommy Franks was widely criticized and responsible for the failures in the Iraq war and this is the man Romney chooses to head his new military council? I'm speechless.

So all of the sudden Romney is this huge military man? Isn't he just a little late to that party?
Why 359 members, seriously 359, is he forming an entire new military branch?
What role will these 359 members have in this "Advisory council"?
Where the hell are they going to hold these meetings, a football stadium?

http://www.mittromney.com/news/press/2012/10/romney-president-announces-military-advisory-council

Members of the Military Advisory Council

Here is the list of the 359 Members!!! All old white men? Where's the "Binders full of women"? Didn't he just say women are important in his appointments?

* Removed the 359 old white men's names to shorten the length of the post*

[gordianot]

1. Democrats could gather a similar list. This is an act of desperation.

[JI7]

2. desperation is the word that came to me about this

[blm]

19. Odd list, can't be endorsees. Shelton just endorsed a progressive Dem for NC governor

and that is how he leans. I highly doubt he would endorse Mitt Romney.

[bemildred]

21. Yes, and "flopping around on the floor of the boat", and "grabbing at straws",

and no clue at all.

[Berlum]

3. And yet not ONE Romney man has ever served in the US Armed Forces

I got doodley squat when it comes to respect for the vast men's club of Republican Chickenhawks and their bleatings for war profits.

[Ilsa]

4. And the fact that most retired

Senior retired military officers vote republican is supposed to be a surprise? This isn't a council. It's a list of endorsements. A council this large couldn't decide on when to have Christmas.

[AsahinaKimi]

5. I wonder if some of these guys know they are on his list...and

were NEVER ASKED to be on it?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

16. Ha!

Good question! I can't imagine they were all actually asked to be part of this. That would be just another humiliation for Mitt if/when some of these people suddenly find themselves on this and disavow it. BTW what was it that Mitt was saying about being against "trickle-down" government- and he wants a 359 MEMBER COUNCIL?

[Ganja Ninja]

26. Yeah exactly.

And when you have 359 people as advisers how much input can any one of them have? This sounds like more of a PR stunt. I'd bet money some of the people on that list are so old they are not aware of what day of the week it is let alone acting as advisers to Mitt.

[Chiyo-chichi]

47. That would be par for the course for the Romney campaign.

He has done this so he will have something to say during the foreign policy debate. The President will likely be able to counter with "and 150 of them have disavowed their membership on your council!"

[rsweets]

6. dumbest idea yet.. could we get

a group photo this week please, before
half of them pass away... what a cluster f***

[Hugin]

7. Oops, looks like RobMe accidentally picked up his binder of old retired guys. n/t

[Turborama]

8. Do we need the full list here? It takes ages to scroll past all those senile warmongers on my BB

Anyway, this is Rmoney throwing all his chips on the table and betting most Americans want to go to war.

I have a very strong suspicion he's going to lose that bet.

[JohnnyBoots]

9. Surrounding himself with 'yes'men. nt

[JHB]

49. Assuming any of them actually did say 'yes' and weren't just snoring...

"All in favor say 'Aye'"

***zzzzzsnnnkkkkkkzzzz**** (x300)

"The 'Ayes' have it!"

[elehhhhna]

50. "blink once for Yes, twice for Yes"

[rad51]

10. Only 5 women in this binder. nt

[fugop]

32. Phew! I feel better!

I was having trouble finding any. Glad he found a decent percentage of women for his council.

[Scootaloo]

11. In a campaign full of really stupid shit, this may be near the top.

359-member advisory council? Boy. I'll bet those early-morning meetings are a bitch.

[ProSense]

18. Democrats should exploit the shit out of this.

Mittwit is a complete idiot. His ideas of what makes a good impression are simply weird, like "binders."

[baldguy]

12. I thought we already had a military advisory council - It's called Congress.

Can we say the "F" word yet?

[sarge43]

13. Two problems here, Mitt

1. Anyone who has been retired for more than 20 years doesn't know stuff from peanut butter how the service functions anymore. Oh yeah, some things never change, but much does, command structure, equipment, tactics, mission objectives, etc. As usual, that bunch will be briefing you on the last war.

2. Not only is that bunch out of date, when they were AD they probably had no idea how the majority of service personnel lived, worked, thought about stuff. But then you don't give a rat's ass about the 47%, so why start now? Someday someone will smarten up and put a few chiefs on these advisory boards, then someone will get the straight skinny.

Unless he's a boy named Sue, there is one woman in that crowd, RAdm Veronica Froman. Her page must fallen out of the binder.

[A-Long-Little-Doggie]

14. Why so few Army and Marine retirees?

Soldiers and Marines have been the ones who have fought our last 2 wars, and continue to fight in Afghanistan. And they will be the ones who will be much more involved in any future conflicts, especially Special Forces and Seals. Are the Air Force and Navy retirees concerned about this strategy because their multimillion ships and planes won't play as big a part and they see themselves losing their lucrative consulting contracts?

[Hubert Flottz]

15. Cover for the fact that the old PNAC will pull mitt's strings

and he'll war dance to their music.

[reflection]

17. Just a way to divert the inevitable question from Obama

as to why 17 of 24 of Romney's foreign policy advisors are Bushies. Nothing more. I hope this transparent bait-and-switch does not work.

[ananda]

20. Sounds like he's forming his own quasi-confederate army.

This is fucking scary!

[BainsBane]

23. They really are going to secede

Does Mitt even have a car elevator in the South?

[BainsBane]

22. He's finally gone over the bend

359 isn't an advisory council. It is a regiment. No one can possibly listen to than many people, and he has no intention of doing so.
No wonder Ann worries about his mental stability.

[fugop]

28. That was my first thought!

How the hell can you understand anything when you have this size of an advisory group?

On the other hand, it's his only play to overcome his foreign policy shortcomings before the foreign policy debate. As in, "I don't know shit but I've got hundreds of guys to fill me in."

Out of curiousity, sine I'm lazy, many military women on that council? Or are they all home cooking dinner?

[BainsBane]

40. They are kept in camouflage patterned binders

Where else?

[Buns_of_Fire]

24. That's not an advisory council -- that's a small battalion.

They're all going to be reactivated and assigned to "Romney's Rangers" -- our elite force which will be parachute-dropped into world trouble spots, under direct (and secret) control of Secretary of State John Bolton.

After all, Romney's convinced that if a person is in an upper-level management position, they MUST be smarter, tougher, and a bigger badass than anyone else, right?

[quinnox]

25. maybe this is Romney's equivalent of the Republican Guard

With the idea that at least these guys have lived a long life if they have to take a bullet for him.

[Marrah_G]

27. Considering how sick the general public is of these endless wars.....

.... this should go over well.

[fugop]

29. Clearly he forgot his binders for this council

I wish we had some women in the military so this insanely large group had some in it.

Oh wait. We DO have women in the military? Gosh, where are they on this list? All back on base cooking up grub for the men, I guess.

Jeebus, can ANYONE find a woman on this list?

[Iggo]

31. "I got a binder full of 'em." -- Romney.

[Iggo]

30. Hey, that's a mighty long list of generals ya got there bud.

Yer givin' me a war boner!

[justiceischeap]

33. Is this so he can claim them as a small business?

and get some more tax breaks?

[IggleDoer]

34. No enlisted members

Doesn't care about the little people.

[sarge43]

39. "Enlisted are sly, cunning and bear considerable watching." n/t

[bluedigger]

35. This is just a list of retired flag rank Republicans who may have endorsed him.

Military 1%ers. I'm unimpressed.

[yellowcanine]

36. 359 members? All retired and all men? That's an old boys club, not an advisory council.

seriously.

[Generic Other]

37. the oligarchy threatens to become a military dictatorship?

I do not like the idea of retired brass pulling the president's strings.

[WinkyDink]

38. FASCISM. Don't cry for me, One-Per-Centers! The truth is, I'll never leave you!

All through my Bain days,
My bad debating,
I kept my promise:
I'll do your bidding.

[Aerows]

42. Priceless

[Aerows]

43. To continue it on..

And as for fortune, and as for fame
I've always invited them in
And it's clear to the world they are all I desire.
I'm an illusion,
I'm not the solution I promise to be
The answer is clear ahead of time
I love me and only love me....

[Sheepshank]

41. another committee promoting the 'smaller government' idea? N/t

[reformist2]

44. 359!!?? Is he planning for World War III?

[TwilightGardener]

45. LOL--what are all these retired old brass going to advise him on?

Early bird specials at the O Club? Golf tips? Laughable.

[TeamPooka]

46. desperate clusterfuck of a move nt

[SoapBox]

48. Smaller government???

Ya...right.

And show me the political affiliation of each of those.

[flyguyjake]

51. I tried googling them to make sure there was no dead men on the list!

But the freaking list is too damn long! 359!

Romney is looney!

[mfcorey1]

52. So, is this an indicator that he would replace the joint chiefs of staff?