For such an elderly man he should beware dropping lips and other organs off by lying
| Technically he won’t be the one politicizing — it would be the senior generals. |
[JPost] President Joe Biden promised he would never politicize the U.S. military as he made his first visit to the Pentagon as commander-in-chief on Wednesday, seeking to draw a contrast with the Trump-era in a far-reaching speech that emphasized diversity in the armed forces.
Biden, whose late son, Beau, was a soldier who deployed to Iraq, bristled at former President Donald Trump's approach to the military during the presidential campaign, including a report that Trump once privately called American soldiers killed during World War One "losers" and "suckers."
Critics say Trump openly flouted norms of behavior in open pursuit of political support among U.S. troops, who are meant to be loyal to the U.S. Constitution - not any party or political movement.
"I will never ever dishonor you, I will never disrespect you, I will never politicize the work you do," Biden said from the Pentagon briefing room.
He added: "This is personal for me. The Biden family is a military family."
Pentagon leadership is under pressure to show progress in combating white nationalism and other extremism in the ranks, after current and former military service members were found to have participated in the pro-Trump siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Navy's top admiral condemned two racist incidents involving hate symbols on warships, which sources said included a noose that was left on a Black sailor's bed.
Biden made history by naming retired Army general Lloyd Austin the first Black U.S. defense secretary. In his Pentagon address on Wednesday, Biden stressed other groundbreaking achievements by Black soldiers, from pilots who fought in World War Two to soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
"Right now, more than 40 percent of our active duty forces are people of color. Now it's long past time that the full diversity and full strength of our forces are reflected at every level of this department," Biden said.
Still, discrimination persists in the U.S. military. |