Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Trump At Union League On Military Readiness

And so Trump begins with three crucial words.
He says: "Peace through strength."
He talks of "regional stability" that will require "rethinking the failed policies of the past."
He says he has the support of more fighting generals and top military experts than anybody and notes that 88 top generals and admirals have endorsed his campaign.
Trump is receiving huge rounds of applause already and his speech here at the Union League of Philadelphia has only just begun.
He says that the current strategy "of toppling regimes only produces power vacuums that are filled by terrorism" and her he specifically mentions the words "radical Islamic terrorism."
And he adds: "Unless you're gonna say the words, you're never gonna solve the problem."
He says that upon taking office he will ask for a plan from his generals "within 30 days" to destroy ISIS. "We will show the whole world how proud we are to be Americans."
He talks about loving America and "loving our people." And he says he foreign policy will "emphasize diplomacy, not destruction."
He says the price of the wars in Iran and Afghanistan "will total six trillion dollars" and meanwhile "China has grown more aggressive and North Korea more dangerous than ever and Russia has defied this administration at every turn."
He calls Hillary Clinton "trigger happy, unstable and reckless -- so reckless that she put her e-mails on a sever that could be hacked and then used bleach to try to get rid of the e-meals."
Then he says "if Hillary Clinton did this and she can't remember critical information then she's totally unfit to be President. But I have a feeling that she did remember and that she also did know what she did and that also makes her unfit."
Trump is coming down hard on Clinton now.
"All over the world, wherever she got involved, things got worse," he says.
Trump is speaking, slowly, carefully, not raising his voice. He's calm and well paced and has mastered the art of using the teleprompter. But, make no mistake about it, his words are searing.
His message today is finely-honed, strategic, sharp.
But his manner is steady and deliberate.
It's really quite a performance and it's remarkably credible.
Now he hits the ransom payment to Iran and talks about the $1.7 million dollar payment and how "our country was held hostage and our president lied to us." 
"Now," he adds "our adversaries are chomping at the bit.
"We want to deter and avoid conflict through our military strength," he explains.
He says that defense spending has dropped to the point where we have the "smallest army since 1940 and the smallest navy since 1914 and the smallest air force since 1947" and he points to statistics for each.
Trump looks great today. He's crisp and focused.
Trump says that defense cuts will end "as soon as I take office."
"Without defense, we don't have a country," Trump adds.
He says that the cost of increased military spending will be accomplished by making the government "leaner and more responsive to the public" noting that unpaid taxes alone amount to $385 billion a year. He also recommends ending $320 billion in government spending on programs that are not authorized under the law. He says that all bureaucracy (including bloated military bureaucracy) will have to be trimmed down.
Early in his term he will insist, he says "that all NATO countries promptly pay their bills." He says that those who are not paying their share "have no respect for our country." This gets tremendous applause from the packed house here in Philadelphia.
He also wants Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia South Korea, and others "to pay more for the military security that we are providing."
This is a big, comprehensive speech here today by Trump.
The new defense budget must meet the following long-term goals, he says:
--A new, active army of 540,000.
--A Marine Corps based on 36 battalions.
--A Navy of 336-350 surface ships and subs.
--An Air Force of at least 1,200 fighter aircraft.
--A state-of-the-art missile defense system. "We need a new shield to protect our country."
"We propose to rebuild the key tools of missile defense starting with navy cruisers which are the foundation of our defense system. We must modernize these cruisers and this will also mean jobs for our country."
"Accomplishing all this will be a 50-state effort. In other words, the workers and the jobs will take place throughout the United States."
Trump: "We will also improve and expand the Department of Defense cyber capabilities. Hillary Clinton has taught us how vulnerable we are in terms of cyber capabilities. That's probably the only thing we've learned from Hillary Clinton."
Trump says he will also call for a thorough review of our cyber capabilities and/or vulnerabilities "immediately upon taking office."
"America must be the world's dominant technological powerhouse of the 21st century and young Americans, including those in our inner-cities should get these jobs."
And now Trump turns to one of his favorite themes: "Our veterans are not being treated well. Our debt to our men and women in uniform is eternal. To all those who have served our nation, I say so strongly -- we will never let you down."
"We will protect those who protect us."
Trump draws to a close: "We will be one people under one God saluting one American flag." This line garners and sustained standing ovation.
"And by the way, we love our flag."
"America will be a prosperous, generous and inclusive society."
"We will make America strong again. And we will make America great again. -- greater than ever before!"

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