All the national security concerns in my previous 2 “Reasons” to vote for Harris are stated so much better by 111 Republican former national security leaders who signed the below statement of support for Vice President Harris.
The letter was printed in a number of national publications like the New York Times on September 18. I am stunned by the number of Republicans who are willing to disregard traditional GOP economic positions and vote for Harris, someone with whom they disagree and will contend with if she is elected. I truly admire and salute their patriotism! I hope I would be just as wise were a Democrat to run for President, representing positions like that of Kamala Harris but as flawed, corrupt, and dangerous to our Constitution as is Donald Trump.
Here below is the unabridged letter as published and all the signatories.
Republican Former National Security Leaders Statement of Support for Vice President Harris
We are former national security and foreign policy officials who served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and/or Donald Trump, or as Republican Members ofCongress. We have served in the White House, the Departments of Defense, Treasury, State, Justice, Homeland Security, Commerce, and other agencies and in Congress.
We believe that the President of the United States must be a principled, serious, and steady leader who can advance and defend American security and values, strengthen our alliances, and protect our democracy. We expect to disagree with Kamala Harris on many domestic and foreign policy issues, but we believe that she possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not. We therefore support her election to be President.
We firmly oppose the election of Donald Trump. As President, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country’s founding documents. In our view, by inciting the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and defendingthose who committed it, he has violated his oath of office and brought danger to our country. As former Vice President Pence has said “anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States.”
Donald Trump’s susceptibility to flattery and manipulation by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, unusual affinity for other authoritarian leaders, contempt for the norms of decent, ethical and lawful behavior, and chaotic national security decision-making are dangerous qualities – as many honorable Republican colleagues and military officers who served in senior national security positions in his administration have frequently testified. He is unfit to serve again as President, or indeed in any office of public trust.
Vice President Harris has demonstrated a commitment to upholding the ideals that define our nation freedom, democracy, and rule of law. Her experience as Attorney General ofCalifornia and her leadership on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and as Vice President have helped prepare her to be President.
We are prepared to support her as President because she has:
–> Consistently championed the rule of law, democracy, and our constitutional principles;
–> Pledged to “ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world” and to honor and respect those who wear the uniform;
–> Committed to sign the bipartisan Border Security package, drafted under the leadership of Republican Senator James Lankford and other Republicans, which would hire 1,500 new Customs and Border Protection personnel and provide more resources for law enforcement but was opposed by Donald Trump to avoid giving President Biden any political advantage;
–> Supported a strong NATO to stand up to Russia and protect European and American security and been firm in her support of Ukraine;
–> Declared her intention to ensure that the United States will meet the economic and military competition with China;
–> Declared her intention to “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself” and “to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists”;
–> Demonstrated that she can engage in orderly national security decision-making, without the constant drama and Cabinet turnover of the Trump Administration; and
–> Committed to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet in order to encourage a diversity of views and restore a measure of bipartisanship and comity to our domestic politics.
We appreciate that many Republicans prefer Donald Trump to Kamala Harris, for a variety of reasons. We recognize and do not disparage their potential concerns, including about some of the positions advocated by the left wing of the Democratic party. But any potential concerns pale in comparison to Donald Trump’s demonstrated chaotic and unethical behavior and disregard for our Republic’s time-tested principles of constitutional governance. His unpredictable nature is not the negotiating virtue he extols. To the contrary, in matters of national security, his demeanor invites equally erratic behavior from our adversaries, which irresponsibly threatens reckless and dangerous global consequences.
In short, Donald Trump cannot be trusted “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic . . . and bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” We believe that Kamala Harris can, and we urge other Americans to join us in supporting her.
[Signatories]
Admiral Steve Abbot, USN (Ret.), Former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor, George W. Bush Administration
Kenneth Adelman, Former Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Reagan Administration
Dr. Carol C. Adelman, Former Assistant Administrator, United States Agency for International Development, Reagan Administration
Major General John Barry, USAF (Ret.), Former Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense
Richard C. Barth, Former Assistant Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, George W. Bush Administration
Christopher Barton, Former Director, National Security Council Staff
John Bellinger, Former Legal Adviser, National Security Council , George W. Bush Administration
Admiral Kenneth Bernard, Former Special Assistant to the President, George W. Bush Administration
Mark E. Bitterman, Former Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, George H.W. Bush Administration
Robert D. Blackwill, Former Deputy National Security Advisor and Ambassador to India, George W. Bush Administration
William Bodie, Former Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, George W. Bush Administration
Christian M.L. Bonat, Former Deputy General Counsel, Dept. of Defense, George W. Bush Administration and Obama Administration
Richard Boucher, Former Assistant Secretary of State, George W. Bush Administration
Charles W.Boustany, Jr., Former Member of Congress, Louisiana
Charles R. Bowers, Former U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, George H.W. Bush Administration
Greg Brower, Former Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Obama and Trump Administrations
Christopher Buckley, Former Chief Speechwriter, Office of Vice President George H.W. Bush
James R. Bullington, Former U.S. Ambassador to Burundi, Reagan Administration
Richard Burt, Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Reagan Administration
Gahl Hodges Burt, Former Assistant to the Secretary of State, Reagan Administration
Rear Admiral Fred Byus, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Jack C. Chow, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, George W. Bush Administration
James W. Cicconi, Former Assistant to the President & Deputy to the Chief of Staff, The White House, GeorgeH.W.BushAdministration
Peggy Cifrino, Former Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, George W. Bush Administration
Eliot A. Cohen, Former Counselor of the Dept. of State, George W. Bush Administration
Benedict S. Cohen, Former General Counsel, Dept. of the Army, George W. Bush Administration
William Cohen, Former Secretary of Defense, Clinton Administration, and U.S. Senator, Maine
Joseph J. Collins, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, George W. Bush Administration
Barbara Comstock, Former Member of Congress , Virginia
Cindy Courville, Former Ambassador to the African Union and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs for Africa, W. Bush Administration
Chester A. Crocker, Former Assistant Secretary of State , Reagan Administration
Patrick M. Cronin, Former Assistant Administrator, United States Agency for International Development, George W. Bush Administration
Stephen W. DeVine, Former Deputy Legal Advisor, National Security Council, George W. Bush Administration
Charles Djou, Former Member of Congress, Hawaii
Michael Donley, Former Secretary of the Air Force, George W. Bush Administration and Obama Administration
Raymond F. DuBois, Former Acting Under Secretary of the Army, George W. Bush Administration
Martha E. Duncan, Former Senior Executive Service , Dept. of Defense , George W. Bush Administration and Obama Administration
Lewis A. Dunn, Former Assistant Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Reagan Administration
Eric S. Edelman, Former Under Secretary of Defense, George W. Bush Administration
Mickey Edwards, Former Member of Congress, Oklahoma
Richard A. Falkenrath, Former Deputy Assistant to the President, George W. Bush Administration
Jendayi E. Frazer, Former Ambassador to South Africa and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, George W. Bush Administration
Aaron L. Friedberg, Former Deputy Assistant to the Vice President, George W. Bush Administration
William Gaches, Former Director of Counterterrorism, National Security Agency, George W. Bush Administration
Janice Gardner, Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, George W. Bush Administration
Stuart M. Gerson, Former Acting Attorney General of the United States, George W. Bush Administration
James K. Glassman, Former Under Secretary of State, George W. Bush Administration
Jon D. Glassman, Former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President and Ambassador to Paraguay, George H. W. Bush Administration
David Gordon, Former Director, State Dept, Policy Planning, George W. Bush Administration
Sen. Chuck Hagel, Former Secretary of Defense , Obama Administration , and former U.S. Senator, Nebraska
Christopher Hankin, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; Reagan, George H.W. Bush , and Clinton Administrations
Mark Harvey, Former Special Assistant to the President, Trump Administration
General Michael V. Hayden, Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, George W. Bush and Barack Obama Administrations
Carla Hills, Former U.S. Trade Representative, George H.W Bush Administration
Seth Hurwitz, Former Counsel, President’s Intelligence Oversight Board, George H. W. Bush Administration
Peter Keisler, Former Acting Attorney General of the United States, George W. Bush Administration
James A. Kelly, Former Assistant Secretary of State, George W. Bush Administration
Adam Kinzinger, Former Member of Congress, Illinois
Sofia Kinzinger, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, Dept. of Homeland Security, Trump Administration
Kenneth J. Krieg, Former Under Secretary of Defense, George W. Bush Administration
James R. Kunder, Former Deputy Administrator, United States Agency for International Development, George W. Bush Administration
Brigadier General George Landis, USA, Ret., Former commander, United States Personnel Information Systems Command
Frank Lavin, Former Ambassador to Singapore and Former Under Secretary of Commerce, George W. Bush Administration
Peter Lichtenbaum, Former Assistant Secretary of Commerce, George W. Bush Administration
Rear Admiral David M. Lichtman, MD, USN (Ret.), FormerCommander, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, George H.W. Bush and Clinton Administrations
Winston Lord, Former U.S. Ambassador to China, Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administration
Steven R. Mann, Former Ambassador to Turkmenistan and Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Dept., Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations
Colonel John W. McDonald, Former Deputy Under Secretary of the Army
P. Michael McKinley, Former Ambassador to Peru and Acting Ambassador to the European Union and Mozambique, George W. Bush Administration; Former Ambassador to Peru, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Brazil, Obama Administration
Dan Miller, Former Member of Congress, Florida
John M. Mitnick, Former General Counsel , Dept. of Homeland Security, Trump Administration
Allen Moore, Former Under Secretary of Commerce, Reagan Administration
Alberto Mora, Former General Counsel , U.S. Information Agency, George H. W. Bush Administration; Former General Counsel , Dept. of the Navy, George W. Bush Administration
Kenneth Mortensen, Former Associate Deputy Attorney General, George W. Bush Administration
Vice Admiral Charles L. Munns, U.S. Navy (Ret.), George W. Bush Administration
John D. Negroponte, Former Director of National Intelligence and Former Deputy Secretary of State , George W. Bush Administration
Elizabeth Neumann, Former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, Trump Administration
Sean O’Keefe, Former Secretary of the Navy, George H.W. Bush Administration; Former NASA Administrator, George W. Bush Administration
Bill Paxon, Former Member of Congress, New York
William R Piekney, Former CIA Chief of Station , Reagan Administration
Daniel M. Price, Former Deputy National Security Advisor, George W. Bush Administration
Alan Charles Raul, Former Vice Chairman, White House Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board , George W. Bush Administration
Victor Reis, Former Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, George H. W. Bush Administration
Robert Annan Riley, Former Ambassador to Micronesia, Trump Administration
Paul Rosenzweig, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, George W. Bush Administration
Charles O. Rossotti, Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; Former Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations
Nicholas Rostow, Former National Security Council Legal Adviser, Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations
Kori Schake, Former Deputy Director of Policy Planning, State Dept., George W. Bush Administration
Dr. Wayne A. Schroeder, Former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, George W. Bush Administration
Gregory L. Schulte, Former Senior Director, National Security Council Staff and Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, George W. Bush Administration
Robert Shanks, Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Reagan Administration
Rep. Christopher Shays, Former Member of Congress, Connecticut
John Simon, Former Senior Director, National Security Council Staff and Ambassador to the African Union, George W. Bush Administration
Stephen Slick, Former Senior Director, National Security Council Staff, George W. Bush Administration
Mark C. Storella, Former U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, Obama Administration
William H. Taft IV, Former Deputy Secretary of Defense and Ambassador to NATO, George W. Bush Administration
Miles Taylor, Former Chief of Staff, Dept. of Homeland Security, Trump Administration
Larry D. Thompson, Former Deputy Attorney General, George W. Bush Administration
Jack Thomas Tomarchio, Former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Homeland Security, George W. Bush Administration
Olivia Troye, Former Special Advisor to the Vice President, TrumpAdministration
Robert Tuttle, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom , George W. Bush Administration
John K. Veroneau, Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative and Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, George W. Bush and Clinton Administrations
Colonel Terry Virts, USAF (Ret.),Former NASA Astronaut, Former Commander of the International Space Station
Dr. Thomas G. Ward, Jr., Former Director of Threats, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, Reagan and Clinton Administrations
Matthew C. Waxman, Former Principal Deputy Director, State Dept Policy Planning, George W. Bush Administration
William H. Webster, Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigations, Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations
William F. Weld, Former Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Reagan Administration
J. Robinson West, Former Assistant Secretary of Interior, Reagan Administration
Wendell L. Willkie II, Former General Counsel, Dept. of Commerce, George H. W. Bush Administration
Philip Zelikow, Former Counselor of the Dept. of State, George W. Bush Administration
Robert B. Zoellick, Former Deputy Secretary of State and U.S. Trade Representative, George W. Bush Administration; White House Deputy Chief of Staff, George H. W. Bush Administration
If all these patriotic Republicans can set aside their preferred social and economic agendas and vote for Harris, knowing that "any potential concerns pale in comparison to Donald Trump's demonstrated chaotic and unethical behavior and disregard for our Republic's time-tested principles of constitutional governance" – shouldn't you do as much?
Resource: https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/38a5a90bef9711ef/a1c00612-full.pdf
