The death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt just months after the Yalta Conference at the end of the Second World War carried huge political ramifications, and may have led to miscommunications with the Soviet that resulted in the Cold War. However, historians have argued that FDR’s compromised health at the conference weakened his mental capacity and even his negotiating ability with Joseph Stalin.
The leader of the free world should be fit to lead, and now some former military leaders are concerns that the United States could find itself in a crisis far greater if President Joe Biden isn’t actually “up for the job.”
On Tuesday, a group of retired U.S. military admirals and general – 124 in total – signed a letter questioning President Biden’s fitness for office and even challenged the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Posted by Flag Officers 4 America, the letter claimed a “Constitutional Republic is lost” without “fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the ‘will of the people.'”
The military leaders warned about the future of democracy if actions aren’t taken.
“The FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020. Finally, H.R.1 & S.1, (if passed), would destroy election fairness and allow Democrats to forever remain in power violating our Constitution and ending our Representative Republic,” the letter stated.
The signatories further questioned the “mental and physical condition of the Command in Chief,” and added “He must be able to quickly make accurate national security decisions involving life and limb anywhere, day or night. Recent Democrat leadership’s inquiries about nuclear code procedures sends a dangerous national security signal to nuclear armed adversaries, raising the question about who is in charge. We must always have an unquestionable chain of command.”
The letter further echoed many comments made by former President Donald J. Trump, who repeatedly questioned Biden’s mental capacity as well as Biden’s age. During the campaign, then President Trump referred to Biden as “Sleepy Joe.”
There has already been a notable response to the letter.
Jim Golby, an expert in civil-military relations, told Politico that it was a “shameful effort to use their rank and the military’s reputation for such a gross and blatant partisan attack.”
Business Insider also reported that Kevin O’Connor, the president’s doctor, released a report earlier in May that maintained that President Biden is a “healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.”
The letter was organized by Major General Joe Arbuckle, U.S. Army (Retired), a Vietnam War veteran who enlisted in 1968 and was commissioned in the Ordnance Corps upon graduation from the Officer Candidate School at Fort Belvoir in 1970. Maj. Gen. Arbuckle retired in 2000.
Arbuckle has defended the letter, telling Politico, “Retired generals and admirals normally do not engage in political actions, but the situation facing our nation today is dire and we must speak out in order to be faithful to our oath to support and defend the Constitution of the U.S. against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.
