Having been the former chief of the NSA during what was arguably the secretive agency’s most unregulated expansion of shadowy surveillance, Gen. Michael Hayden is no dove. However, Gen. Hayden has been consistent in his assessment of our current president. Writing in The Hill, Gen. Hayden decided to share his feelings about our country’s free speech and the rights of peaceful protesters. In light of Donald Trump’s recent statements surrounding peaceful dissent and black athletes, Gen. Hayden reiterated his basic assessment of Trump, in considerably more diplomatic terms, by paraphrasing Abraham Lincoln and saying “President Trump does not instinctively appeal to ‘the better angels of our nature.’”
Gen. Hayden explains that while he was never “enthusiastic” about Colin Kaepernick’s protest, he understood that it was a part of the national discourse and Kaepernick had every right to his opinions and feelings. Gen. Hayden’s interest in the op-ed is to praise his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers’ handling of the national anthem protests this past weekend. He felt that President Trump forced the NFL ranks, from top to bottom, to make a decision. And in doing so, Trump put himself very specifically on the wrong side of our democracy.
And, to be specific, their displeasure was largely with President Trump and what he had said about them, their teammates and their rights. Forced again to defend the indefensible, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday said the president’s Huntsville stand was about “honoring the men and women who fought to defend” the flag.
As a 39-year military veteran, I think I know something about the flag, the anthem, patriotism, and I think I know why we fight. It’s not to allow the president to divide us by wrapping himself in the national banner. I never imagined myself saying this before Friday, but if now forced to choose in this dispute, put me down with Kaepernick.
Whether or not the president of the United States will respond probably depends almost entirely on whether or not he sees this reported on Fox and Friends.