Sir, point of order, Sir
So the question of the hour is: does a Twitter blurt from the Toddler President equal a direct order to the military if it announces a new policy on who can join that military?
It seems to be blindingly obvious that it doesn’t, but not everyone agrees. Some say it’s a direct order and the military is disobeying a direct order by saying they’re not doing anything until they hear from the White House.
I just don’t see how it can be a genuine order to the military. It’s not addressed to them. It’s much closer to a “who will rid me of this meddling priest?” than it is to a direct explicit do it now order. Telling the world about a new policy isn’t the same thing as directing the relevant agency or department to carry out that order. A generalized tweet isn’t an order just as a press release isn’t an order. A tweet actually addressed to the Secretary of Defense or the head of the Joint Chiefs might qualify as an order, but a general unaddressed tweet? It can’t be. Something that addresses everyone can’t be an order to someone specific, surely?
(And an order delivered via a tweet addressed to the Secretary of Defense or the head of the Joint Chiefs would be grotesque. What non-deranged head of state would ever do that?)
But I ain’t no lawyer and I ain’t no expert on military procedures, neither.
Pretty sure a direct order has to be directed to someone, directly, with them as you say specifically addressed, with every confidence that they are among the very most likely people to GET the order, communicated TO THEM, through channels that are among the most reliable, and usually the most conventional and expected. Screaming on a mountaintop, for instance, won’t be communicating any direct orders to anyone but stones. Screaming on Twitter isn’t providing a direct order to anyone but the Toddler’s Twitter followers, most of whom (counting all of us suffering them indirectly) (1) are in no position to carry them out, and in any case (2) are too busy laughing at him, hanging our heads in shame, and wondering if we have to staple the 25th Amendment to the faces of Congress and Cabinet.
Ah yes, that’s a point I overlooked. Twitter is addressed to everyone but also to no one, because it’s an optional medium. It would be deranged to issue an order to the military by putting an ad on Craig’s list, and the same applies to Twitter.
What, are we supposed to assume some eager young private will alert the Joint Chiefs to this one tweet that tells them to change policy?
I mean yeah, in practice, people mostly do know what Trump tweets unless they actively avoid knowing, because it gets reported all over the place. But in principle – that is not how you deliver orders.
And maybe there ought to be enough detail and nuance in an official order to require more than 140 characters?
Well, Ben, it usually requires a policy for how to carry it out and things, what to do with those who are already there, procedures, regulations, etc – which means, lots of work, so the Donald won’t be interested. He thinks an order just means that – go do it. He doesn’t realize it often means boatloads of documentation and other things that go along with running a government. Underling, do what I say – that’s his way. Then, if not, “You’re fired!” He clearly sees his role in this as the overlord of “White House Apprentice”.
In the military, there is this thing known as “Chain of Command”. It means colonels and generals do not go around giving random orders to random corporals and privates. So I don’t think any president just orders “the military” to do anything, anymore than he would show up at a base one day and take command of a platoon. He would actually have to speak directly to the people appointed to run the army, and tell them what to do. Probably too subtle of a concept for this moron though.
In theory, Donnie could put the @ symbol in front of whatever account names the Joint Chiefs have in order to actually issue the order directly to them. But that won’t work if they don’t have Twitter accounts.
Also, if it’s decided that presidential orders can be given via social media the hackers will be in paradise.
That people are aware of Trump’s tweets without having to follow them directly has a lot to do with them being batshit crazy, which the military will also regard as a problem with orders. (Usually, hopefully, cross our fingers.)