In response to Doris W. Draper: You submit that the travel of President Donald Trump is wasteful, but you neglect to mention that every president has made what the general public would consider wasteful decisions during his time in the Oval Office (“Government waste starts with Trump himself”).
Do yourself a favor: Read the book “Dereliction of Duty: Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Compromised America’s National Security,” written by Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson when he was the U.S. Air Force’s military aide to President Clinton. Then, you can create a more informed opinion of wasteful presidential spending.
Be mindful that there are valid reasons the president travels with such a large footprint. Most are related to national security and for the security of the president. If you want to challenge me on how I know this information, I am a retired U.S. Navy senior chief petty officer and served as the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Presidential Emergency Operations Center of the White House Military Office from 1997 to 2000.
Russ Knaub
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
