Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Before you shoot your mouth off

Before you go on the TV and start spouting, it is good to know who you’re talking to. For a 43-second education in this subject, watch this PoW vs JAG smackdown. As a CNAS friend said, the scorch marks are visible. I just love this video, especially the wagging finger. You have to love the ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
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577171_091111_6shooter25.jpg

Before you go on the TV and start spouting, it is good to know who you're talking to. For a 43-second education in this subject, watch this PoW vs JAG smackdown. As a CNAS friend said, the scorch marks are visible. I just love this video, especially the wagging finger. You have to love the American enlisted soldier, and his (or her) sense of the role that REMFs play. It reminds me also of something I once read, that in the Marines, a corporal in the infantry may be outranked by a captain in a support branch, but he possesses more moral authority. 

Before you go on the TV and start spouting, it is good to know who you’re talking to. For a 43-second education in this subject, watch this PoW vs JAG smackdown. As a CNAS friend said, the scorch marks are visible. I just love this video, especially the wagging finger. You have to love the American enlisted soldier, and his (or her) sense of the role that REMFs play. It reminds me also of something I once read, that in the Marines, a corporal in the infantry may be outranked by a captain in a support branch, but he possesses more moral authority. 

(HT to Mr. Attackerman)

Willie Lunchmeat/Flickr

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

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