Democrats and Republicans are preparing to nominate two known national security risks 

Seeing grown men crying and begging for mercy was an unfortunate experience I had at the Pentagon. A mid-level officer was pleading with Pentagon officials not to ruin his military career over the careless handling of a classified document.

However, senior government officials in several administrations have played fast and loose with national security by deliberately misappropriating sensitive government materials for their own purposes.

In 2005, former President Clinton’s National Security Adviser Sandy Berger was arrested by the National Archives. stuff into suit pants A document that appears to have contained information damaging to Ms. Clinton. He pleaded guilty, paid a $10,000 fine, and received no jail time.

A major FBI investigation in 2016 revealed that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton kept thousands of pages of classified information secret from her. Unauthorized private server, It was exposed to foreign hacking. FBI Director James Comey decided not to prosecute.

Former President Donald Trump faces seven criminal charges Willful retention of national defense information, corrupt concealment of documents, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and making false statements. He initially refused to return the stolen documents to the government, claiming they had become declassified personal property.

A special counsel appointed by the Justice Department to investigate President Joe Biden’s unauthorized possession of classified government documents has found that President Biden was in unauthorized possession of classified government documents. “Intentionally retained and disclosed confidential material.” and repeatedly denied staff requests to return daily briefing materials. But Robert Herr assessed that the jury would not be willing to convict a “sympathetic old man with a poor memory”. Also, unlike Mr. Trump, Mr. Biden cooperated I returned the materials and agreed to be interviewed.

The Trump case clearly sets a new high bar for prosecution for violations of classified documents. Despite national security, anything short of outright defiance, sabotage, or sabotage will be given a free pass.

Both former and current presidents have personally obtained state secrets and exposed them to unauthorized persons or to possible use by foreign governments, including known enemies of the United States. exposed the country to grave danger. But these two deeply flawed old men 336 million The American people, the candidates of their respective parties, are widely expected to represent the world’s largest democracy and the only viable alternative to the leadership of the free world.

How could this have happened?

The first answer must be their insatiable personal egos, since neither the 81-year-old Mr. Biden nor the 77-year-old Mr. Trump were dragged into seeking a second term.

Nina Turner is the 2020 presidential campaign co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont). I said this Regarding the situation in 2024:

“No amount of gaslighting, denial, or delusion from Democratic Party insiders will change these facts. The American people have a right to be concerned. It would be incredibly selfish to run again at this stage. Do they have the right to do that? Yes. Should they? Absolutely not.” (Side note: Sanders won in 2020. If so, he would have remained in office from the age of 79 to 83.)

Unfortunately, senior leaders in both the Democratic and Republican parties lack the political courage or patriotic conscience to urge their candidates to step down now and support younger, more capable generations.

Democratic Party member dean phillips and political advisor david axelrod I did it. 8 Republicans Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations, was the only one left alive to challenge Trump’s coronation ambitions.

It wasn’t a groundswell of grassroots support that propelled Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump to an advantageous position. Each has a core constituency, but their flexible national committees changed the 2024 nomination rules to their advantage.

Democrats upended 104 years of party tradition by making South Carolina a state instead of New Hampshire. initial state Retaining authorized primaries. It was the state that halted Sanders’ surge in 2020 after Biden lost heavily in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. At the urging of Rep. James Clyburn (D.C.), African American voters came out in droves to save Biden’s skin.But this year, despite the establishment’s best efforts, turnout in the Democratic primary was low. only 4% — the lowest ever.

Regarding the “inevitability” of President Trump in 2024, the Republican National Committee Rejected Adopt proportional selection of delegates, if appropriate, or a requirement that the winner receive a majority vote rather than a plurality of votes in a runoff election. instead, winner take all The delegate selection rules that made Mr. Trump’s nomination possible in 2016 were extended to states that had proportional representation systems.nevada The jury orchestrated the chaotic caucus and key tricks. All delegates were assigned to the Trump-led caucus.

So the nation and the world, allies and adversaries alike, watch in disbelief that America’s national security could return to Biden or Trump, two men of similar age. Clearly disabled for both related and disparate reasons. It was displayed before they became president.

Mr. Trump showed that Absolute contempt for ethical and legal norms throughout his long business career.And Biden’s seriously flawed judgment That was clear long before I officially became a “Boy-Friendly Elderly Person.” Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who served with then-Vice President Biden in the Obama administration, said Biden “has been wrong on almost every major foreign policy issue for the past 40 years.” Biden also gave up running for president for the second time out of his four presidential elections for the following reasons. he plagiarized the speeches of British politicians.

It is an earnest hope that those involved will be able to remove themselves from the embarrassing and extremely dangerous predicament they have created for the nation. The Democratic establishment must convince Biden to step aside and allow younger generations like Mark Warner, Chris Murphy, Gavin Newsom, and even Kamala Harris to compete for leadership.

For the Republican Party, South Carolina voters will win the Feb. 24 primary by choosing the steady and steadfast Ms. Haley over the increasingly destabilizing Mr. Trump, who despises America’s military and military power. We have a unique opportunity to change the course of the election. Encourage Russia to invade NATO.Patriotic Democrats and Independent Voters Absent from Democratic Primary You can participate in that effort If Haley wins, she could persuade Democrats to change candidates.

Joseph Bosco served as the Secretary of Defense’s Director of China Affairs from 2005 to 2006 and Director of the Asia-Pacific Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief from 2009 to 2010. He served in the Pentagon when President Vladimir Putin invaded Georgia, and was also involved in the Pentagon. Discussion of the US response. Follow him on Twitter @BoscoJosephA.