The Importance of a Well-Run White House (Without Leaks)

Ret. Marine Corps General John F. Kelly

The reasons for appointing a general to White House chief of staff in 2017 are the same for President Donald J. Trump as they were for Richard M. Nixon in 1973. Watergate and Vietnam raged then. Tight command was needed in the highest offices of the United States.

Constant media attack, continuous leaks, and pending foreign military action drive this president's choice.

The big difference is that active Army Major General Haig transferred over from his position as Military Assistant to the Presidential Assistant for National Security Affairs (Henry Kissinger), while retired Marine Corps General John F. Kelly comes to the White House from his role as United States Secretary of Homeland Security.

What does this say?

1. The Department of Homeland Security is not really all that important to our security.
2. Kelly wasn't doing such a great job over at DHS.
3. A well-run White House (without leaks) is more important to U.S. national security than a well-commanded DHS.

Perhaps this lets the secret out that the DHS is just a $50-billion layer of bureaucratic boondoggle that really doesn't enhance our "homeland security". A handful of highly-skilled sharpies in the West Wing could do a better job of coordinating the work of our various intelligence agencies (e.g., CIA, FBI, NSA, etc.).

Questions have been raised by those who view the closing down of illegal immigration in to the U.S. as to Kelly's commitment to this effort. Maybe it's better to put somebody at DHS who's fully dedicated to this aim.

With military action pending against North Korea and other hot spots around the globe, and the virulent and unremitting attacks on the U.S. president from the media, the argument that having a tight ship in the White House is critically important to our national security. 

And what about those leaks? We can only hope all the best minds in technology and security are brought to the task of tightening down on them as well.