An Enthusiastic Welcome for McMaster

Perhaps the only people in Washington with any skepticism about the selection were Mike Flynn loyalists on the national security council staff—understandably so, for those who were brought in to work for the man McMaster is replacing. The caution is also understandable since McMaster’s been given “100 percent” control of hiring and firing, according to press secretary Sean Spicer. “The president’s been very, very clear with that. He is the national security advisor, and he will have whatever he needs to implement a successful team,” Spicer said Tuesday afternoon.

McMaster arrived at the White House Tuesday and has met with some of his staff. The first impression has been good. “Everybody’s nervous,” said one NSC source. “But everybody’s a lot less nervous now that we’ve met him.” That may be, but other NSC staff members who have known and worked with McMaster had been enthusiastically pushing for the Army officer even before he was named as a potential candidate.

A Hiccup for McMaster’s Appointment

The position of national security advisor doesn’t require Senate confirmation, but McMaster is an active duty officer in the Army—and will remain on active duty during his time in the White House. As the Washington Examiner notes, McMaster is a three-star officer, and his job change means he will need Senate confirmation to keep his three-star status:

Thanks to the aforementioned praise McMaster has received, it seems unlikely he’ll have a tough time getting through a fairly routine process—and one previous NSAs on active duty (like Brent Scowcroft and Colin Powell) passed easily.

Will Trump Provide Arms for Ukrainians Defending Their Homeland?

Eastern Europe is a region where McMaster could bring a noticeable change to the administration’s foreign policy, specifically with regard to Russian aggression and military build-up. That’s because the Army officer was recently part of a government panel to study how the United States should respond to this threat. Last year, McMaster told the Senate Armed Services committee that Russia “possesses a variety of rocket, missile, and cannon artillery systems that outrange and are more lethal than U.S. Army artillery systems and munitions” and cited Ukraine as one place where this mobilized army had been deployed.

Perhaps McMaster’s knowledge and work on Russian military prowess partly explains why John McCain, the chairman of that committee, was so praiseworthy of his selection. McCain has sounded the alarm on Russia for years, and most recently, he wrote a letter to President Trump requesting the administration arm Ukrainians fighting Russian-backed separatists in their country with lethal weapons.

At the Thursday briefing, I asked Sean Spicer when the White House would reply to McCain’s letter and what the administration’s policy is on arming the Ukrainians.

“I don’t have anything for you on that,” Spicer said. “I’ll try to get back to you on that. I know that we’re very pleased…to watch Senator McCain praise the pick of General McMaster. That’s obviously someone who we’ll consult with.” That may reassure Russia hawks who otherwise see an administration not inclined to act tough toward Vladimir Putin’s regime.

A spokesperson for McCain did not reply to a request for comment. In a follow-up, a White House spokesman referred questions about the funding of arms for Ukrainians to the Pentagon.

A Cool Moment

President Trump visited the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on Tuesday morning. Among those joining him were his nominee for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, and his Carson’s wife Candy.

But what makes the moment so cool is that Carson and his wife were able to see, for the first time, the museum’s exhibit on Carson himself and his pioneering work as a neurosurgeon. How many people can say they viewed a Smithsonian exhibit about themselves with the president of the United States?

Song of the Day

“That Much Further West,” Lucero