Sam Michel: Promises made, promises kept

Thanks to the Trump administration for its latest demonstration of government transparency by including an editor from The Atlantic magazine in a group chat about attack plans on Houthi targets in Yemen. By shrewdly refusing to designate the operation “highly classified,” and refusing to hide behind the security of their government-issue phones, the actors in this exciting drama allowed us to view how a truly merit-based cabinet operates, freed from the incompetence of DEI hires.

Thanks to this crack team of top-level defense and intelligence leaders, we enjoyed a minute-by-minute look inside the minds behind a genuine U.S. military mission. The passion shown by our secretary of defense recalled me to my teenage days, playing the board game “Battleship” with buddies in my parents’ basement.

If only The Atlantic editor had published this chat sooner. Think of the audience he might have drawn. Think of listening in on the real-time communications between real-life leaders directing real-life Tom Cruises. My dad, a retired Air Force general, must be knocking at his coffin box to bust out and claim his 15 minutes of fame. Even my brother, a retired Air Force captain, never dreamed such publicity for such sensitive missions could be possible.

We’re so fortunate our president rescued talents such as Pete Hegseth from their humdrum lives as weekend Fox TV personalities. Who knows, old Greasy Pete might soon invite us all to a future chat: Join in, as our leaders guide our pilots toward the next Chinese balloon to float across the nation.

Sam Michel

Heath