I don’t think the Chairman should comment on hypothetical US policy about shooting down an allies planes to some students. He is, afterall, a soldier.
I think you are correct.
True, he was right not to speculate. But the fact that there’s this much doubt about what this administration would do says a lot. We need to start acting like we know who our friends are or we won’t have any.
I was hoping this was just some random military officer speaking out of turn, then I saw it was the Chairman of the Armed Forces
No, he shouldn’t comment on a hypothetical question on U.S. policy. However, I’m very uncomfortable with the answer he gave. He could have (should have) just pointedly stated thaat he has no comment regarding such a hypothetical question and left it at that.
Exactly.
In the George W. Bush administration there would be no doubt whatsoever that we would never shoot down Israeli planes, and the chairman would not need to resort to such mealy mouthed, politically correct non-answers.