Jack’s Angle: 5 in 1, as the people wait – John J. “Jack” Partridge

Commentary by John J. “Jack” Partridge, contributing writer

#1 – Pity the poor voter in this presidential election. It is supposed to be a time to set priorities. Instead, we have two candidates who seemingly are unpopular, personally, with 50% of the electorate. Joe Biden is unpopular because of the state of affairs domestically, and in the world, inflation, self-inflicted concerns and doubts as to his mental condition, the southern border mess, and our fractured political culture.

#2 – Donald Trump is disliked because of the person he seems to be, narcissistic, unable to do more than mock others who disagree with him, and for whatever his role was in the January 6th debacle at the Capitol. He cannot change, even if he wanted to, and in any event, will not, because this is who he is. Take it or leave it, America. He may speak as though he cares about the country, and the working people who believe they have been adversely affected and damaged by an elite, but he does not. It is about being front page news – and not policy or care.

My big fear in this election is that one side or the other rejects the outcome as illegitimate, whether formally or aggressively passively leading to chaos.

#3 – All week we heard Washington state it would revenge the three deaths and forty wounded soldiers in Jordan at a “time and place of our choosing”.  Said so often it raises the question as to if there is a playbook of action, or not. Certainly, with the dozens of attacks against our troops over the past six months, we have to know our alternatives by now. Is it that our leaders do not have the will to proceed, hoping our anger will fade away? Our lack of action signals the wrong response from enemies. What good is having a Navy task force with carriers in the region if it cannot project the force that is needed?

Joe, I saw you boarding your helicopter on your way to a political event on Sunday – while we waited for action. I hope there is no truth to the rumor that we have had backdoor conversations with the mullahs of Teheran as to what kind of response against Iran’s proxies would cause retaliation from Iran, thereby putting our policy in their hands.

#4 – What happened to the military dictum that our forces will always have defensive cover? Why  do we have these tiny “outposts”  in the vast deserts of Syria, Iraq, and Jordan? Did we learn nothing in Iraq and Afghanistan?

#5 – And what idiot gave the map of the interior design of these outposts to the New York Times to publish?

Joe, we wait for action.

Editor’s Note: The US military struck targets on Friday and Saturday. President Biden has yet to formally address the American people on the attack on our military or the plan moving forward.

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To read more columns by Jack Partridge, go to: https://rinewstoday.com/our-team/john-j-jack-partridge/

John J. ‘Jack’ Partridge, is a retired lawyer and Senior Counsel to the firm of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, with four offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.A Pawtucket native, Jack graduated from St. Raphael Academy and summa cum laude of Providence College, where he majored in history. After Harvard Law School, he served in the United States Army in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal. In 1967, he joined the firm of Tillinghast Collins & Tanner. In 1988, he became a founding partner of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP.

Jack has been engaged in many civic, political, governmental, and business organizations, serving as legal counsel to the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce for 27 years and was chairman of the Old Slater Mill Association, Common Cause Rhode Island, and Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.

He is the co-founder of The Pawtucket Foundation and an officer and director of innumerable not-for-profit entities. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Pawtucket Boys & Girls Club and was Treasurer of the Ocean State Charities Trust.

Jack has a long history of leadership involvement with Providence College, which recognized him in 1999 with the Providence College Alumni Association Recognition Award for Public and Community Service, and in 2011, with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

He is married to the former Regina McDonald and has three children: Sarah, Gregory and David.