Ole Bucky’ll be back before you can say “Blast Off”
by digby
I’ll bet you thought that scene was satire didn’t you? Well think again. CNN reports on one of those fully trustworthy members of the National Security c0.3omplex in whom we Americans are supposed to have so much confidence:
A U.S. general who oversaw nuclear weapons boozed, fraternized with “hot women” and disrespected his hosts during an official visit to Russia this year, an investigative report shows.
Maj. Gen. Michael Carey led the 20th Air Force responsible for three nuclear wings.
He was relieved of duty in October because of loss of confidence in his leadership, the Air Force said at the time without providing specific details.But an Air Force Inspector General report released Thursday sheds more light into the case.
It details the events of a July trip to Moscow in which witnesses recalled Carey drinking too much.
During a layover in Switzerland, the report states, he bragged loudly about his position as commander of a nuclear force, saying he “saves the world from war every day.”
And the shenanigans continued in Moscow, according to the report.
While there, Carey and an unidentified man walked to a nearby hotel to meet “two foreign national women.” He returned to his Marriott hotel room in the wee hours of the morning.
As a result, Carey was 45 minutes late in joining a delegation to the Moscow suburb of Sergiyev Posad, according to the report. He attributed the tardiness to jet lag, and said his body clock was out of whack.
During a lunch banquet later, he downed more alcohol and talked about Syria and Edward Snowden, according to the report.
His Russian hosts did not seem amused by his comments, according to the report.
Russia granted Snowden, a former NSA contractor who released intelligence secrets, temporary asylum this year. Russia is also a major ally of Syria.
In addition, Carey announced he’d “met two hot women the night before,” and continually interrupted a monastery guide during a tour, the report says, his speech slurred the entire time.
“At one point, he tried to give her (the guide) a fist bump,” the report says, citing a witness. “She had no idea what he was trying to do. It was again, very, very embarrassing.”
Yeah. But what’s the big deal about a nuclear accident, really? I’m not saying we wouldn’t get our hair mussed. 20, 30 million tops …
The good news is that this fellow has suffered no career repercussions. He’s one of the “good guys” you see.
Update: Oh, this is interesting. The tentacles of the national security state go everywhere …evunthelibrul TNR.
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