David French: Pawn Or Patriot?
Many conservative pundits have yet to come to grips with the prospect of a Donald Trump nomination, so they have been busily proposing other third party candidates as well. Bill Kristol, who is editor of the Weekly Standard, is perhaps the most famous individual who is vouching for the potential of a third party candidate. He mentioned on a nationwide talk show that he would propose an independent candidate very soon that the public could consider. Speculation abounded on who it could be. Colin Powell? Condoleezza Rice? Susana Martinez? Well, he revealed his choice this week, and in all honesty it was a bit of a surprise. The individual he revealed definitely would have a lot to offer an administration, however.
The man’s name is David French, and he does, indeed, have an impressive resume to consider. Of course, the question on the minds of many would be whether French is a pawn or a patriot. Is he a patriot because of some service he has done to his country? Or is he a pawn at the hands of a cynical GOP establishment who just can’t accept the prospect of a Donald Trump candidacy? It is a good question, and something we need to examine further.
First of all, is David French a patriot? You can definitely make a compelling case for it. First of all, French is a graduate of Harvard Law School and is currently a major in the reserves in the Army. Moreover, French is also a past president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and is a lawyer who has served as senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice. Moreover, David French is also a published author who has written a number of books on a wide range of subjects, including a foreign policy manual on the best way to defeat ISIS.
Thus, although David French has never held any elected office before, he is definitely qualified to become a world leader. Should he decide against running for president, he definitely should consider running for Congress, the senate, or perhaps even as a lieutenant governor or even a governor. It’s not beyond imagination to even believe he might have a cabinet post in his future.
However, it is also not beyond the realm of possibility to say that David French, despite his many impressive activities, is nothing more than a pawn that is being used by the GOP establishment.
To start with, Kristol hyped the possibility there would be a better choice and then picked out David French as his choice. That is all well and good, but according to Pat Buchanan, Kristol is only “making himself look ridiculous.” French does have a good pedigree, and he would indeed have a great career in public service, but the problem many have is who is he? Wouldn’t it have been better for Kristol to have drafted Colin Powell or someone else well-known for a third-party run? Signs point to yes.
Again, we are not degrading David French by any means. The fact remains, however, that Bill Kristol is making the establishment GOP look like sore losers. Like the proverbial young boy who decides he cannot win on the court so he just decides to take his ball and goes home, this is what it appears to independents. So, in this regard, it definitely looks like David French is nothing more than a pawn for these Republicans and their activities in the “Never Trump” movement.
In all honesty, French is probably a little of both. His stances and resume are definitely impressive, but the jury is definitely still out on whether he will run or not. One pretty telling recent piece is evidence is the fact that, even though he was endorsed by Bill Kristol, he just announced that he too is supporting Donald Trump. Well, Mr. Kristol, so much for his third-party run.
[AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli]
