Pentagon Considering Options For Trump's Military Parade
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WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) - As the 1932 song goes "I love a parade."
That's pretty much what President Donald Trump was channeling when he asked the Pentagon to put on a military parade.
This has apparently been on the President' mind since his trip to France last year and when he watched the French military on display at a Bastille Day parade.
During a news conference later, Trump said he was impressed by what he saw.
"It was one of the greatest parades I've ever seen. It was two hours on the button and it was military might and I think a tremendous thing for France and for the spirit of France. And people don't know what great warriors they are in France. And if you see that and you see all the victories it was a tremendous thing," said Trump. "And to a large extent, because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July 4th in Washington, down Pennsylvania Avenue. I don't know. We're going to have to try and top it."
Flash forward to today, at a White House press briefing U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis addressed the President's request.
"We're all aware in this country of the president's affection and respect for the military. We've been putting together some options. We'll send them up to the White House for a decision," said Mattis.
Some senators on Capitol Hill liked the idea of a military parade.
"I don't mind having a parade honoring the service and sacrifice of our military members. I'm not looking for a Soviet-style hardware display. That's not who we are. That's kind of cheesy and I think shows weakness quite frankly. But have a parade where we can display our finest and we can all say thank you and honor them that'd be fine. I'd like to see kids marching, I'd like to thank our military families," said Senator Lindsey Graham R-SC
Others didn't.
"I don't think it's a particularly good idea. Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud. When you are the most powerful nation in all of human history you don't have to show it off like Russia does, like North Korea, and China. And we are the most powerful nation in human history. Everyone knows that, there's no need to broadcast it," said Sen. John Kennedy, R-LA.
