August 31, 2010: Second Flag Officer and Fox Analyst Comes Out in Support of ‘Birther’ Army Doctor Facing Court-Martial

A second retired general serving as a Fox News analyst comes out in support of Lieutenant Colonel Terry Lakin, who has refused to obey orders deploying him to Afghanistan because, Lakin says, he questions President Obama’s citizenship and therefore his right to issue orders to the military. Lakin faces a court-martial for disobeying orders (see Before April 13, 2010 and April 22-23, 2010). Lieutenant General Thomas McInerney joins fellow Fox News analyst, retired Major General Paul Vallely, and a third retired officer, Major General Jerry Curry (see August 2, 2010), in support of Lakin. McInerney says in a statement: “[I]t is my opinion that LTC Lakin’s request for discovery relating to the president’s birth record in Hawaii is absolutely essential to determining not merely his guilt or innocence but to reassuring all military personnel once and for all for this president whether his service as commander in chief is constitutionally proper. He is the one single person in the chain of command that the Constitution demands proof of natural born citizenship. This determination is fundamental to our Republic, where civilian control over the military is the rule. According to the Constitution, the commander is chief must now, in the face of serious—and widely-held—concerns that he is ineligible, either voluntarily establish his eligibility by authorizing release of his birth records or this court must authorize their discovery. The invasion of his privacy is utterly trivial compared to the issues at stake here. Our military MUST have confidence their commander in chief lawfully holds his office and absent which confidence grievous consequences may ensue.” McInerney’s statement is released by the American Patriot Foundation, the “birther” organization raising money for Lakin’s defense. [WorldNetDaily, 8/31/2010; Huffington Post, 9/1/2010]