Thursday, February 22, 2018

The commander in chief is not in the military

By law: US code § 893
See Ridley v Warner 522 F.2d 882 (9th Cir. 1975)
Section 973(b) provides:

"Except as otherwise provided by law, no officer on the active list of the Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, Regular Marine Corps, or Regular Coast Guard may hold a civil office by election or appointment, whether under the United States, a Territory or possession, or a State. The acceptance of such a civil office or the exercise of its functions by such an officer terminates his military appointment."

So election to the presidency, rather than change a civilian into a military man, would do the exact opposite: change a military man into a civilian.
Were the president to be in the active duty military, he could not, under DoD Directive 1344, participate in political campaigns or other activity, or comment on public policy.

Tuesday, February 06, 2018