Michael Flynn, ex-DIA who was cut short in his term, is named as a possible VP for Republican candidate Trump. Both share the view the US and NATO should be less belligerent towards Russia and cooperate with Putin to fight Islamic extremists.

Would that be something, on foreign policy Trump would present a ticket more Democratic leaning than Hillary Clinton.

US election: Who will Trump pick as his vice-president?

Like much of Washington’s political theatre, the speculation about who the two major party candidates will pick as their vice-presidential running mates means everything – and nothing.

In less than two weeks, when the Republican National Convention kicks off in Cleveland, the identity of Donald Trump’s number 2 will be known.

Donald Trump is dealing with a rather unusual challenge as he reviews possible vice-presidential picks. The person he wants may not want him. Already Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has all but removed herself from consideration, as has Tennessee Senator Bob Corker.

The presumptive nominee has said that he’s looking for a vice-president who has solid foreign policy credentials, knows the inner workings of Congress and can help him pass his legislative agenda.

Then again, the renegade outsider could pick someone totally off everyone’s radar.

Next to Mike Pence, Newt Gingrich or Chris Christie the presumptive Republican presidential candidate may come forward with Michael Flynn.

Michael Flynn
Home: Rhode Island
Age: 57

Who is he? The former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and a career Army officer who reached the rank of lieutenant general. Prior to his final posting, he served as the senior intelligence officer for the Joint Special Operations Command and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was reportedly forced out of the service following policy conflicts with Obama administration political appointees. He also called on Hillary Clinton to suspend her campaign while she was under investigation for mishandling classified information. He has written a book, The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies, which will go on sale later in July.

Ex-US Intelligence Chief on Islamic State’s Rise: ‘We Were Too Dumb’ | Der Spiegel |

Without the Iraq war, Islamic State wouldn’t exist today, former US special forces chief Mike Flynn openly admits. In an interview, he explains IS’ rise to become a professional force and how the Americans allowed its future leader to slip out of their hands.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: In recent weeks, Islamic State not only conducted the attacks in Paris, but also in Lebanon and against a Russian airplane over the Sinai Peninsula. What has caused the organization to shift its tactics and to now operate internationally?

FLYNN: There were all kinds of strategic and tactical warnings and lots of reporting. And even the guys in the Islamic State said that they were going to attack overseas. I just don’t think people took them seriously. When I first heard about the recent attacks in Paris, I was like, “Oh, my God, these guys are at it again, and we’re not paying attention.” The change that I think we need to be more aware of is that, in Europe, there is a leadership structure. And there’s likely a leader or a leadership structure in each country in Europe. The same is probably similar for the United States, but just not obvious yet.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Islamic State’s leader is the self-proclaimed Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. What kind of leader is he?

FLYNN: It’s really important to differentiate between the way Osama bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri represent themselves when they come out in public and how al-Baghdadi represented himself when he declared the caliphate. Bin Laden and Zawahiri sit in their videos, legs crossed, flag behind them, and they’ve got an AK-47 in their laps. They are presenting themselves as warriors. Baghdadi brought himself to a mosque in Mosul and spoke from the balcony, like the pope, dressed in appropriate black garb. He stood there as a holy cleric and proclaimed the Islamic caliphate. That was a very, very symbolic act. It elevated the fight from this sort of military, tactical and localized conflict to that of a religious and global war.