I normally agree with most of what Rush Limbaugh says, but on his Tuesday radio show, he appeared to chide President Donald Trump for not getting rid of all of Obama's political appointees.  The particular incident that fostered this discussion was acting attorney general Sally Yates's failure to abide by President Trump's executive order regarding refugees.  Yates transmitted a memo stating that the attorney general's office would not defend Trump's order in court – this despite being advised by internal staff attorneys that the order is legal.

Acting with dispatch, the Trump administration relieved Yates of her duties – fired her, to the immediate and vocal consternation of the left.  Senator Charles Schumer referred to this action as a "Monday night massacre," hearkening back to Nixon's request for the resignation of his own attorney general and his deputy.

Mr. Limbaugh appeared to state that this storm could have been prevented had President Trump accepted all of the resignations of all Obama appointees, keeping none of them on to serve him.  I agree, but that wasn't Trump's strategy here.  This "storm" will turn out to be a huge win for President Trump, and here is why.

For the most part, Limbaugh is correct – clean out the stable and start anew.  As you may remember, when the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) conducted an illegal strike in 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired them and decertified the union.  This gave him a lot of credibility, both domestically and, as later revealed by unclassified Soviet intelligence documents, internationally.  People believed that when Reagan said something, he meant it.  In short, keeping this particular Obama appointee around enabled Trump to have his own PATCO moment, at a far earlier time in his administration and with far less disruption to America.

President Trump needed to be able to publicly fire someone – show that he is "draining the swamp," and to do so in such a circumstance that the firing was clearly warranted.  Yates's insubordinate actions enabled President Trump to immediately take action and publicly fire an agency head for open and notorious defiance of a lawful order.  This swift response to liberal defiance put audiences, both domestic and foreign, on notice – there is a new sheriff in town, and he doesn't play games.

Mike Ford is a sometime contributor to American Thinker, frequently edited by his lovely bride, a retired high school principal.