Retired General: Some in Military Want to 'Take Out the President'

A former top general and current executive at the Family Research Council says members of the military have considered staging a coup d'état against president, but will not because of civilian control of the military.

"People I've spoken to would like to see the military 'fulfill their constitutional duty and take out the president,' " retired Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin told World Net Daily, a website best known for pushing Obama "birther" conspiracy theories. "Our Constitution puts a civilian in charge of the military and as a result a coup would not be constitutional. You're not going to see a coup in the military."

"I talk to a lot of folks who don't support where Obama is taking the military, but in the military they can't say anything," Boykin said.

Boykin, an evangelical Christian who is now the executive vice president of the Family Research Council, was publicly repudiated by President Bush twice in 2003 for saying Muslims worship an "idol" and not "a real God." Last year, Boykin abruptly pulled out of appearing at a West Point ceremony after controversy erupted over the invitation. (Boykin has also said Islam "should not be protected under the First Amendment" and that there should be "no mosques in America" because "a mosque is an embassy for Islam and they recognize only a global caliphate.")

Boykin said Obama has purged from the ranks officers who don't support the president's "political correctness." The president's agenda, including the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" and allowing women to serve in combat, are making the military weaker, Boykin added.

Another former general, retired Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady, a recipient of the Medal of Honor, bemoaned toWND that today's military is all "girly-men leadership [and] medals for not shooting and operating a computer."