Below The Beltway

Stars and Stripes reports that Major Stefan Cook’s decision to use his military reservist status to advance a meritless conspiracy theory has had an impact on one of his fellow officers:

Army Maj. Stefan Cook sought out a notorious lawyer in February, formally volunteered for an Afghan deployment in May and was granted orders to deploy in June.

But the Army reservist’s intention appeared not so much to fight for America as to fight against President Barack Obama, in furtherance of a bizarre conspiracy theory.

In July, Cook filed a lawsuit against the Army, the defense secretary and the president, claiming that Obama could not lawfully order him to go to war because he is not the legitimate president of the United States

As we know by now, the U.S. Army decided to rescind Cook’s orders rather than give in to his attempt to advance his own agenda and that of his attorney. As a result of that, though, someone else has had to pay the price:

Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, a spokeswoman for SOCCENT, said the Army couldn’t let Cook’s critical engineer billet be hijacked by further legal wrangling. Cook was scheduled to deploy on July 15, and his position cannot sit empty.

The officer Cook was supposed to replace “is going to have to remain in Afghanistan a while longer,” Silkman said, noting the Army is seeking a replacement. “No one has been identified yet, but it is a priority fill, so we’re working on it and expect to fill it soon. Engineers are in high demand.”

Thanks to Taitz and Cook, a soldier who was expecting to go home has been forced to stay behind until a replacement is found. There’s a term in the military for men like Cook — Blue Falcon, and it fits.

By the way, Orly filed another lawsuit last week on Cook’s behalf related to his dismissal from his government contracting position. That case has already been dismissed.

H/T: Mudville Gazette