Amateur Hour
I can’t resist. I have tried, but I can’t.
Trump is a total amateur. A complete child in a land of grown ups.
His organizational capacity is weak. His personnel selection ability is mixed. His leadership ability questionable. And his strong man image a total illusion.
We were promised, throughout the election, that a Trump presidency would be, amongst many amazing things, one of iron will and foreign policy grit. Gone would be those days of Obama searching for a more modern role for the world’s mightiest army. Gone would be those apologies for bygone mistakes. Gone would be the days of equivocation. No. Not at all. We were going straight back to the heady days of Teddy Roosevelt and the strong arm, red-blooded, all-American, tough guy, rapid response.
ISIS was doomed. Give it a few days at best.
North Korea was doomed. Give it a few days at best.
Europe falling apart? So what?
NATO? Let them defend themselves.
China? Bring it on. That’s a sure fire war in the making.
Trump was going to bring the swagger back to American foreign policy. The bully boy was back in town.
Well.
Not so much.
Russia, so we learn, rigged the election and has files that incriminate Trump and a few of his main men. So the latest Ukrainian unrest? Not a whisper from our fearless leader. Carry on Russia! We aren’t looking.
That defiance over the South China Sea? That radical phone call to Taiwan? That tough guy talk about Chinese trade? Evaporated in the first phone call with the Chinese president. The Chinese press now calls Trump a “paper tiger”. Toothless, belligerent, but a pussy cat nonetheless.
That North Korean missile launch? The silence is almost deafening. Trump punted the problem to the Chinese — it’s their issue.
Then there’s the complete chaos in the Trump administration itself.
General Flynn turns out to have been paid by the Russians. He spoke to them about foreign policy whilst being an advisor during the election. He thus broke the law twice over.
Trump himself knew about all this which means he broke the law too.
And he didn’t have the fortitude to fire Flynn. In a strange and eye-opening contradiction of his TV persona Trump didn’t fire Flynn peremptorily, he waited timidly for the resignation. Weak-man Trump rather than strongman Trump.
So much equivocation was there in the White House about Flynn and the threat to national security that he represented, that the Department of Justice (and other concerned agencies) where responsible folks had warned Trump about the possibility of leaks and breaches etc, had to resort to leaking their concerns to the press in order to engender sufficient energy to get a result. Trump, apparently, was frozen in inaction.
Then there was the absurdity of the reaction to that North Korean missile launch.
It came during a fancy outdoor dinner reception Trump was hosting in Florida. The subsequent scenes as Trump and his aides huddled in plain view of his guests in order to cobble together the American response was a textbook example of insecurity. Secret documents were strewn across the dinner table where guests could get good photos of them. Aides huddled within ear shot. It was all a great big show for the guests, many of whom immediately updated their social network pages with photos and updates oblivious to the national security risks, but drunk on the splendor of sharing the moment with their host. How fun it must have been for Buffy and Muffy to be there in the center of the action. It was almost like the movies. Now that’s worth another big donation to the Trump coffers. Real time immersion in the affairs of state. Good food too.
Trump is in way over his head. He cannot, yet, discern the difference between being a business honcho throwing a big bash for buddies, and being the President of the United States. He acts as if the nation is just an extension of his business. This is all just a great big money making opportunity. There are deals to be made. Just don’t stare at him or else he’ll quiver in fear.
The ship of state is riddled with security breaches, lapses, and weaknesses that make anyone with a sense of propriety cringe.
The man has no respect for his office.
He is an amateur.
This is amateur hour.
And the Republican leadership min Congress? Are they cranking up the ancient protections that the constitution provides? Are they wheeling out all their best outrage over our foreign policy missteps? Are they bravely stepping up to defend the rule of law? Are they taking on their assigned role as overseers of government? Do they give a damn?
Of course not.
Amateur hour indeed.
