Trump, Teddy Roosevelt, and the importance of seeing what the experts don’t

When President Teddy Roosevelt brokered the peace deal between Russia and Japan that formally ended the Russo-Japanese War in September 1905, he didn’t publicly claim that neither side knew what the fuck they were doing, but he might well have thought that in private.  When President Teddy Roosevelt brokered the peace deal between Russia and… Continue reading Trump, Teddy Roosevelt, and the importance of seeing what the experts don’t

Can someone, anyone explain why President Trump would go to war with Iran at this point?

Somehow, he has achieved what would make the greatest foreign policy practitioner in Presidential history, Teddy Roosevelt blush:  He’s taking credit for a war complete with making demands of the currently losing side without directly prosecuting it.  As inevitable as the sun coming up in the morning, war hysteria appears to be gripping Washington in… Continue reading Can someone, anyone explain why President Trump would go to war with Iran at this point?

Some assassins are more equal than others, at least according to far too many progressives

When Luigi Mangione gunned down a health insurance CEO six months ago, he was hailed as a hunky folk hero fighting for the oppressed, but somehow violence directed at Democrats is beyond the pale. I have a pretty simple rule:  Political violence including political assassinations is bad, beyond the pale, something that should never happen… Continue reading Some assassins are more equal than others, at least according to far too many progressives

Democrats are caught between the rock that is President Trump and the hard place of their supporters who loathe him

To be successful, politicians need to at least seem like they’re driving the conversation, directly engaged on the issues that matter, either contributing to successes and pointing out failures, but progressives hate the President so much, they will not permit anything except resistance. On Tuesday evening, Democrats faced the age-old dilemma of the party out… Continue reading Democrats are caught between the rock that is President Trump and the hard place of their supporters who loathe him

Trump, the Russo-Japanese War, and the truth about negotiating with Russia

Generally speaking, it’s true not to make concessions prior to a negotiation, but it’s also true that you are unlikely to begin negotiations in the first place if your position is perceived as unacceptable.  When you are negotiating a fair price for a new car, you don’t begin by offering half of the list price.… Continue reading Trump, the Russo-Japanese War, and the truth about negotiating with Russia

The boldest foreign policy vision in a hundred years or more, bar none

If nine out of ten people in the Gaza Strip have lost their homes, and some of those homes might not be rebuilt for more than a decade, even forgetting the rest of the infrastructure required to support a community, where are these people supposed to live in the interim?  In tents?  In the rubble?… Continue reading The boldest foreign policy vision in a hundred years or more, bar none

The Full Trump from Day One

Before the inauguration speech was even over, President Trump declared it was a new Golden Age in America, promised to take back the Panama Canal and reinvigorated the much maligned phrase, Manifest Destiny, this time applying it to our quest to conquer the stars, and he was just getting warmed up. Love him or hate… Continue reading The Full Trump from Day One

Of course, Mark Zuckerberg caved to President Donald Trump, exactly as he should have

It appears the Facebook mega-billionaire has learned the lessons of John D. Rockefeller’s belligerent reaction to Teddy Roosevelt’s antitrust suit that ultimately dissolved Standard Oil. Teddy Roosevelt is generally considered the first American President to take on and reign in big business in America.  At the time, large corporations were organized into byzantine trusts, essentially… Continue reading Of course, Mark Zuckerberg caved to President Donald Trump, exactly as he should have

The Elon Musk Factor shouldn’t be underestimated in Trump’s second term

There has never been a partnership like the world’s most powerful and world’s richest man seemingly attached at the hip, neither of whom can be intimidated by anyone, under any circumstances, and whom the establishment has absolutely no power or control over.   I’ll admit:  The sight of the world’s most powerful and world’s richest… Continue reading The Elon Musk Factor shouldn’t be underestimated in Trump’s second term

Trump in Paris and a presidential transition unlike any other

When Trump first entered office in 2017, he was a political neophyte, but his challenge was even starker with seemingly no awareness that a resistance in the very body he was supposed to lead would soon be actively plotting against him. By now, everyone knows that President-elect Donald Trump is only the second Chief Executive… Continue reading Trump in Paris and a presidential transition unlike any other