* NATO–“Not A Trump Organization.”
It’s understandable that no international leader was spotted sporting a “NATO” cap last week in London. We know that key NATO leaders have a collective loathe affair going with Trump, but it’s counterproductive to be too obvious when you need the cooperation and wherewithal of the wealthiest and most militarily powerful country in the world. That’s why you get awkward body language and what amounts to open-mic lampooning of Trump–for bluster and buffoonery–behind his back. NATO leaders–frustrated and furious with Trump over climate change, treaty commitments and tariff chaos–are trying to bide time until, they hope, they can hit a reset button with President Joe Biden.
* Unsurprisingly, partisanship was very much in play during the Judiciary Hearing. And that continued with the testimony of Constitutional law experts, three of whom were appointed by the Dems, one by the GOPsters. But the Dems passed on the ultimate constitutional law professor with some partisan skin in the game: Barack Obama.
* North Korea, Ukraine, Iran, NATO, China, Russia. Imagine if America hadn’t elected “a businessman” who was a gifted “negotiator.” Call it “The Artifice of the Deal,” a disturbing sequel.
And this just in: The demander-in-chief has just brought “Rocket Man” back into the geopolitical conversation, and it has nothing to do with Elton John. Trump’s recent reference to Kim Jong-un–in the context of possibly using military force–as “Rocket Man” brought about a rebuke from North Korea and a warning about the resumption of the war of insults. Indeed, NK’s vice foreign minister, Choe Son-hui, has already resurrected the “dotage of a dotard” in response. This would all be merely goofy and dumb if it weren’t about negotiating “denuclearization.” Remember that?
* “Like a good lawyer, I am gathering evidence to defend my client.”–That was the reason, according to Rudy Giuliani, why he,Trump’s personal attorney and a Mike Pompeo wannabe, was recently in Ukraine meeting with former government officials. Upon reflection, Michael Cohen has never seemed so scrupulous and transparent.
* Whether it’s Russian cooperation/collusion, NATO disparagement or narcissistic North Korean “negotiations,” national security is an inevitable concern, if not a source of ongoing alarm, that comes with the Trump-presidency territory. Now add this. It’s beyond ironic, hypocritical and stupid that the one who wanted to “lock her up” because of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email account, has conducted numerous conversations on an unsecured cell phone because he didn’t want the calls–to Zolo Zelenskiy? Stormy Daniels? Sean Hannity? Prince Andrew? Kanye West? Matt Goetz? Kid Rock?–officially logged in. As a result, those calls were, to be sure, vulnerable to monitoring by Russians and other foreign intelligence services with vile vested interests. Did Moscow, for example, know that Trump was engaged in efforts to extort political favors from Ukraine? Yes, that’s a rhetorical question.
Encryption? What the hell’s that?
* Would that Trump were as conciliatory toward NATO or the House of Representatives as he is toward the Saudis. Presumably, it’s an extension of the “special relationship” that’s been especially fraught for the last two decades between a democracy with a bill of rights and an autocracy with second-class status for women. From 9/11 mass-murdering hijackers to the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi to human rights abuses in Yemen to the Royal Saudi Air Force pilot trainee who terrorized the Pensacola naval base and murdered three American sailors. We don’t need their oil like we used to, but they buy billions in armaments from the U.S. and are the only regional power to counter Iran. Too bad the U.S. dropped out of the Iran nuclear deal.
* “Trump of the Tropics.”–That’s how Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing president of Brazil, is increasingly known as. No, it’s not a compliment.