Fire and Fury

Crazy and Crazier:  Now they’ve really done it.  Those wily North Koreans are ahead of schedule.  Not only do they have  intercontinental ballistic missiles that can make it as far as the US mainland, but yesterday we learned that the Defense Intelligence Agency believes they have also figured out how to miniaturize nuclear warheads.  They just have to figure out how to put a warhead on one of those ICBMs and work out the mechanics of reentry, getting the armed missile  back into the earth’s atmosphere intact.  At the rate they are going, they could be ready to send a package our way in a year or two.  Kim Jong Un’s growing nuclear arsenal provides him with a great deterrent, ensuring the long term viability of North Korea and his regime.  However, the deterrence only works if he never uses one of his nukes because if he does he will be obliterated, it won’t be pretty for South Korea or anyone else, but he will be gone.  If he is a rational actor he knows this and won’t actually go to war, instead he will use his arsenal to extract some kind of concession such as the elimination of sanctions and more food and supplies in exchange for freezing his nuclear progress.   However, no one knows for sure if he is rational.  And no one knows for sure if Trump is rational.  Trump reacted to news of North Korea’s advancing nuclear capability by threatening to “unleash fire and fury, the likes of which we’ve never seen” if Kim Jong Un threatens the US again.  Senator John McCain, who is undergoing treatment in Arizona, said “I take exception to the president’s comments because you got to be sure you can do what you say you’re going to do.”  “The great leaders I’ve seen don’t threaten unless they’re ready to act.” Shortly after Trump made his frightening and threatening remarks, the bombastic Kim Jong Un responded in kind, threatening to attack Guam, the US territory where Andersen Airforce base is located.  At a time when diplomatic skills are desperately needed, US resources are severely stretched.  Secretary of State Tillerson, who has not yet appointed an Undersecretary for Asia, is flying solo around the region, trying to reassure and build support with local allies.  Trump’s rhetoric isn’t helping. Today is the anniversary of the 1945 dropping of the nuclear bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.  A sobering thought.

Just Say No:  Governor Christie’s Opioid Commission wants Trump to declare the opioid crisis a national emergency. The Commission’s preliminary report also calls for expanded access to drug treatment, increased use of medication assisted treatments, the development of non-opioid pain killers and a few other sensible things that cost money.  With the crisis getting worse and 142 or more people dying every day, Trump isn’t ready to follow Christie’s recommendations.  Instead he is taking a page from Nancy Reagan’s playbook.  His view is that the opioid crisis can be solved if everyone just says no because the “best way to prevent drug addiction and overdose is to prevent people from abusing drugs in the first place.”  “If they don’t start, they won’t have a problem.  If they do start, it’s awfully tough to get off.”   There you have it, who knew solving the opioid epidemic could be so easy.  Trump’s simplistic explanation probably explains why he hasn’t allocated additional funds for opioid addiction, has tried to strip drug rehabilitation from the essential services covered by Obamacare and is trying to implement Medicaid cutbacks. No surprise that Health and Human Services Secretary Price, who has never seen a health program that he doesn’t want to slash, supports the Trump approach.  Attorney General Sessions also has a few suggestions, he wants to jail all addicts, grab their assets, give them very long sentences, and throw away the keys.  Trump has one more solution, he wants to build his beautiful wall now.  Governor Christie was not present when Trump presented his opioid crisis solution, he was on holiday in Italy.

Not So Golden Silence:  Trump still hasn’t commented on Saturday’s bombing of a Minnesota Mosque and now we know why.  According to Sebastian Gorka, Trump’s Nazi badge wearing security adviser, until Trump is sure that the bombing isn’t just a hate crime faked by a liberal, he won’t comment on or condemn the bombing.  Trump, who is typically first out of the gate with condemnations of terrorist attacks, even before they are declared terrorist attacks as long as the attacks are committed by Muslims or someone who knows a Muslim, has decided to act with an abundance of caution this time because here the victims are Muslims. 

My Friend Mueller:  In public Trump continues to refer to Special Counsel Mueller and his investigation as a witch hunt and an attempt to justify Hillary’s loss and discredit his massive, record setting electoral college win.  Privately he has sent greetings and messages of appreciation to Mueller.  Trump’s chief counsel John Dowd told USA TODAY that Trump “appreciates what Bob Mueller is doing.”  “He asked me to share that with him and that’s what I’ve done.”  Mueller should cover his back, the last guy that Trump tried to charm with his winning personality was former FBI Director Comey, and we know what happened to him.