Locked and Loaded

Locked and Loaded:  It’s been a rough week for the faint of heart.  Trump’s gone from “fire and fury” to “locked and loaded” and there is no end in sight. Friday he again ratcheted up his war of words with Kim Jong Un, threatening to unleash all of “his” formidable forces against North Korea if Kim utters another “overt” threat against the US or any of our regional allies.  For his part Kim Jong Un has quieted down while he waits for his generals to provide him with a Guam attack plan but government owned news outlets are still threatening doom.  Guam’s governor is shrugging off the threat but his public safety officials aren’t, they’ve circulated pamphlets telling residents what to do in the event of attack: take cover, seek shelter, don’t look at the blast, take a shower if you get caught outside, and my favorite, relax, don’t panic.  There’s no question that North Korea’s affinity for nukes is a problem but it’s hard to tell if the risk is really imminent or if Trump has picked now to raise tensions to divert attention from the Russia investigation and his stalled legislative agenda.  He wouldn’t be the first president to mislead the country into a war.  LBJ had the Tonkin Gulf, Bush had the elusive Weapons of Mass Destruction.  Is it really time for iodide capsules?

More War:  Whether the saber rattling is warranted or not, Trump is enjoying time in front of the cameras.  Friday afternoon, standing with Secretary of State Tillerson, Security Adviser McMaster and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley he stared into the camera and threatened North Korea again before adding that “no one likes a peaceful solution more than me.”  He added that South Korea feels more reassured with “me more than with other president”  “Japan, too”.  “Let’s see how it turns out.”  Somehow I don’t think South Korea, Japan or anyone else is feeling all that happy that a bellicose Trump is engaging in a game of chicken with the unpredictable Kim Jong Un.  World leaders are even less convinced that his warmongering makes any sense. China’s Xi, who has a lot to lose if the region erupts, has called for threats to be ratcheted down, and said that if the US preemptively attacks North Korea, China will defend its Korean ally but if North Korea acts first China will remain neutral.    Germany’s Angela Merkel spoke for many, warning against the “escalation of rhetoric” adding that she doesn’t see a military solution to the problem. Regardless of what happens with North Korea, Trump who seems to crave war and mayhem is already lining up his next war.  When asked about events in Venezuela, he again went rogue, saying that he wouldn’t rule out a military option against Venezuela’s President Maduro.  That was news to the Pentagon. He also used the opportunity to take a jab at Iran for not “abiding by the spirit” of their nuclear agreement.  The America First president who ran on an isolationist platform is fast becoming a warrior king seeking world domination.

On the Domestic Front:  Trump isn’t just picking fights across the Globe, he’s still engaging in verbal sparring with Senate Majority Leader McConnell.  Once again he criticized McConnell’s failure to get Obamacare repeal legislation passed, wondering out loud why McConnell didn’t beat his dissenting Senators into submission by threatening to take away their committee chairmanships.  No response yet from Senators McCain, Murkowski or Collins, but I am sure that they are pleased to be the subject of Trump’s threats.  What’s next?  Troops to Arizona, Alaska and Maine?  Before stepping away from the podium, Trump again reminded the assembled press corps, without appreciating the irony,  that very few presidents have done what he’s done in the first six months of their administrations.   

POTUS and Political Warfare:   National Security Adviser McMaster is still under attack by alt-right activists for firing a national security council staffer named Rich Higgins, one of the last Michael Flynn holdovers.  Before he was fired, Higgins wrote and distributed a bizarre memo entitled POTUS and Political Warfare.  In the memo he asserts that Trump is being undermined and attacked because he represents “an existential threat to cultural Marxist memes that dominate the prevailing cultural narrative.” Apparently the people threatened by Trump include “deep state actors, globalists, bankers, Islamists, and establishment Russians. I have no idea what any of this means but it doesn’t sound good or sane, and the rest of the memo is even stranger.  McMaster fired Higgins as soon as he discovered the memo but not before  Donny, Jr who was copied on the memo, managed to get a copy of  the document past Chief of Staff Kelly’s filter and on to Trump’s desk.  Trump thought the conspiratorial diatribe was brilliant and was furious when he heard that McMaster had fired Rich Higgins, things have been testy between the two of them ever since.  

Monday Intrigue:  Trump’s schedule called for him to head to New York City on Monday for a quick trip to his Trump Tower apartment.  However, late Friday he announced that he’s changed his plans because he has a really big press conference planned for Monday in Washington DC.  He didn’t give a reason for the change of plans, but promised that it was for something bigly, it could be an announcement of some Cabinet changes. Bloomberg News reports that Democratic Senator Manchin is being considered for Energy Secretary, a position currently occupied by former Texas Governor Rick Perry.  Perry who knows little about energy but comes from a border state, would then be available to take over the Homeland Security slot vacated by Chief of Staff Kelly.  If Manchin were to leave the Senate, West Virginia’s Governor who last week switched his party allegiance from Democrat to Republican in exchange for  money to subsidize his state mining industry could then appoint a Republican Senator, someone who would vote to repeal Obamacare and would side with the Republicans on other legislative efforts.  This would be a major coup for Trump.  Manchin’s spokesmen says he remains committed to serving the State of West Virginia.  Stay tuned, somethings up.