Back in the wake of the election and the early days of the Turdpol Kakistocracy, a common theme in the media were warnings not to ‘normalize’ President Donald Trump. There is nothing normal or typical about a barely literate egomaniacal narcissist who lacks the temperament, consistency, gravitas, and intelligence to be president, yet who still finds himself the leader of the free world. The man is a huckster who has no competency for the job, and whose primary accomplishment as president so far has been stuffing the family coffers.
There has been nothing normal about a presidency that is mired in controversy, constantly fending off reports that members of the 2016 campaign colluded with Russian intelligence agencies to win the election. That’s treason. We’re not even 100 days into this administration, and it is being investigated for perhaps the greatest betrayal of the republic in American history. But, fire off a few dozen cruise missiles, with no long or short-term goals apparent, and this horrible, horrible man is all of a sudden presidential. Who knew? It turns out the best way to get the press of one’s back is to kill people halfway around the globe.
The Trump administration has no plan for Syria. None. It is impossible for the administration to develop a solid plan because the man at the top is so broken. Trump might be incapable of absorbing the information coming to him from his national security team, making an informed decision impossible. What is clear is that given an opportunity, Trump will always take the easiest path that makes the biggest splash. It’s what made him such a hit in reality TV. Snap decisions may equal leadership in our Hollywood-addled brains, where all conflicts have to be wrapped up in about two hours, but out in the real world lobbing explosives at people has consequences.
The most apparent result of our latest military adventures has been to anger Russian President Vladimir Putin. His administration has a definite plan in Syria and the Middle East, and our meddling is not making them happy. That’s all well and good. It is not the responsibility of the United States to aid Russia’s foreign policy. But antagonizing a country that has reemerged as an avowed enemy, with no goals apparent, is nothing less than dangerous. The rhetoric coming out of the White House, the State Department, and the Kremlin the past week has been alarming. Perhaps much is a smokescreen to distract from the collusion investigation, but brinksmanship with an existential threat is a poor way to throw the press off the scent.
There is no greater show of how poorly Trump understands foreign policy than the bombings and their aftermath. We killed people with no goal, while at the same time raising tensions with an enemy. Anyone in the media who calls this a win is a liar or an idiot.