For a man ostensibly so contemptuous of elite opinion, a fascinating characteristic of Donald Trump’s so-far disastrous presidency has been his almost blatant craving for the approval of the mainstream media, and his fury when it has been withheld from him. Now, he has it — most of the US media gushed over his missile strike on a Syrian airbase in a response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons, despite its lack of any legal authority. You might be forgiven for thinking the American establishment reflexively loves illegal US military attacks on Middle Eastern countries.
Earnest commentators are also discussing the possibility of clashes between the US and Russia, which is very helpful in sidelining that nasty business about Trump’s deep and widespread links with the Putin regime and its assistance in helping him get elected.
[What Donald Trump learned from Australian border policy]
That the attack on Syria was motivated entirely by Trump’s desire for establishment approval despite his posture as a kind of uber-outsider isn’t the least plausible explanation — there’s also the one that Vladimir Putin got Bashar al-Assad to conduct a chemical attack so that Tump could look strong in response and demonstrate he wasn’t Putin’s puppet. The problem is, it’s difficult to find more plausible explanations, because if there is one faintly consistent theme to Trump’s “foreign policy” musings, it’s an isolationist objection to intervention in other parts of the globe — as demonstrated by all those Trump tweets gleefully recycled on the weekend criticising Barack Obama for contemplating an attack on Assad. Such is the extent of Trump’s backflip that avowed supporters have abandoned him, disillusioned that a man who derided the US involvement in Iraq and pledged American first is launching missiles into the Middle East just weeks into his presidency.
Adding to the appeal is the purported contrast between Obama, who failed to take action when Assad last used chemical weapons, and Trump, who responded almost instantly. In fact this is too kind to Obama: far from being a dithering non-interventionist in Syria, Obama implemented a massive and extraordinarily expensive intervention in which more than 10,000 anti-Assad rebels were trained, aimed at removing Assad or forcing him to negotiate. In contrast, Trump’s missile attack had the look of theatre: the Russians were given plenty of time to get out of the way (and tell Assad’s forces) and the airbase was up and running within hours — in fact, Trump acknowledged the missile strikes didn’t even damage the base runway. Assad will be able to go on doing what he has been doing for many years now — indiscriminately slaughtering his Sunni Muslim civilian citizens at a rate far, far higher than the forces opposed to him, including Islamic State, kill anyone.
[You won’t bring down Donald Trump with angry signs and funny memes]
Moreover, despite the attack, there’s allegedly been no change in the administration’s position regarding Syria — at least according to the usually invisible Secretary of State Rex Tillerson — which is that the US is no longer interested in regime change and the removal of Assad. The attack was a “one-off“, according to one source. Except, according to one of Tillerson’s underlings, regime change is now the second priority in Syria behind defeating Islamic State — which was essentially the Obama administration’s position.
Old Trump at odds with current Trump. Different players within the administration saying radically different things. All in all, it’s Trump’s apparently preferred MO of having conflicting and competing factions within his own administration pushing different policies, all of which Trump himself has at some point agreed with or disagreed with, now applied to foreign policy.
But having got the domestic sugar hit of media love from launching missiles, Trump would be unlikely to turn his back on doing it again. Presumably with the Russians given plenty of notice.
I can’t see this is a good thing for Trump. The support that got him over the line, beyond the rusted on repubbies, is probably going to take exception to
– Not Locking Her Up
– Draining the swamp so he can put his own swamp in there
– Launching Humanitarian missiles so Liberals love him
I guess this is what the alt-right get for taking queues from Lenin instead of Marx. Great vanguard party, morons. Worked real well, just like it did for the left!
What better distraction from allegations of sleeping with Russia than to throw a handful of rockets into Syria’s back yard – at one airbase, away from the Russians, that leaves the base in working order, for more bombings of civilians?
When’s he going to do it again – “Bomb for Love”?
Got it in one, distraction. Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Reagan (Granada), Putin. All start a fight to turn the public from their failings and we fall in it yet again.
“Merkin Muffley”?
And you thought Dr Strangelove was meant to be satirical? Did Nostradamus write it?
With the world at the mercy of the US crazy ant political/electoral “system” – would there be a better theme to this debacle of maladministration than “Creep” (Radio Head)?
Donald “Muffley” Trump wins the “American Idle popularity poll/race” to the White House with :
* 2,000,000 less votes than Clinton;
* between one in four and three in ten eligible votes – and with
* interference being run by Vlad Putin, his Russian Idol?
Leaving him in charge of the US war machine?
Now, he’s got it, he looks like a 12 year old 3rd Grader in hand-me-downs “unravelling at the seems”.
For someone who craves approval, look at his approval figures – after 11 weeks – on 37%? ….At least that’s better than his actual electoral poll figures?
And he surrounds himself with a coterie of photosensitive, noisy, close-minded, supercilious self-seeking egomaniacs, like himself – “simple people : simple solutions” with unforseen/unconsidered manifestations?
For years his opinions about the Syrian war and involvement have been a matter of public record – even while Assad has been using chemical weapons (“160+” times?)?
He’s criticised Obama’s involvement – arguing disentanglement.
But now he has these “approval issues” on one hand : and all these “executive powers” in the other?
…… All he needs is a circuit breaker ……? Voila!
It’s that easy.
But he’s not the only one – there are other “world leaders” with their own “domestic disputes/disrespect” that would love to take this opportunity to hitch up to his “War-wagon of Mass Distraction” …..
Then we get military types – on The Dum and News Hour – in Liberal sock-puppet “Barking” Jim Molan (covert co-architect, with Abbott & Morrison, on “Sovereign Borders”), and Allen going on about “never fear, look at the great strategists the US has” – not to mention Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan or Iraq? …. I said not to mention them.
While Murdoch is devoting his resources to drum up support for Trump and this course – Iraq all over again?
that’s it, exactly, Bernard, “the elite love.”
Just a few weeks ago we were treated to the disgusting spectacle of a grieving widow in Congress, eyes raised to Heaven in supplication for the soul of her recently departed husband – a professional soldier who died in the course of doing his job. In all that sickening spectacle, not one word about the thirty or so civilians, including eight innocent children, who were killed in the mission. I seem to recall then, too, media pundits announcing that Trump was finally ‘presidential’.
So it’s ok for the US to murder ‘beautiful babies’. It’s just not ok when some Middle Eastern monster does it – and I doubt it mattered to the dead as they lay dying whether they went by bullet or gas.
No mistake – Assad is a monster, but US hypocracy knows no bounds.
“No mistake – Assad is a monster, but US hypocracy knows no bounds .”
I’d be a monster too if some many-headed hydra were attacking my sovereignly and legally elected goverment and burning, maiming and killing innocent people.
And of course, I meant “hypocrisy”. 🙁