Everybody, Or At Least Him

North Korea has tested an intercontinental ballistic missile which might be able to reach Alaska and the USA's Pacific northwest.  Russia has increased its spying in the USA after manipulating the American presidential election.  Six years of civil war in Syria have brought about a horrific humanitarian crisis within the country and the danger of political instability and terrorism in nations, including the leader of the freee world, which together have absorbed millions of its refugees. Neither the presidency of Barack Obama nor the election of Donald Trump has convinced Arctic sea ice from continuing to melt, with the concomitant rise in the oceans and accelerated warming of the planet.

Therefore, President Donald J. Trump is in Europe tweeting "everyone here is  talking about why John Podesta refused to give the DNC server to the FBI and the CIA. Disgraceful."





Charlie Pierce tweets in response:

Japanese PM: "Can you believe that dolt is still talking about Podesta's server?"
Valet Attendant: "What is a Podesta? Who does he serve?"

Forget Russian spying.   Donald Trump's inflitration of the Democratic National Committtee and discovery that John Podesta was in charge of cybersecurity at the DNC is espionage at its finest. And he now is trying to convince the world that the leaders of one of America's two major political parties is at odds with arguably its most famous intelligence agency.

Not so fine is the head of the nation, a mere six months ago the leader of the free world, evidently complaining about his own nation to other world leaders.  It is doubtful that the Democratic National Committee is the lead topic in casual discussions at the G-20 gathering.  But when such countries as Germany, Italy, India, and Turkey have even learned that the US President is tweeting about a "Podesta," the nation's presitge is undermined.

 Trump's characterization of "disgraceful" clearly is meant not to imply that leaders of other nations are disgracefully talking about the DNC, but rather that the latter's actions are "disgraceful."  As someone who has periodically knocked the DNC, he is now taking his vendetta to the world stage

He is trying to legitimize his criticism and ridicule in a foreign nation and among foreigners. No normal President would epose our nation in that manner by suggesting that our electoral process is inherently faulty, possibly illegitimate. But a normal President wouldn't be Donald Trump, who views the American landscape and  sees mostly "carnage."

"I need loyalty. I expect loyalty," demanded the would-be authoritarian of James Comey, in a manner only a little more explicit than he has been to the his fellow citizens. Theodore Roosevelt, however, understood “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. "  If President Trump is willing to stand by the country, it's anyone's guess what country that is.





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