We have proven ourselves to be shamefully petty once again, this time by the childish behavior of Pence in Pyongyang. Does the Trump team really believe that a minor show of courtesy will cause the North to bomb its neighbors?
Sadly, such rudeness does not reflect some careful strategic thinking. Rather, it reflects yet again the pettiness of Donald Trump. Remember, he is at heart nothing but a con man with only two tools at his access: flattery and intimidation. When one fails he shifts to the other.
When both fail he is simply stumped and tends to move on to something more important, like whether football players kneel or stand be for the the flag.
I hate it when he does stupid stuff at home, but proving to be simply rude when on an international stage is doubly humiliating.
Meanwhile, back on the home front, Trump’s incredible inability to choose a staff team continues to stagger my imagination. He doe not seem able to grasp the simple lesson that “Will you be personally loyal to me?” is inappropriate in his position.
To add to his staffing problems, he cannot seem to recognize that he is dangerously reducing the numbers of people in the White House (or the State Department or the DOJ) He is dismantling the American government right before our eyes. This, too, besides showing incompetence, reveals another side to his pettiness. He cannot led a large team. That is not the dictator’s style. Rather, he favors a small team of loyal goons. He has no moral dimension to his own character and so cannot value it in others.
mikenowandthen 