A Case For An Incompetent President

in World — by Dr Arshad M Khan — 

Since January when this administration entered office, has anything significant been accomplished?  Not really.  The only  major bill slapping more sanctions on Russia was entirely the work of Congress.  Whether it is a positive or a foreign policy disaster is debatable, but one thing is certain:  we continue to antagonize, irritate, humble, press  militarily, encircle and threaten the only country capable of obliterating the U.S. in twenty minutes.

What else has happened?  Not much.  A stream of visitors to golf clubs and resorts with little consequence; threats and invective usually by tweet, all of it just as easily done if trump was still running for office.

Racist rallies, counter-rallies, conflict wounding and even loss of life.  A nauseating ambivalence and moral equivalence, hardly presidential in a multi-ethnic society.  It, too, more in line with a dog whistling candidate Trump.

The hirings and firings in this White House have established a new record of sorts.  The latest to wave goodbye … Steve Bannon, the looming alt-right figure.  Rumor has it that Rupert Murdoch whispered in Trump’s (usually tin) ear.  Doubtful if anyone will miss him, except of course Trump as is clear from his recent remarks about the Charlottesville incident.

Does anyone want to work for Trump?  Yes, there is.  The new Communications Director is a 28-year old former model in whom Mr. Trump has supreme confidence.  Who can imagine associating Roosevelt or Eisenhower or even Bill Clinton with such a hire.

Meanwhile serious players are leaving.  Following a stream of resignations at his two CEO Councils, Trump disbanded his Strategy and Policy Forum as well as the Manufacturing Council.  You’re all fired!

Does it take a Trump to run this government?  Clearly not.  One can even extend the scope of the question to Trump’ recent predecessors.  Would we have been better off without their pro-active policies specifically in Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, also Ukraine.  Maladroit signals to Saddam Hussein allowing him to believe it was okay to invade Kuwait started it.

The devastation of the first Iraq war followed soon by Bill Clinton’s sanctions … costing the lives of over a half million (576,000) children according to the UN and justified without a shred of remorse by Madeleine Albright as the price of trying to rid the country of Saddam Hussein — the same man who was an ally against Iran a dozen years prior.

The $5 billion Ukraine adventure  toppling a democratically elected government turned Russia from friend to reluctant foe, and a country preferring to look westwards looking east to China, a country with a nuclear capacity matched only by us.

Then the devastation from Libya to Syria killing then spilling millions into Europe causing an EU rift — consequences unimagined by the planners as were the costs:  $60 billion for Iraq was the figure most commonly floated; estimates now run at $5 trillion and counting.

There it is then, a vote for an incompetent president … and an ineffective one.  Can you imagine a sane general going to war for Trump?

Dr Arshad M Khan (http://ofthisandthat.org/index.html) is a former Professor based in the U.S. whose comments over several decades have appeared in a wide-ranging array of print and internet media.  His work has been quoted in the U.S. Congress and published in the Congressional Record.

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/08/21/a-case-for-an-incompetent-president/