Many of the smartest political pundits spent yesterday churning out analyses of John Bolton’s policy positions and how he will steer policy. The truth is Bolton won’t matter. The idea that Donald J. Trump cares about policy in any way other than how it impacts his image should have been extinguished by now.
John Bolton won’t matter. In fact, watching his “presidential behavior pattern” it seems very likely that President Trump will now work quickly to “free” himself of more of what both Republican and Democrat politicians in Washington deluded themselves into thinking was a safeguard to keep Trump’s worst impulses in check. It seems a safe bet to predict the president will ditch more of the so-called “adults” among his staff, so that he can “go rogue” and truly use the powers of the office to the fullest extent, to take down his enemies.
I expect him to fire John Kelly and to aggressively start eliminating the restraining influences from his circle of advisers, so that he can begin to do whatever he wants, or at least, whatever he can get away with.
The test will be to see whether Congress will check him, if he goes too far, which seems a foregone conclusion for a man who has no respect for The Constitution, no respect for rules and no respect for anyone who shows “signs of weakness”. Trump now speaks like he believes he understands the job of president better than any of his advisers, a man who feels emboldened and empowered. When he goes too far, for any Republicans in Congress to act surprised will speak to their moral weakness, cowardice and willful blindness. Congress is filled with a lot of weak, cowardly people, who collapse and fold at the first hint of unfavorable polling data, so it will be interesting to see how many Republicans now prattling about “red lines”, will truly stand up to Trump. Trump’s “GOP Insurgency”, where the GOP surrendered their party to this amoral fraud stands as a moral cowardice gauge.
Trump and his information war stormtroopers are banking on GOP cowardice and trashing Mueller enough to cast doubt on Mueller’s character and quell impeachment rumblings. The Democrats are banking on some big gains in the midterm election to bolster their impeachment efforts.
So much “winning” ahead…
libertybelle diaries 
First LB a link to the article John and Captain Hendrix are discussing:
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/03/donald-trump-foreign-policy-strategic-ambiguity-american-interests/
The conversation:
Thanks, JK, listened to this and let’s just say I remain highly skeptical about several of this guy’s assertions. For instance, I do not believe that Trump is a geopolitical or diplomatic “master negotiator”. I don’t believe he was a “great businessman” either.
He’s a master at reading people and he may be a master at negotiating for his own selfish interests, but in order to be a master geopolitical or diplomatic negotiator, one would need to actually understand the details of what really are American national interests, which is a very different thing that Trump’s interests.
This guy sounds like another one of those Trump the six dimensional chess proponents. I don’t buy it at all. China and North Korea may be reacting, because they are concerned that Trump is such a loose cannon that there’s no telling what he might do, making it in their interests to appear willing to negotiate with him. They also may believe they can flatter him or maneuver him toward their interests.
The other problem with Trump’s type of “strategic ambiguity” is Trump really doesn’t have any set positions or principles that guide him, so his own cabinet and State Dept. are left as much in doubt of his positions as our allies and adversaries, leading to total chaos, within the U.S. diplomatic and military leadership chains, as to what America’s position is – making communication between our counterparts at all lower levels,not only ambiguous, but confused, disorderly and prone to grievous misunderstandings. No one working for Trump knows where he might stand on any issue after he watches Hannity tonight, or Fox & Friends in the morning, let alone after he gets on Twitter.
Well I do allow as LB, post WWII legislation as I understand it limits a Presidency to only a single consecutive term.
Shall I be expecting you to join me on the streets campaigning to elect Obama for a third? George W perhaps?
Bill Clinton?
I think at the rate the Left and mainstream media are going, if Trump survives his first term, then he will likely get reelected. He will have defied the odds and in this political climate – “that” is about what “winning” is.
At the moment, I don’t see anyone on the right that will be able to defeat him and the Left is in total disarray.
I hope my gloomy expectations about his North Korean diplomatic gambit are wrong. The other effort, at following the side of prudence, by former administrations didn’t work, so maybe Trump will prove me and other naysayers wrong.
He just fired his Sec. of State, so hopefully Pompeo can craft together some coherent US diplomatic effort and hopefully he doesn’t fire Mattis or end up with Mattis quitting. Watching his chaotic leadership style – well, I am less than optimistic.
If he doesn’t instigate a major military conflict there, can’t see how he could create a worse diplomatic climate than exists now.
“If he doesn’t instigate a major military conflict there, can’t see how he could create a worse diplomatic climate than exists now.”
Don’t know whether you’ve had the opportunity to read the book recommendation but,
Late 1800s Frederick Remington cabled the office, “Nothing happening here, I want to come home.” William Randolph Hearst cables back, “Stay there, you supply the pictures and I’ll supply the war.”
Reckon that CNN’s constant haranguing “Putin’s Puppet!” mighta had something to do with Trump’s flighting those 59 TLAMs down on that Syrian hosted Russian airbase? The dozen or so Russian “contractors” killed a couple weeks back as the result of an US airstrike?
Personally, and just that, personally, I worry more that either Wolf Blitzer or Anderson Cooper’s constant goading is more likely to be the ultimate triggering event – for which of course they’ll do the ol’ Alfred E. Neuman style, “What?!!! Who me?”
I haven’t read that book yet. I will though, because it sounds like something I will find interesting.
You made an excellent point about the media’s relentless agitprop to take down Trump, but he’s actively engaged in the same information war – creating turmoil and drama constantly. I will admit though that GWB’s not responding or fighting back against the media’s Bush Derangement Syndrome efforts left him completely ineffective in his second term.
If I saw Trump trying to do anything to break out of this trench warfare type information war, I might be more optimistic, but he follows the same script, as does the media and neither side ever manages to make any meaningful progress to defeat the other’s spin. The spin keeps the public watching them.
More drama in the wings – Comey is preparing to launch his sanctimonious sermons all over the mainstream media, The IG is opening an investigation into the FISA business. Guess where we differ is I see Trump as just as much a purveyor of lies to incite his followers as the mainstream media & left trying to take him down. I don’t see him as a victim, but as a willing participant, who revels in the constant attention.
Well harkening back to the 60s;
What if t[he]y gave a tweet and nobody retweeted?
I got to be at the airport pretty quick – take care my Friend.
Without Twitter, I suspect Trump and most of these journalists would need to go into some sort of rehab program to deal with the attention withdrawal. Stay safe!