Welcome to the commentary magazine. Podcast today is April tenth. Twenty seventeen- I am no Rossman sitting next to me- is senior editor, a Green Waldheim Abe. You know, unfortunately jumper It is not with us today. He is out for the pass over holiday, as we will all will be soon enough, but When you again next Thursday, in the meantime, this is the first podcast we have had. Since we entered a brave new NEO conservative world, we are all NEO conservatives. Now Assad regime has proven itself unless worthy to represent its people and prayer.

Apparently in the eyes of the Trump administration as such, we have a pivot non pivot, sore pivot to back to them, the internationalist foreign policy- something not quite America, first, if you're in America, first her on Thursday evening very with little notice and very little run up the Trump Administration ordered a sort of domestic strikes, but nevertheless important impact for using fifty nine Tomahawk crews those aimed at the air base from which it is believed, a chemical attack on civilians was launched. A chemical attack that killed over eighty people a wounded, hundreds more horrible images coming out of Syria, a disgusting and disturbing situation, and yet not a unique one, and as a result of that shift in policy, Who is the tribe administration seems to want to claim is not a shift in policy. There,

a sort of in a bind we're gonna to be facing. A lot more conditions that will necessitate a response similar to what we saw on Thursday night. So what would happen If you want to fill us and on what this strike did what it didn't do, what it signals, sure I mean it's hard to say what it signals, because, one would have to know really what tromp was thinking and if it but what I do know that either the he did experience some instantaneous turn around some some comply, reversal of his of his worldview and and ideology, is suddenly pursuing a policy whereby bad actors are now put on notice by the United States or He was had some

but smaller in mind. What that smaller thing in mind could be it's hard to say. There are, of course, the Bee conspiracy theorists among his critics who are making wag the dog accusations that this was merely to distract from all the Russia. Russia collusion, accusations that all strikes, tremendously silly yes, silly, considering that Russia has responded very harsh harshly to this strike on its client in Damascus and it's probably gonna cons continue to respond rather harshly dad apparently- and this is something that has given credence further to this theory for those of us from critics or conspiracy- theorists that the administration game some for warning to Moscow ahead of these strikes as part of the deal conflicts in quantum quote agreement that was ink

the Obama era in early flashed, back in twenty fifteen, when Russia intervened militarily in Syria operation, their targets included not just anti Assad rebels, but also NATO forces. They went ahead and started striking CIA provided Wednesday Post, for example, they were harassing turkish planes in american drones and trying to get them out of theater, and it was a very dangerous situation. Everybody was shooting at each other's proxies on the ground in the same theater really dangerous time, and so that a in agreement that the conflicts in agreement which establish you an old school, cold war style Hotline between Washington and must Now, in order to deal D, Scully provide an off ramp in the event that there is a crisis and also to communicate with the two militaries have inner military contacts so that you could avoid meteor collisions for example, and stuff like that, so pursuing

this agreement. We call them at a time announced that there would be a strike in this particular place at this particular time, given that a one hour timetable which is consistent about what they gave some twenty fifteen and dumb. As a result, Russia moved its personnel kullak located on this base out of the line of fire, but also the Assad regime that a heads up. So there was a in of casualties and damage inflicted on onest. Not to say that there was no damage inflicted on the side. They struck aeroplanes. They struck fuel depots, infrastructure, that's night, not cost free to work to restart. So it's not as though the critics who are saying that this was completely ineffectual and in first four symbolism alone, you know, they're there were some actual damaged the damage done to some us aside infrastructure, a lot of the critics, I've noticed the same ones, who are saying that this was unnecessary and it's gonna bring us into world where three are also complaining that this was

the cosmic gesture and and their ranting and raving about the jet supposedly fly about apparently flying from from from the runway at the base. That was struck the next day, so it was. It was both reckless and puny is there can play. But you know one of the funny things about Putin's response to this, because this this has created as Ex did some trouble in the american russian relationship is now. Putin has and apparently to close down the Deak Infliction lines. If we, if we keep any kind of aggressive action, I don't really understand that as a threat, because what is essentially saying if you keep this up, I'm gonna make harder for you to warn me that that that that I could be in danger. I mean the prudent benefits more from Dick infliction, better lines in the case of animal, can attack than than we do now. That's that's true. I suppose it's like you know, withdrawal,

you're ambassador. It's not as though that's a real threat is derisory. Yeah you to express right frustration, this seems a little hasty but you're, but just to get better larger question. I think what it does do. It is the bare minimum visit it puts us back in the superpower, business just barely. You know. I think it's so much chaos into use from being term carnage. Hadn't had grown out of the years of Obama's reticence to to join the fray to to get involved in a boycott conflict that this was a sort of marker, saying, ok, we're we're we're done, leaning back while wall, while everything goes too on basket in and take note. North Korea taken China take neuron, Russia, Assad and, and everyone so to a bare minimum that that's what it that's. What it is

no, but I think that's all they wanted to do, and you don't get that luxury once here. I mean that does the silly thing about this all. Is that the notion that Donald Trump was averse to intervening in the conflict in Syria, not just in order to combat ISIS, but to combat the key to keep the the order there. To the extent there is some sort of semblance of order there intact is a myth. When drawing up forces there. For some time we inserted a couple hundred marine artillery units were, inserting another series of strike, re, pcs and abhorrent supposedly support according to the coalition spokespeople supposed ACT as a deterrent in order to keep Turkey from striking kurdish forces on the ground which, by the way, a mission that will at last ISIS and then we have another series of of U S: soldiers that are inserted into this region in from Iraq and were no longer even keeping track of the publicly we're not telling how many people how many? U S, forces, are deployed to this region anymore.

And there was over a thousand last. We checked so we will be, will know anymore, but there was. It was certainly a conflict that was being drawn up, and the administration now isn't it isn't a pretty weird place exactly a week prior to this stuff, we were getting a real real policy shift from this administration of shift from the Obama administration, which had been implicit about giving up on Barack Obama's declaration and two thousand and eleven. I believe early 20th late. Two thousand and eleven early, two thousand and twelve- that had no place in that, as I in serious future and he must go then the administration last Thursday basically said it's not a priority. Whether or not I saw it goes. This is Nikki Haley's quote you pick and choose your battles and when we're looking at this, it's about change

our priorities and our priority is no longer to sit and focus on getting Assad out. Tillers and secretary of state tailors and confirmed. It said the quote long term status of President Assad will be decided by the syrian people and then, a week later, we have these strikes on the syrian regime, suggesting they're not especially comfortable with his being there in the future, Dickie Hayley this Sunday quote, we don't see a peaceful Syria a there. So I suppose you could torture this sort of thing into a form of consistency, but on its face, This is very inconsistent, its citizens, if it's a remarkable about face and almost one hundred eighty to repair it and now the administration is on the line, and I made it clear that there are some

But there are certain actions that Assad can do that will provoke a military response, even if it's just a quote, deterrent response in exercise to demonstrate their some sort of cost associated with attacks like the one that occurred using. What is believed to be sorry gas on civilians and Sean Spacer today said, if you see, even if you see barrel bombing of civilians, you're going to see a response from this, we'd there's an estimated thirteen thousand barrel bombs that fell on civilians in twenty sixteen alone. That's, if that's the kind of thing I were drawing here about. What's gonna provoke a response from this administration: Theirs to be a big response from his administration is gonna, be ongoing. That sort of the predicament therein is that now there, on the hook for the next massacre, there's gonna be political pressure facing on them to exercise some sort of response and their similar pressures on Russia and ran and Assad to make an extra lot more costly than this last

was well. What hasn't changed in in the truck administration is the confused communication strategy, so that I am not entirely convinced that chance by Sir said what is in fact tromp policy. At this point, I don't. I don't know that where it would that he's committed to our hour Revealing in the case of barrel bombing, I mean this is, as you said, I would put. There would be many many more serious, killed by barrel bombs and then by chemical munitions from side, so that that would that would get a simple involved and in an irreversible normal way and rest, and himself now is saying, used its he's sort of walking back thee. The regime change stuff- I mean not not completely, but but he was talking to George Deaf Nautilus over the weekend, saying that bees dean, for example in Libya that forceful american regime change, as is problem we need to learn from the past were how poorly that went wrong.

How badly that went wrong and when we want, we don't have anything like that in mind. They kind of clarifies right after telling me that statement regarding political regime change in that statement frankly was actually misreported, but that statement specifically was referring to a diplomatic process and very specifically, to the Geneva process, which is a joke wherein the fourth Geneva Talk and its produced precisely no agreement it's not going to produce agreement, so it will point, does the administration say? Ok? Well, this is the thing that we wanted and is not happening. I mean I get it that look world talking about a lot of semantics here, because the reality as they don't want to do anything about Syria, just as much as Brok Obama didn't want to do anything about Syria, but does this, during of the last week is that you don't have a choice that events will dictate the tempo of our response, the timing of our response, and unless we get serious about this crisis, we are not going to be intervening at a time and place of

aren't choosing, but if the choosing of of the Whimsie events of around Russia, Damascus, whatever whatever their timetable, is how we're going to react and that's how Barack Obama handled via foreign policy in as much as I think this administration deserve some, who knows that a pat on the back you know correcting for bad behaviour, means first recognising it and they have to first recognise the fact that they were trying to pursue a failed foreign policy and we're getting no baby steps towards getting closer to assume a more coherent foreign policy, a more pro active one, but we're not there. Yet it's funny. It also really exposes these silliness of all oh boy, was hand wringing about about even begin now entering the be the Syrian warned in them in the smallest way everything was. It was a week's, long, meditation and confab and then only to come groaning out with where I guess we're gonna know. No we're not going to do you know. You know this

you know, turned round the timeframe for good or ill. I think for fur for good friend. Who knows why? And you know Next thing we knew we were hearing reports of of missile strike on its the world, it hasn't plunged us into an into anything. As of yet Firstly, it was mostly a good move and Trump has received on balance mostly good press about this, and that, I think, is key in looking ahead, because, despite appearances and his perpetual fight with the media. That's mostly, I think this sort of the anger of a spurned lover. I mean I think he wants desperately to be adored by them and if they like him on this it could. The me or of the same day.

Used in pretty good language, it's my opinion that the president should have addressed the the people on camera. He has not done so since these strikes. I believe he probably should have done that after he gave the order he did deliver. A statement was taped statement to press numbers of the press. Admiral. About, in which he described the mission ahead of the american commanders as being one in the american National interests, and it was very much harking back to language that President Barack Obama used in September tenth twenty thirteen when he discovered, the threat posed by the normalization of the use of weapons of mass destruction, the breakdown of the prohibition on the use of WMD in the battlefield than against civilian

is in the american national interests. This is not a humanitarian mission. We are not seeking revenge for dead bodies of babies, industry, although he did use those language about how horrible it was as a casus belli and that's justified embarrassment, moral frankly, to use that kind of language. But it satisfies the objections of Americans who are concerned about what american national interests at stake in Syria that he used that language. It was Harry. I think effective, particularly coming from him, because he is supposedly D. You know Redeemer of the american first miracle. First, foreign policy, the semi isolationist foreign policy espoused by

I memorized of the year, the true believers set as they described them to be, which brings us, I suppose, to Steve Bannon, who is having the second worst weaken Washington right now. He had the worst possible weak ever last week on his saga is, is particularly interesting because he is the president's chief strategist. He is, he is Carl Rove he is. Ella regenerate, he is the man behind the throne supposedly and all we ve been hearing about how is influences waning substantially. Couldn't come soon enough, because all in my opinion, all the guys done his drive this administration into called sex, but I finally dawned on the president that that happened to be the case when he seemed to have gotten in this very public war with jerk, commissioner, who is the golden boy he's a member of the family he's

the husband of beloved of hunger, he has an office in the West wing he's as a member of the administration and a very revered one in that it seems as though the two proxies for these guys. Just absolutely went at each other's throats over the course of the last week, or so and then we began to your stories about how see balance the lay low that he's on the outside and that he was removed from the National Security Council and it wasn't really big deal, but it was then a very big deal that eventually see banner was going to resign, moreover, but for the great good of the movement he was. He was abandoning you know his his desire for Pekin. He was gonna, just take his lumps, and then we had A serious strike and the ban and wing of this party to the extended exists nationalist populist at world level, Beach, trade, emotional, just side themselves over the moment lost and we're talking about

all right or all writers, famous old writers, like Richard Spencer and an Coulter, but just about all of them sort of, I think, fall under this ban and right wing of this party and apparently, if you believe the report's out of the New York magazine Van and argued against this strike, and he was overruled, so is really does represent a pivot to something more resembling traditional american GEO political objectives, recognizable american GEO political objectives of the kind that these people have been real and against for quite a while time, and so as a ratification of all, school republican standard. Foreign policy you can see Some existential dread set over this movement as though it is a moment that they are losing and I think, that's on an inaccurate perception on their part and also look, let it be said, rob for this, would trump himself things about Russia

the all writers are fans of a year. Putin Alliance- and this has jeopardized that their their hopes of that thing, you know me Tromp does respond to both praise. And condemnation, and I'm waiting for the tweets that he will use to aim at the media. You know too, to now go against the all right I want to see. I wanna see him tweeting, you all right sounds like a bunch of crybaby sad. You know that. Then them then, will know that that changes upon us yeah I just I don't know what's what they thought the endgame was gonna be like. Why would you go to war as publicly as they did with Jerry cushions all people. I mean you know that that's a fight, you're gonna lose. This is a guy whose very loyal did the president has very loyal to his family and people he regards as family and commissioners among them and.

Didn't hold anything back coming. There were demanding that you get the removed their work, nobody leaks to the press like Bannon and his allies. They are all over the press and they don't mask their quotes at all. They use the most. Real out fire and brimstone language exclusively to discuss in other how their perceived in administration and the effects of the of their shifting the alliance structure politically inside the United States, and so you hear them all over the press and they are right They go to war with larger cushion, trying to undermine his influence in an apparently today or a couple of days ago in abandoned, lays low and then sites like bright bird, for example, toned down the cushion or criticism pretty substantially. So it does look like see, ban and lost this one, but it's like its yet another fight that was

unnecessarily, where the terrain that they chose to die on was indefensible and it made this administration look bad and I wonder what is the what's gonna be the final straw here, because he's still on board, although I am a diminished position, but still on board, even after going after beloved of Uncas, husband and once again, making this administration look like it. So war with itself and reflecting poorly only administration, and I ve been doing since day, one with the executive order that was supposedly written by steep ban and and his allies Stephen Miller, who has since disappeared, they ve been, they been dragging this administration into COS the saxon unwinnable battles since day, one and at what point, or they are they just gonna give up on this guy's a you know: you're you're great for the campaign. If he wasn't now, I don't know but you're not cut out for life in the West wing. Let me me Ben carried on unreliable.

Probably foolishly remarkably foolishly, because he I like done wrong on run remarkably, foolishly s than it is it is somewhat unremarked open, He seemed to believe his own pr constantly. He bought into his own self mythology about being Darth. Vader, why, racking up, no wins everything you touch was a disaster, so that that's that's, that's crazy form. If we want to stick around and I think, if what happened On Thursday, and may continue to be happening with with, for example, extortions. True to Moscow and of if, if he, if he means more seriously on Putin, if, if the administration is getting serious, I think band and abandoning is gone. I wasn't what happens to them, because this I mean they're, not like the kind of folks you can expect to let my gun,

by right? Won't, let you they will lash out. Yes, I'm will undoubtedly amid on animals, are wondering what happens. When you said mile right, we will reject the right right. It depends on vent than do. Do. Does the altar it at large. Do they go? the ban in as it were, or do they stick with Trump? You know if they fail if they, if a blow of transit and in favour of banning then yeah that deadline, humble than between the all right. Every day the ways been driven tweeting at the New York, I'm CNN gets a real good question. I think there are some. I think you could probably divide that that wing into two camps, one of which is very interested in securing, maintaining and holding power and transforming the country and another which is very much interested in maintaining an audience and informing and entertaining an audience. And you know you could you could see how in a

beat the folks who enjoy having an audience and narrow cast set of people who really enjoy whenever it is. They talk about and talk about, keeping it real wishes means being a jerk del, though jump right off the train. They don't care about, having power but there are, there are those who are very much interested in maintaining power think they're their capacity to change with whatever the president says. Thanks and behaves is infinite. I don't, I don't foresee, for example, an Coulter who wrote a book about being down from being the singer, was trustworthy person in America, where she's gonna go. I mean there's theirs is between this and homelessness, and, frankly, the gifted your choices between the White House and homelessness. A choice in the matter? It's not a choice except you picks up your first really isn't, but with with the White House anymore, but because he's rejecting everything here, you ve you

You ve been espousing, though, whether they buried there, I mean You do what someone again culture! Who knows what you really believes that all I mean all to me at the right but a me, but if it will be more fun for her in that case and sort of more more dynamic for her to two to turn on tromp, if in fact basin in fact ban in his jettisoned, I think you're right that they would discover that it's more fun to be on the outside but man, those privileges of having access to the presidency. They they get to you, that's a tough one to just give up. Well, I mean University of apparently is going to hang on until he's fired and that Russia something a John power. It said, two. Long, though, is that you know you could be the most principle man on earth, but the White House is the White House and people to leave the White House. You you stay there, until you die or kicked out, because it's the White House, but then so, but then really understand that. But I mean it was then

But it's also hard to imagine what ban would then be doing. Is it that he would stay on and play the game? That's very hard to imagine what will you do? You go back to his two to the paper block right. And then wager wage, a righteous war of indignation from from the blocks, providing that his whatever he had to sign to get to deal with trompe, doesn't prohibit him from from saying word, one back to bed dealing deliberately. There is a lot of fear in in the White House right now from the particular the communications people, if you believe politicos shingle mocker, who has a really well reported peace and political today about

esagil and perception, and particularly among those who, I guess, would consider themselves members of the of the banner wing because they leak like sieves, and they are already talking to the press about how frustrated they are that this communications team apparently doesn't get the America first thing. I wrote a blog post about this today. There is a communications director over there who is engaged, quoting quote rebranding efforts were eighty days in, and we already have to re brand. This presidency and one of the quota he gave was there is no such thing as a Trump doctrine, and yes, of course, there's no such thing as a Trump doctrine, because its day, eighty from doctrines, presidential doctrines

are organic there at evolutionary. They form over time and usually a mid price he's, and only in retrospect can you even identify one, but they don't do not set and those that are set in a kind of contrived. They don't survive first contact with the enemy, so we can expect a presidential doctrine to be forming within the first hundred days of the financing, but amid this rebranding effort- in other words, there was some consternation among the american first years, resulting from the start that the president's doctrine is America first. What does anybody know? That's the problem is and isn't the communications directors the present, but the The focus of that story wasn't really on America. First in the foreign policy doctrine, it was on a crisis of this administration, as we approach day one hundred on April, twenty nine And how little there is to show for it are usually particularly energetic period for a presidency, those first hundred days and we don't have a tonne

to say about, and there has been some really good things that have occurred. That I think we can all agree are really good. The appointment of justice course it is now in socio justice at the Supreme Court. I think every conservative would say that's a great thank EE and, though had to be done by getting rid of the filibuster in yet another collapses institution in the United States and nevertheless, whether the means just the ends will have to see, but the ins are pretty darn good beyond that, deregulation. Some deregulation, that's fine, some stifling corporate already nation, anything that could be done away with with a pen stroke. The president has done the some of his personal choices are fantastic,

that the pursuit of immoral foreign policy in the United Nations. Thankfully, which is an improvement on every administration in my lifetime frankly, has been really welcome. Beyond that, I don't a whole lot that we can say that's great. In fact, we have a whole lot of stumbles that make the administration look rather bumbling from the outset of the yo the executive order on immigration, which remains stalled in the courts, the collapse of the Republic, republican effort to replace Obamacare and now, according to the Associated Press, a some language from the White House about Tax code reform was scrapped at the very last minute. We don't know that language is, but we do know that it's not going to meet Treasury Secretary Nuisance Self imposed timeline for tax reform to

passed before the August recess. So there's gonna be no big legislative accomplishment in the first hundred days, and that's really the the benchmark that you measure that first hundred days as a successful presidency, at least you know it has been. We may redefine that but that's where we have been in that's a benchmark, we're gonna miss! So what does that say for the Trump presidency authorities that are used? he's done a lousy, lousy job so far, and I then that's that feeds into exactly the what we're talking about regarding the potential jealousy jettisoning Van abandoned, because what what does most characterize the first hundred days v circus around investigations between his campaign and Russia? The counter accusations against the Obama administration about spying on him. His crazy fights with the press is crazy or fight about crowd. Size

This is why this is the stuff that really made up these one hundred days. That that's that's me. The meat of it, and then these these. These huge, embarrassing failures, and you probably can't isolate and separate those crazy tweets in crazy, silly ego fuelled battles over crowd, sizes and illegal immigrants, voting in elections to the tune of three million, or something like that. I'd that You can't draw draw a distinction between those insane things and the failure of the legislature to do anything that this US administration. What's it to do and where's the wall, the wall is nowhere in sight. I mean, and they visited the notion that that Mexico is gonna pays can paper. That's that's not even that's. That's no longer be spoken of on this planet, but but the wall itself in that's, that's limbo. Yeah I mean another.

Another day, one proposal was the re. There said he said. The president said cancel is that you could do that. You can't do that, but the checking out you know that what elements of the Euro nuclear accords that could be halted or refine. We were just starting just now to begin to investigate the sale of a conspicuous amount of Boeing jets to ran that will not be used for private air travel, which is one of the problems that people had with as Randal had with regard. In particular, the Boeing sales is that there are going to reverse engineer a lot of that text. When used for military purposes, and that's one of those things that the president can put a stop to, but it just kind of fall off the radar, as have quite a bit of this presidency campaign, trail rhetoric and our in governing stage,

and governing ain't. Looking all that good this, I think this Assad than kind of represents a pivot, though it does, but whether and build a whole rebranding out of it remains to be seen verandah. What? What that's the thing I mean, the brain: we, how can trumpery brand trump lives inside his brand? That is, that is exactly who he is it? It's not. The truth is, there's nothing artificial about his brand. It is exactly the only thing he is in case. He is capable of being honest. I'm sorry, I'm I'm interrupting. The story said that the rebranding effort, to the extent that it exists, is really you know just putting polishing up what they ve done so far,

focusing on what the were three pillars of this administration success. One is the economist, verity prosperity, an economy which essentially consists of pudding, leverage on employers, not to get them to leave the United States for whatever better deal they have overseas and they chalk up the kid. The cancer cancellation of the transport, if a partnership to put that in their in their prosperity, prosperity which right ludicrous yeah. It's insane if you know anything about the benefits that would have been accrued to, for example, american farmers, american cattle ranchers who no longer have access to those or won't have preferential tariff free access to those very lucrative asian markets. Instead, all those cattle farmers in Australia will benefit

and so I farmers in Japan will benefit, whereas american ranchers and farmers would have, but you know, but but but biographers, but by their own standards exactly by their own standards. They can call that a success that that something he campaigned on, that something was outspoken about her and it's it's a it's a debacle, he's made sure happened. So what does the US? So that was prosperity than there was accountability right during during the swan draining the swamp? I can't really think of how the swamp was drained spy.

Actually buy yeah that day something you're gonna talk about an insecurity and generally security and how America's a safer place, because fewer illegal immigrants are crossing the border, for example, their been far more detentions and deportations. Under this precedent, and obviously the effect of the strikes on Bashar, Al Assad and the pursuit of Al Qaeda Annette affiliates in places like Yemen and those are all things that they could definitely out as soon as they upset their campaign trail goals with them, whether they materialise and actual more concrete savings. In statistical terms, I think the jury is gonna be out on that, but that's what they're That's the rebranding effort and that doesn't sound to me like a clinical rebranding effort. It sounds like your brain

Think of the same brand without doing any reprinting, I mean when you will united me to go through every branding efforts. They have recognised that they have a pr this is on their hands. You haven't seen this I'm referring to the absolutely atrocious treatment allay individual who appeared and who was trying to take one of their planes. They overbooked this flight. They were looking for volunteers to DE plane, they didn't have any takers and they just chose one person and removed him forcefully forcibly and the videos that emerged from that incidents- are horrific and its dehumanizing treatment of a human being and the peer to peer,

over a united has not been handling. This especially well very robotic response to what has been a real Pierre disaster, so they need to re brand, but does it therefore, probably gonna come around to that, but their behaving very much in the way the Trump Administration has behaved in, though, as though they don't recognize Did they have a problem that needs a real, a real serious top to bottom overhaul? The look you know another way to look at this potential rebranding of of the administration in anticipation of the closing first one hundred days where you at waiting for another another pivot. This is this is this: is the rebrand wear with a hundred days in and and the rebranding is, is what's going to do it and that's going to be now. This is the it's going to be the serious, drunk, perhaps serious, form of presidential trump we ve been expecting presidential trump to appear and once in a while, he makes in appearance and it sort of jarring very is very difficult.

Relating when you see Trump behave in a state subdued manner and act in a fashion be fitting in american president down, as was the case when he nominated NEO courses to the Supreme Court, those rare and when he spoke to the accession of Congress in the sort of foe state of the union. Address those were to moments that she's, my god, universal applause from the right monetary community and of the serious drug was probably the third such occasion of his is where he got real. Unanimous applause for behaving in a in an unequivocal eating food and by the way, humiliating his predecessor, I don't think there's been a. There has been a moment where Democrats have been more embarrassed by the conduct the Brok Obama, in the light of the performance of Donald Trump, then and which is by the

The unkindest cut of all the then this serious strike because it demonstrated pretty clearly that a the use of the boat what's believed to be staring gas demonstrated that bomb administration officials have been lying about whether or not the quantity what Russia deal that they linked to get weapons of mass destruction out of the country was in incomplete, insufficient and those members of the administration who said it was there had been a voluntary, unverifiable elimination of local weapons in Syria were lying up to and including Susan Rice, who said just that, as recently January. But these people were all line and not only that, but it doesn't take twelve months in a diplomatic push in an effort to get a vote of confidence from parliament in order to execute some sort of Richard retribution for this kind of norm, defying inhuman criminal listing behaviour, so the Trump Administration got the Obama administration

by the legs and they did pretty good job showing them up, and I think that is given Democrats a bit a bit of a US remarkable crisis of conscience, because you ve seen Democrats up to and including John Kerry Members of Congress. Everybody getting behind impositions of authority getting behind the strike is necessary and appropriate in the Gatt. Through its hurricane Hillary Clinton in the grass roots. It ain't the case and the grassroots there. Still the anti war left. There is still the wag the dog laughed. They can't perceived. This administration is something that behave responsibly and sell for Democrats to abandon that line and to join basically, the Republican Party and Donald Trump and presenting a bipartisan united front in response to the sides regression Aggression has probably alienated a few people that we don't write. We don't really know how that's going to shape out just yet that affect hasn't, hasn't really

the measure, may never be measurable, but it certainly something to keep an eye on you. I mean, I think these, did the Sanders crowd at least is still staunchly against any any action. Syria, but he's basically, the The inheritor of this party got writer to progenitor at this point, so if it's his party and his party is behaving in a fashion that Bernie Sanders would not smile upon You know, I mean the makings of the Democratic Tea party persists, then we're still waiting to see how that how that shapes up but, as we see the future is in doubt, as with her now we're going to see future, for example, strikes more strikes on us on whether we want to see a coherent administration policy moving forward, and I suppose we will have a lot more to talk about.

Along those lines on Thursday. In the meantime, this is been the commentary magazine podcast. You should go to our website and sub, Prior to this magazine, it is a seventy two year old, a pin in journal of erudition and generally smart commentaries. Ninety ninety five free digital subscription, two thousand nine hundred and ninety five, using all access subscription with our beautiful print magazine in your mailbox every month, except July and August. We have a dual issue. So it's eleven months, but it's totally worth it. I recommend you do it in the interim: have a happy Passover and Noah Rothman for John Podhoretz and for a Greenwald keep the candle burning.