Trump is neither neocon nor isolationist

[TalkRadio_]

There’s no doubt that the operation against Soleimani carried risks — and still does — but it didn’t transform Trump into a conventional interventionist. In fact, taking out Soleimani was wholly consistent with the president’s approach to the world that can’t be plotted on a simple hawk/dove or neocon/isolationist axis. As a Jacksonian, Trump is none of those, combining a willingness to whack our enemies with a distaste for ambitious foreign interventions.

Trump’s red line to Iran didn’t have to do with our values, or shipping lanes, or any humanitarian impulse. It reflected the most basic imperative of a nation protecting its own: Don’t harm Americans.

When a rocket attack by an Iranian-supported militia killed an American contractor and injured other Americans at a base in Iraq, Trump’s response was also characteristically Jacksonian: a stunning, bolt-out-of-the-blue droning of an enemy commander who was thought to be safely out of bounds, designed to create the maximum deterrent bang for the buck.

If this was incredibly bold, it was also quite limited. After the Iranians retaliated in a deliberately circumscribed fashion, Trump seemed happy to pocket what he achieved and gave a White House speech reverting to his policy of seeking a better Iran deal through pressure on the regime.

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[schism666]

he's a piece of shit. that's all that matters.

 

[coati]

Give me a break-- Impeached President Trump does not have any policy framework.

He just watches TV and shoots from the hip. No philosophical basis, and no impulse control.

 

[Bleep735]

He’s just about himself. He doesn’t listen to anyone. He just doesn’t want to be seen as less than any other person. When he gets a chance to look strong, he will take it. If he doesn’t, then he will fake it. He’s damaged this country’s reputation for the next 100 years.