2017 Apr 9^th

Oh dear, I guess the 59 Tomahawk missile strike on the Syrian airfield was much ado about very little. The capacity of the Syrians to launch punitive air raids against their civilian population does not seem to have been degraded at all. Given that we announced the raid in advance to the Russians, and therefore to the Syrians, let them shield irreplaceable assets from the attack, what did you…or Trump expect?

If there is a “next time,” and there probably will be, we can hope that the warning the Russians get will be less specific. Wasn’t this the president who insisted he didn’t want to be predictable?

The next hot spot for Trump is North Korea. He seems to believe that a little sabre rattling at Kim will be all that is required so he has dispatched a carrier strike force to hover just off the Korean peninsula. This force consists of the carrier Carl Vinson, a guided mille cruiser and two guided missile destroyers. These support ships are equipped with the Argosy anti-ballistic missile system that can destroy North Korean missiles in flight.

Meanwhile, back at the White House an interesting little feud has emerged and the principals recognize that it must be quelled. Exactly how is not agreed to by these principals.  We have the alt-right folks headed by Steve Bannon and supported by the billions of Mercer family money. That should be a very strong hand…except for the fact that Jared Kushner, husband of Trump’s beloved daughter Ivanka, is on the other side.  Kushner and company are seen by Bannon and company as apostates with decidedly Democratic leanings and a desire to keep the country engaged with the rest of the world. This is anathema to Bannon and the Alt-right. Trump’s authorization of the missile strike against Syria put the administration squarely in the Kushner/Ivanka camp. Keep in mind that Kushner was, and perhaps is still, a Democrat. Of course so was Trump. (Bill and Hillary were guests at his wedding.)

It would seem that the Bannon/Mercer people have a very weak hand here. It was Kushner, not Bannon, who went to Iraq with several generals. Unfortunately, Kushner’s flak jacket worn over his blue blazer and khakis did not attract favorable attention. Really wrong costume kid! Fortunately Kushner wasn’t there long enough to screw up anything else.. “Always leave them laughing” is expected of any good stand-up comic, not the president’s personal representative. Kushner has the good fortune to be Trump’s son-in-law so he starts on third base but any more of these gratuitous SNL moments won’t help him steal home.