“I think he shouldn’t have settled; personally I think he shouldn’t have settled. Because you should have taken it all the way. I don’t think Bill did anything wrong. I think he’s a person I know well — he is a good person.”
—President Trump to the New York Times , speaking of the sexual harassment allegations intensifying around star Fox News Bloviator Bill O’Reilly.
Now President Trump is acting like President Obama. The President of the United States abuses his power and position by ever commenting upon or registering an opinion about matters that do not involve the national welfare or his direct responsibilities. These include local law enforcement episodes (Trayvon Martin, the arrest of an African-American professor in Cambridge by a white cop), employment matters, private lawsuits, pending criminal trials, TV shows (Saturday Night Live), media coverage (don’t get me started), legal business decisions and sports controversies (Colin Kaepernick). Obama never learned this (among other leadership basics, a problem fagged as “flat learning curve” on Ethics Alarms), and, not surprisingly, Trump is going to be even worse.
I’m sure he sees such support as just standing up for a friend who is being attacked by the same groups and people who flamed him over his taped Billy Bush misogyny-fest. Trump thinhs this is merely loyalty . He’s hopeless, incorrigible, Neanderthal and wrong. His statement trivializes sexual harassment, and positions the Presidency in opposition to women, decency, etiquette, ethics, law, and civilization, as well as the right of women to work and go through life without having to endure ugly, sexist, assaultive treatment by people like Bill Cosby, Bill O’Reilly, and Donald Trump. Trump, like his friend, believes that a man can treat women like inferiors, sex objects and pieces of meat, and still be “good.” No, good men don’t think that way or behave that way. Good men help protect women from men like that.
There is no defending Trump here. Women should be furious; everyone should be furious.
Unfortunately, for there to be any impact, it will have to be Republicans and conservatives expressing the fury, and they should. Democrats have already established that they will declare Trump to be a monster if he uses the wrong salad fork. Mark this as one more consequence of their post-election hysteria: when you make it obvious that everything outrages you, you can’t make anyone take your outrage seriously when it’s finally justified.
Ethics Alarms 
“Caution! Put brain in gear before engaging mouth.”
“Step away from the cell phone, Donald, and no one will get hurt.””
“There is no defending Trump here. Women should be furious; everyone should be furious.”
Me & my lady bits are properly offended & furious. Does this mean I get chocolate cake & a foot rub?
I’m sure Jack will arrange delivery of chocolate cake at his earliest convenience. As far as the foot rub, I think you’ll have to go elsewhere.
Haha…let’s hope so!
I wonder what he thinks of Weiner?
He is in favor, obviously, as he likes the one he owns… Oh you mean Anthony?!? Not sure about that one!
…do not feed commenters straight lines…
Now, on the plus side, the President did finally follow through on President Obama’s “red line” threat. So there’s no flat learning curve on THAT….
That’s for sure!
…but what was the point, other than action for the sake of optics? All I see is a multi million dollar missile spent, some runway damage that will be repaired in time for May Day, and risk that we missed and hit a hospital or something.
Lobbing missiles is a Democrat tactic, when they need to look strong (aspirin factory, anyone?.) I suspect that was the motive here too.
Optics are importnat.
So many things in life can be explained by the experiences of a parent.
1) Never threaten any punishment that you are not willing to follow up on.
2) Never fail to inflict that punishment in the case that the threatened behaviour is exhibited.
Because if you threaten the moon, or you fail to act, your kids, who aren’t stupid, nomatter what you might think, will doubt you the next time you threaten them. On the other side, if you threaten them appropriately, and then follow through, usually once is all you need, because they believe you.
Is that respect, or fear, or a little of both? It doesn’t matter: It’s necessary. And Obama didn’t have it.
There are multiple points that the previous President didn’t comprehend. The main one is that the US should maintain its historic role as one country that will act in the name of human rights and international justice, especially since the UN no longer will do that. The second is that war crimes have consequences. Nerve gas is illegal by international treaty and edict. The third, contrary to Trump’s previous rhetoric and his spin in his speech, is that the US will not only act in its narrow interests. We’re the good guys. Fourth, though I was half joking, it did deliver on Obama’s feckless “red line” threat, if 4 years late. Fifth, it send a valuable message that the US is not a paper tiger or a pushover or a weakling, as 8 years of Obama signalled. That’s always in the US’s interests. Recall that Osama assumed that the 9/11 attacks would demoralize and paralyze the country. That was also the assumption of Japan when it bombed Pearl Harbor. Projecting weakness is dangerous. It is even better to project craziness and impulsiveness than weakness.
And, of course, there are political benefits of this kind of action. My guess is that Trump will see a 5% bump in approval polls, maybe more.
Blowing stuff up tends to do that, I’m not sure what that says about the American people. And even I agree that it was the correct proportional response.*
* With the caveat that since I wasn’t in the briefing I don’t know what other targets were offered. It could be a different one was better.
When someone who lives in DC reminds me of my conservative roots and viewpoints, I know I need to unplug for a bit and relax. Good exists, despite the media saying otherwise.
Think I will take my daughter out to shoot the pistol this weekend. We both need the range time. Holes in paper targets is therapeutic… ballistic therapy! My range has a target with the game ‘Battleship’ on it… you have to sink the other’s ships by shooting them instead of inserting a peg!
You’d rather risk American lives? Drones and missiles only cost money, trained solders have families, and even if you didn’t care about that, they cost time to train up.
Boots on the ground are far more effective than bombing, as history has shown. As a former trained soldier, I appreciate the cost more than most. I volunteered, as did they. Not that we should squander their lives, but unleashing the American Fighting Forces is what tyrants the world over fear, not a few missiles.
The part that hurts that effort is politicians with agendas over riding the experienced commanders in the field. And how we get around THAT little issue is beyond me, given the military must be under civilian authority.
I think it was a message to North Korea. But I thought that of our invasion of Iraq.
After 8 years of Obama, and our lack of engagement before that, the new dear leader of North Korea has never seen the USA get serious with them. Why would you think he would start now over a missile in Syria?
TM, that sounded abrupt, which was not my intention. Your comment was fair and thoughtful, and no snark was intended.
No snark taken. I agree with your analysis.
That was also a message to North Korea.
And it was enforcement of the broken cease-fire and sanctions that the corrupt UN was making too much money under to back its own empty words.
So we once again foot the bill and take the risk for the rest of the globe…(sigh)
I know our role is important, but the urge to let the rest go to hell in the hand basket of their choosing is strong at times. Especially when they act like this.
Letting the rest go to hell isn’t the way it works. If the rest go to hell so do we. We have too much to lose. Third world countries can go to hell without the rest going as well, but I, for one, don’t want to live in a third world country.
you are right, ‘Granny, as is Jack. This must be one of my more cynical days (those seem to happen when I did not sleep well the night before)
The icing on the cake is that Trump was meeting with Xi of China while the bombardment was taking place (or nearly the same time anyway). Coincidentally the same guy with the most influence and ability to pull North Korea’s teeth.