Dear America,
At least in my opinion, the two most critical qualities for a president are perspicacity and aplomb, neither of which has been displayed by our president in his North Korea war of words. As to perspicacity, consider the fact that we have a president who evinces a bellicose nature regularly. His pugnacious tendencies bare themselves every day on Twitter, directed a anyone who doesn't see things the way he does, usually with a disproportionate amount of bile. Threatening is his practically his métier and has been since he took over his father's business and enlisted Roy Cohn as his mentor and spiritual advisor. As to North Korea's pugnacious leader, I see little to distinguish him from our own. But relative to nuclear weapons, Kim Jung-Un sees them in China and the United States, possibly arrayed against his country, and he can't help but have taken note of the fact that the United States and the members of NATO have refused to pledge not to be the first users of nuclear devices in conflict. Compound that fact with the fact that so many nations--China, Russia, Great Britain, Pakistan, India, France, United States and Israel, plus the NATO nations that share the nuclear weapons of the nuclear powers who are members--have control of nuclear weapons and interests adverse to North Korea's and there is reason for understanding of North Korea's determination to arm itself in an armed and hostile world. That is not to defend the North Korean quest for nuclear armament with missiles to deliver them all over the world, nor is it to even commiserate with the country's leadership, but a little perspicacity might yield a more temperate and productive tone from our president.
As to aplomb, Donald Trump has always been prone to shooting from the hip rather than thinking first and demonstrating poised deliberativeness. He is quick to sue in business, secretive, devious and eager to react viciously in order to prove that he is fierce. That is how he thinks human relations are to be carried out, and he acts with alacrity rather than contemplation when confronted by a problem, which is what the apparent acceleration of North Korea's nuclear program is for everyone. But if Trump thought about what he would have done were he in Kim's position, he would probably see that his conduct would have been exactly the same. After all, a rational national leader could well be expected to ask why his state should cower in the face of power held elsewhere when he could have that same power with which to defend himself, not just from attack but from the threat of attack, manifest or de facto. The effort to stifle nuclear weapon development in other countries seems hypocritical coming from a nation with 5,000 war heads mounted on ICBM's, especially in light of the fact that in the '80's, Ronald Reagan declined as U.S. President, Mikhail Gorbachev's invitation to begin the process of mutual nuclear disarmament in lieu of the threat of mutual nuclear annihilation. If Donald Trump had bothered to think about what Kim sees and believes before shooting off a threat, he might have been more inclined to admit how this all looks and show some of the aforementioned perspicacity. Instead, he chose to react rashly, which might just confirm Kim's arguably justified fears and suspicions. So much for aplomb.
So, now what do we do as a nation. Perhaps we should indulge in another era of bomb-shelter construction as a new cold war breaks out. Maybe all there is to do is wait for the first salvo, or possibly we could do this: we could impeach Donald Trump sooner rather than later...or have him committed. Whichever works is okay by me.
Your friend,
Mike
