Imagine if President Bill Clinton had spoken about the absolute ruler of the world’s most repressive and criminal regime– a regime which outlaws all dissent, starves people as a means of control, incarcerates tens of thousands of people in brutal slave labor camps, earns hard currency through counterfeiting and illegal drug manufacturing and smuggling— in the most effusively flattering terms.
It was an “honor” to meet Kim, Trump said. What surprised the American most about his counterpart? “Great personality and very smart—good combination,” he said. “I learned that he’s a very talented man. I also learned that he loves his country very much.” He added that Kim was “a worthy negotiator … a very worthy, very smart negotiator.” The president continued to gush during a press conference and in interviews.
…..
“His country does love him,” he said. “His people, you see the fervor. They have a great fervor. They’re gonna put it together, and I think they’re going to end up with a very strong country, and a country which has people—that they’re so hard working, so industrious.”
Imagine if President Barack Obama had surprised the Pentagon by ordering an end to joint US-South Korean military exercises (calling them “very provocative” and “inappropriate”) in exchange for a vague “agreement” that, as someone observed, makes the Iran nuclear deal look like the Louisiana Purchase.
Do we need to guess how Republicans, including Donald Trump, would react?
Bernie Sanders is wrong to call the summit between Donald Trump and King Jong Un a “positive step.” And so are any Trump supporters who believe the same.
On the bright side, we have a president who (at last!) is standing up to Canada.
Update: And what are we to make of this hot mess?
Further update: As a left-of-center blog, an original and ongoing aim of Harry’s Place is to call out hypocrisy and double standards about human rights on the Left. We would certainly call out anyone on the Left who talked remotely like this. We have often done so. It’s unfortunate that anyone, Left or Right, would be willing to excuse it.
