Who in their right mind would want to be the current incumbent of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.? In the recent refurbishments, he has undoubtedly had revolving doors installed, and certainly, the driveway has been turned into a racetrack; in the house to accommodate all the new arrivals and sudden departures, on the drive to allow him to do as many quick U Turns as he can possibly fit into a day.
Ok, whats wrong now?
No, it's pretty much business as usual. The much despised Steve Bannon has left the building, returning from whence he came to edit his 'pulp-fiction' news site, Breitbart.
Even though the split was acrimonious, he has vowed to stand by Donald, but as for Trump's daughter and son-in-law, watch out for the incoming! Before Bannon's hasty departure Trump's refusal to condemn the far right groups in Virginia, and make any apology to a murdered protester's family, has done him few favours. He certainly needs to think deeply about how he can DIPLOMATICALLY handle this question. Tearing down statues to honour the fallen is akin to what ISIS has been doing in northern Iraq. Cultural genocide does not wipe out the stain of the crime, nor does it forgive the crime, but these monuments honour the fallen during a violent part of American history, and to get rid of them is akin to nihilism and forgetfulness to the point of stupidity.
Afghanistan!
Oh dear, will no one ever learn? The battle for Afghanistan is unwinnable, so much so that even those who have fought over this mountainous region for the past 4000 years have forgotten what they are fighting for: be it Al Queda, the Taliban, or ISIS, no one is going to break them. The president has just announced that instead of taking troops out, he will be putting more troops in, which is, of course, a complete reversal of what he said on the campaign trail; so nothing new there then!
With some 5000 troops still in the country and having been there since 2001, with innumerable losses, and no victory anywhere in sight, he is committing America to yet more pain. This is the total reversal of what he promised. At least Hamid Karzai who treated the West with the utmost contempt, while lining his own pockets and that of his family's with the country's wealth, is gone, to be replaced by another corrupt regime which will no doubt do the same.
One can only hope he is prepared for the inevitable backlash when things go wrong in this complex tribal society.
Oh, and just in case everyone now thinks we are safe since North Korea has gone silent, even though manoeuvres are taking place along its borders. Kim Jung has not gone away, he is simply watching, waiting, and biding his time.
