Instead of the “sheriff” in the White House shooting from the hip and making the outlaw gangs surrender, he is shooting from the lip and making sure that the “baddies” win while his allies are punished.The barrage of verbal artillery being lobbed can only be described as asinine and narcissistic.
Our friends at AI clearly explain the symptoms of these two afflictions.
Asinine is an adjective that describes something or someone as extremely foolish, stupid, or silly. It typically refers to behaviour, comments, or decisions that show a complete and contemptible lack of good judgment or common sense.
The word originates from the Latin word asinus, meaning “ass” or “donkey”.
A narcissist is someone who has an excessive preoccupation with themselves, an inflated sense of self-importance, and a constant need for admiration. The term comes from the Greek myth of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection.
People with high levels of narcissism consistently display specific behaviours:
- Sense of self-importance.
- Preoccupation with power, beauty, or success.
- Can only be around people who are important or special.
- Interpersonally exploitative for their own gain.
- Lack empathy.
- Must be admired.
As Israel faces continuing onslaughts from the US President and Vice President, I leave it up to readers to decide whether the symptoms described fit the officials in question.
Perhaps a sample of choice utterances from this past week may help determine whether we are facing rational policies or witnessing irrational and erratic decisions.
Either way, and especially if sanity does not eventually prevail, we are heading for the biggest sellout of allies since the days of the late Neville Chamberlain and his infamous piece of paper signed in Munich.
VANCE: We can achieve a long-term deal with Iran. Israel may not like it. Too bad. It will be a home run for the American people, whether Israel likes it or not.
This is “America First” resurrected from the days of Charles Lindbergh, when the Republican Party espoused isolationist policies which ignored the persecution of Jews in Germany and, in reality, told all those opposed to the Nazi regime, “too bad.”
If this is, in fact, the ideology of the Vice President, the outlook for Israel and American Jews in 2028 is bleak. With the Democratic Party captured by anti Israel candidates and with the New York Mayor declaring AIPAC and its supporters “monsters” the writing is on the wall.
TRUMP: Without ME there would be no Israel. Why do they have to destroy a building every time a Hezbollah person enters? Syria can deal with Hezbollah.
We might have to rewrite the Torah in order to record that the US President single-handedly saved Israel. Presumably, he also split the Sea of Reeds and personally handed down the 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai.
Hezbollah digs tunnels beneath buildings in order to store missiles and drones and launches them from concealed shafts. Presumably, the President prefers that Israel leave these structures intact.
His suggestion that Syria, which attempted a genuine genocide of its Druze citizens, be the country to “deal” with Hezbollah is a classic case of narcissistically asinine rhetoric.
TRUMP: There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender.
Now we know what his version of unconditional surrender looks like. If the same criteria had been applied to Germany and Japan, the end result would have been vastly different.
VANCE: Israel is freaking out over this deal. Trump is the only world leader who still likes Israel. Israel cannot kill its way out of every problem.
Ayatollah Khomeini’s grandson triumphantly announced after this latest American diplomatic disaster that “the greater jihad begins from today.” Who wouldn’t freak out when faced with this inevitable catastrophe?
Whether Trump likes Israel or himself more is a moot point. Jews have been disliked by most of the world during the last three millennia, yet we have survived, and all those who plotted our demise are gone.
When faced with jihadists’ hate and promises to wipe the “Zionist entity” off the face of the map, we have learned that passive acquiescence is not a winning strategy. Bullies only respect those who stand up to them, which is why the Iranians now smell weakness and are aiming for the big prize.
TRUMP: If other countries can have missiles, why can’t the Iranians also have them? Missiles are not a problem. They hurt a little location but they don’t blow up the planet.
I was never interested in regime change.
Most countries that have missiles use them for defensive purposes. Iran uses them to specifically menace and threaten those it wants to punish or destroy. Its aim is to weaponise these missiles with nuclear warheads and thereby enable them to blackmail and attack near and far. Any Western democratic leader who does not understand this elementary reality is living in la la land.
After the brave Iranians came out and demonstrated for regime change, they were assured by the US President that “help is on the way.” Unfortunately, the cavalry never arrived, and now the commander-in-chief asserts that he never was serious about riding to their rescue in the first place.
This is a rerun of how the Americans refused to join the fight against the Nazi menace until they themselves were attacked by Imperial Japan. The America Firsters of those days couldn’t have cared less whether Britain succumbed to German terror. Coming to the aid of persecuted Jews was certainly the least important item on their agenda. By the time American troops finally liberated concentration camps, it was too little too late.
TRUMP: There are no limits to my power. I have already achieved regime change in Iran. The Memorandum of Understanding constitutes Iran’s unconditional surrender. Israel and the Prime Minister have a lot of respect for ME. They do as I say. My relationship with Netanyahu is good, but we have to keep him a little bit sane.
Those seeking genuine regime change and the restoration of human rights and democratic values must be wondering when this mythical transformation, the President claims, actually occurred. Self-induced hallucinations are no substitute for actual reality.
Have the checks and balances of the American Constitution been altered, thus giving Trump unlimited powers?
Israelis’ admiration for Trump has vanished like the desert mirages. In the latest poll taken after the “deal pivot,” 13% respondents continue to trust Trump, while 71% no longer have any trust in him.
TRUMP & VANCE: Iran has agreed to let IAEA inspectors enter the country.
Iran has denied agreeing to any such inspection.
TRUMP: Iran has agreed to use the unfrozen funds it receives towards buying food exclusively from America.
Iran denies that any such agreement or obligation has been given.
The ongoing pattern of claim and counterclaim, assertion and denial, is the predictable trajectory of these negotiations.
Schlepping out the discussions while sowing doubt, confusion, and contradiction is all part of Iran’s plan. They are being aided in their campaign by their willing partners Qatar, Pakistan and Turkey as well as others who can see economic pots of gold at the end of an appeasement rainbow.
Iran knows that Trump is running out of time and wants to get rid of the problem as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Israel and the Gulf States will be the first to suffer the evil consequences of a resurrected and resurgent Iranian regime fortified by a bounty of dollars.
An ironic message circulating on social media sums up the current lunacy.
“Greenland is now asking Trump to invade, hoping to secure a deal similar to the one Iran got.”
Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and is J-Wire’s correspondent in the region.