My friend Billy Joel is one of the great lyric writers of all time. One of his more memorable lines is “you may be right, I may be crazy. But it just might be a lunatic you’re looking for.” When it comes to President Trump, keep that lyric in mind. All over the world, villains and allies alike are assessing Mr. Trump’s state of mind. For example, in eight years, President Obama got nowhere with North Korea. But in one year, President Trump is on the verge of getting that outlaw regime to freeze its nuclear weapons program. It is impossible to know exactly why NK dictator Kim Jung Un has rather suddenly agreed to stop his bellicosity (word of the day). But a very educated theory put forth by me says that Trump made a discreet deal with the Chinese to neuter Kim. As you may know, China could easily close its border with North Korea, denying the country a flow of oil and food. Also, Chinese agents might stir up big trouble with Kim’s population - folks who rarely have enough to eat. So if a powerful someone told the Chinese to wise Kim up in return for a relaxation of trade and tariff threats - that might be a motivator. In addition, Kim himself has probably noticed that Donald Trump has outwardly threatened him. Pulling the trigger on that threat is certainly a possibility. The vicious Mullahs in Iran are also considering Trump’s capacity for aggression. Surely, the theocrats did not fear past American Presidents. Now, it’s a different story. The Iranian leadership is in a similar position to Kim - the population is restive. Trump could severely damage the Mullahs economically and militarily. Back home, the American people know that Donald Trump is unpredictable and can be kind of crazy in his presentation at times. During the campaign, he called his opponent “Crooked Hillary.” He labeled Senator Marco Rubio “Little Marco” and told Governor Jeb Bush he was boring. Do timid politicians do that? Nevertheless, more than 60 million Americans voted for Mr. Trump. Was it a so called lunatic they were looking for? In some ways, yes. Most voters are tired of standard political garbage; they want a shakeup in Washington. They are getting one. It remains to be seen if President Trump’s dramatic departure from the political norm will benefit the country in the long run. But for now, his capacity for dramatic, unpredictable action is affecting the world. All thinking people should understand that it is wise to tread softly around the most powerful man in the world. Really, no one knows what the President is capable of doing. No one.
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