The time has come to impeach the President of the United States.
The man is genuinely disconnected from the perspectives of others. He seems to take little interest in the nuances of public policy, whether domestic or international, and, worst of all, is reckless with human life. This last concern is the clear reason why he needs to be removed from office.
There is little doubt that Kim Jong Un is a despot, an autocrat, and a menace to international peace. It is probably difficult for the President to refrain from calling him “Rocket Man”, but he needs to reserve those kinds of comments for private meetings with top staff. Being pompous and overbearing may provide some usefulness in the world of big business (how sad), but it has no place in international relations.
We’re not talking about Xbox here; lives are at stake. This man, in all seriousness, stood before the General Assembly of the United Nations and threatened to “totally destroy North Korea”. He just doesn’t seem to understand the limited effectiveness of bullying. Every bully, whether it’s the guy in junior high, trapping victims on the toilet, or the big city politician who’s enjoyed a long career manipulating elections and budget priorities, will end up emasculated and humiliated. The big bear will lose his edge, only to become lunch for the wild dogs. Does this describe Donald Trump…or does it describe the United States of America? We need to make a disassociation quickly.
There is no scenario in which North Korea is destroyed without collateral damage. It would be highly fortunate if the collateral damage were “minor”, but what would minor mean? It certainly would mean severe damage to our ally, South Korea. It likely means major damage to our ally, Japan. How would U.S. relations change with these two countries if they were seriously harmed due to U.S. diplomatic failures? The possibility of nuclear fallout in the region is also very real. How will China react? Will the conflict spill into China? Will China decide to get involved? If that happens, there is a potential for a real nuclear battle, devastating both the U.S. and China.
But even in the “best” possible military scenario, in which the U.S. swiftly obliterates North Korean military capacity (and then spend billions rebuilding the place, followed by handing it back to China), hundreds of thousands of North Koreans would be killed. These people are living under a despot, living in fear, living in poverty. Is it really okay to kill them in droves simply because they happened to be born in a miserable situation? Is it American policy to give no value to the lives of foreigners? God help us if that is so.
There is no good end to a military encounter. There is bad, really bad, and life on earth-threatening.
In a shocking irony, Melania Trump also spoke at the U.N. Her theme was care for children. Among her comments she said, we…”must teach each other the values of empathy and communication that are the core of kindness, mindfulness, integrity and leadership.” She went on to say that it was time to “turn our focus right now to the message and content they are exposed to on a daily basis—social media, the bullying” and more. (Was Donald in the room?)
Trump is clear that he wants to “put America first.” This should be no shocker, given that he was elected to serve as this country’s Chief Executive. But he doesn’t seem to grasp that a diplomatic America, one that works cooperatively with other nations, one that genuinely pursues peace, is a much stronger and healthier nation than one that seeks to stand alone, pouting and threatening the other nations.
The U.S. is presently blessed to have three high-ranking generals advising President Trump. James Mattis, a retired Marine Corps General, is presently Secretary of Defense. H.R. McMaster is in active duty as a Lieutenant General for the U.S. Army, as he serves as National Security Advisor. John Kelly, Trumps Chief of Staff, is also a retired Marine Corps General. As Eliot Cohen, military historian from Johns Hopkins University puts it: “Relief….These are grown-ups in grown up jobs. God knows this administration needs them.” But it does seem a little unnerving that the voices of reason and military caution coming out of the current administration are military men. Be that as it may, we can be thankful for their presence. But that is the other worrisome matter. All of them serve at the pleasure of the President. This means we have good reason to worry about their continued participation as leaders of our government.
We have elected him. It is our fault. He has behaved pretty much as he said he would. I would say we just didn’t believe it possible. But, apparently, it is possible. It cannot be allowed to continue. We must, for the sake of the United States, and for the sake of the world, remove our current President, peacefully and legally, and replace him with the man who has already been elected in case of that need.
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