During the Obama years, the USA followed a policy of doing nothing with regard to North Korea. The Obamacrats called it "strategic patience" but that was just putting a fancy name on avoiding making any decisions how to deal with the NKs. The media accepted this policy as fine; after all, it came from Obama. Then came the Trump administration.
First, President Trump said that a North Korean ICBM with nuclear weapons would never be accepted by the USA. Suddenly, the media started paying attention. We were treated to story after story and column after column that dutifully reported that the USA had no good options for dealing with the NKs. The President, they told us, was foolish to make a big deal out of North Korea because his efforts were doomed to fail. It was just proof of how poorly Trump would do with foreign policy.
Next, the President started upping pressure on the NKs. He met with China's president Xi and sought his help in exerting maximum stress on Kim and the NKs. The media told us that while China might talk a good game, it would never actually do anything to help. After all, it never did previously. Trump was once again showing his ineptitude in foreign policy. China, however, did move towards pressurizing the situation for the NKs.
President Trump then put maximum military pressure on the NKs. There were fly by missions by stealth bombers which greatly alarmed the NKs because they didn't detect the US planes. There were fleets filled with aircraft carriers operating off the shores of North Korea. The media immediately got on the stick and called Trump a warmonger or, at least, someone who was likely to set off a military confrontation with the NKs that would kill millions. Trump was not only inept, he was dangerous, or so they told us. There was no war, however.
Then the President got more sanctions from the UN Security Council on the NKs. The media told us that while this wouldn't hurt, it wouldn't help either because China would just ignore those resolutions. Trump was naïve, they told us. But the Chinese didn't follow the expected plan. They did take some steps to comply.
Then came the Olympics with the NKs fielding a team. The media focused on Kim's sister and told us how she outclassed vice president Pence who was at the games. According to the media, Kim had outfoxed President Trump by gaining a sympathetic center stage without ever making any concession to the USA. The media told us that the President North Korea policy was collapsing.
Now we have the latest. There is going to be a summit between Kim and President Trump next months to discuss, among other things, the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. That is extraordinary news which could actually lead to a settlement with the NKs if all goes well. Admittedly, that is a big IF, but it still is a ray of sunshine in the fog of relations with North Korea. And how has the media reacted? Predictably, the main response was to criticize President Trump for not preparing adequately for this summit. Pundits with foreign policy credentials under Obama (I know, an oxymoron) told us that no president could get ready for a summit like this in three months. Trump would not do the preparation, so the summit was doomed to fail. Trump had to have diplomatic preparations for the meeting, and he wasn't doing that. Of course, we then learned that CIA director Mike Pompeo had gone to Pyongyang and met with Kim in preparation for the summit. In other words, the President was getting ready for a meeting with Kim and doing just what the pundits assured us he would never do.
That brings us to the latest media storyline. This morning, I read four articles telling readers that President Trump would likely make a bad deal with Kim at the summit. After all, President Trump would be under pressure to bring home a deal and Kim could use that to get much without really giving up anything. The funny thing is that these articles all deal with President Trump as if he were Obama. It was Obama who felt the importance of appearances over reality. Trump, on the other hand, has had no problem with doing things that the media perceived as bad or dangerous if he thought such action was best for the American people.
The truth is that Trump's handling of the North Korean situation has been amazingly good. It's not over yet, and things could easily fall apart even now. We are, after all, dealing with a somewhat demented dictator who acts unpredictably. Kim, however, knows that his leadership and his life are on the line. I'm betting that when it comes to finalizing the deal, Trump comes away with what the USA needs. We will see soon. One thing is certain, however: no matter what happens, it will confound the pundits and the media, and they will find some reason why it was a failure by the president. Just for once, it would be nice if they would just shut up and wait to see the actual facts before they comment on them.
First, President Trump said that a North Korean ICBM with nuclear weapons would never be accepted by the USA. Suddenly, the media started paying attention. We were treated to story after story and column after column that dutifully reported that the USA had no good options for dealing with the NKs. The President, they told us, was foolish to make a big deal out of North Korea because his efforts were doomed to fail. It was just proof of how poorly Trump would do with foreign policy.
Next, the President started upping pressure on the NKs. He met with China's president Xi and sought his help in exerting maximum stress on Kim and the NKs. The media told us that while China might talk a good game, it would never actually do anything to help. After all, it never did previously. Trump was once again showing his ineptitude in foreign policy. China, however, did move towards pressurizing the situation for the NKs.
President Trump then put maximum military pressure on the NKs. There were fly by missions by stealth bombers which greatly alarmed the NKs because they didn't detect the US planes. There were fleets filled with aircraft carriers operating off the shores of North Korea. The media immediately got on the stick and called Trump a warmonger or, at least, someone who was likely to set off a military confrontation with the NKs that would kill millions. Trump was not only inept, he was dangerous, or so they told us. There was no war, however.
Then the President got more sanctions from the UN Security Council on the NKs. The media told us that while this wouldn't hurt, it wouldn't help either because China would just ignore those resolutions. Trump was naïve, they told us. But the Chinese didn't follow the expected plan. They did take some steps to comply.
Then came the Olympics with the NKs fielding a team. The media focused on Kim's sister and told us how she outclassed vice president Pence who was at the games. According to the media, Kim had outfoxed President Trump by gaining a sympathetic center stage without ever making any concession to the USA. The media told us that the President North Korea policy was collapsing.
Now we have the latest. There is going to be a summit between Kim and President Trump next months to discuss, among other things, the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. That is extraordinary news which could actually lead to a settlement with the NKs if all goes well. Admittedly, that is a big IF, but it still is a ray of sunshine in the fog of relations with North Korea. And how has the media reacted? Predictably, the main response was to criticize President Trump for not preparing adequately for this summit. Pundits with foreign policy credentials under Obama (I know, an oxymoron) told us that no president could get ready for a summit like this in three months. Trump would not do the preparation, so the summit was doomed to fail. Trump had to have diplomatic preparations for the meeting, and he wasn't doing that. Of course, we then learned that CIA director Mike Pompeo had gone to Pyongyang and met with Kim in preparation for the summit. In other words, the President was getting ready for a meeting with Kim and doing just what the pundits assured us he would never do.
That brings us to the latest media storyline. This morning, I read four articles telling readers that President Trump would likely make a bad deal with Kim at the summit. After all, President Trump would be under pressure to bring home a deal and Kim could use that to get much without really giving up anything. The funny thing is that these articles all deal with President Trump as if he were Obama. It was Obama who felt the importance of appearances over reality. Trump, on the other hand, has had no problem with doing things that the media perceived as bad or dangerous if he thought such action was best for the American people.
The truth is that Trump's handling of the North Korean situation has been amazingly good. It's not over yet, and things could easily fall apart even now. We are, after all, dealing with a somewhat demented dictator who acts unpredictably. Kim, however, knows that his leadership and his life are on the line. I'm betting that when it comes to finalizing the deal, Trump comes away with what the USA needs. We will see soon. One thing is certain, however: no matter what happens, it will confound the pundits and the media, and they will find some reason why it was a failure by the president. Just for once, it would be nice if they would just shut up and wait to see the actual facts before they comment on them.
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