The 60 day cease-fire with Iran has passed with no deal in sight. The Strait of Hormuz is still not open for business and there has been no movement toward a nuclear weapons deal. To put it bluntly: There is no nothing.
The Don marked this moment by saying he was not extending the cease-fire. So what’s the strategy here? The Don has decided to play the long game and hope increased sanctions create such economic pain for Iranians that they come to the table to negotiate. There are two problems with this. One is that the Iranian leadership has no intention of caving as they feel they have the upper hand (no matter how much its people suffer), and The Don is not known for playing the long game. The humiliation of his failure to achieve any of his goals has left him enraged, but the rage, as far as Iran goes, has morphed into a weird indifference. At a recent rally, The Don told his audience the war was going well and to suck it up about increased gas prices.
The Don is desperate for the war to disappear from the news cycle before the midterms. In other words, we are doing a great job so there is no need for us to worry about anything. A growing anti-war sentiment is cratering his approval rating; rising gas prices are not part of what matters in his delusional construction of reality.
The man who believes he is the only one who can fix things broke them and has no solution except to hope that his supporters continue to buy into his trickery and deception. In other words, as the great Chico Marx (dressed as Groucho) said in “Duck Soup” “Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?”
One thing we need to always remember is that when The Don is humiliated he becomes enraged and seeks revenge. Now that he (at least temporarily) has disconnected from Iran, he has displaced his rage on others.
With Oman (a key friend in the Middle East) and Iran negotiating a joint venture to control the traffic of the Strait of Hormuz (which would impose a fee on every ship that passes through. In another rant, The Don declared that he would bomb our ally Oman. “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up.” If Oman “gets in the way” of his efforts to reach an agreement with Iran, “we’ll bomb the shit out of them.”
In addition to his threats to Oman, he was set to impose punitive new 50% tariffs on Canada (though he has pulled back on his threat for now.) He also announced that he would pull back military support from South Korea.
The Don is like the flailing boxer who is throwing wild punches hoping to change the storyline that he has failed. Iran has him up against the ropes and he is lashing out: Take this Canada, take that Oman, take this South Korea. While this is happening, he is searching for a friendly face in the crowd to make him feel good. In his day-to-day life it is Natalie Harp who looks at him like he is her savior and feeds him propaganda to prop him up. Outside the White House there are fewer and fewer admirers so why not rekindle a formal love affair. Hey Kim, it’s Don. I still have your letters. Mean so much, so much.
The Don’s praise of Kim led to publicly ordering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to diminish America’s role in an annual military exercise with South Korea, a signal that he wants to resume negotiations.
The Don’s decision was also aimed at punishing the South Koreans for declining to join in the war against Iran. The Don even posted on Truth Social a meme showing Mr. Kim making a phone call with military officers standing behind him. The caption read: “Hey Donald, we cool … right?”
If you recall, in his first administration The Don met with Kim Jung-un a number of times, convinced that he alone could get the North Korean dictator to give up its nuclear weapons. “It’s going to go very quickly,” “I really believe that it’s going to go fast. And it is a very substantial arsenal. There’s no question about it.” Turns out getting rogue countries to give up their most potent way to deter others from taking military action against them is a tough sell. Iran, who negotiated a deal with the Obama administration to not develop one, is now convinced more than ever that North Korea has the right idea. So much for making the world a safer place.
Smitten by Kim, The Don “fell in love.” Rumor has it that Melania was in full support of the love affair stating: “Donald has strong feelings for strong men. They excite him.”
All the love in the world couldn’t get Kim to give up his nuclear weapons, despite The Don’s assurances. In fact, Mr. Kim has vastly expanded his nuclear arsenal in defiance of The Don who, as a jilted lover, still is convinced Kim is playing hard-to-get and will submit to including a statement that North Korea has been “unthreatening and respectful” while he has been president. “Kim Jong-un has always treated me with great respect,” the president added. “I understand him. He understands me.” Yes he does Don, he understands that he can yank your chain with sweet nothings.
Kim is of course playing him for the fool he is by pretending to love, love, love The Don. Rumor has it that while he was singing Natalie Harp’s praises he said she is the “only one who loved him as much as his wife and kids.” After saying that, rumor has it The Don told an aide that actually, “Kim Jung-un loves me almost as much as V and definitely more than my family.”
Just like Bibi, Kim has The Don right where he wants him. Flattering The Don, Bibi convinced him that Iran was vulnerable and ripe for regime change. Bibi told him that The Don would be seen as the savior of the Middle East: You will be so loved and admired around the world you will burst. Despite everyone advising him against attacking Iran, The Don ignored them. He couldn’t resist the opportunity to put his stamp on the Middle East. That hasn’t worked out too well. And now his love affair with Kim has blinded him to the dangers North Korea represents. Delusional love never succeeds, but it sure makes you feel good when you experience it.
The fact that The Don believes North Korea will negotiate with us now is absurd and scary. Kim is no fool and sees The Don as weak and the laughing stock of the world. Since The Don can’t get Iran to negotiate, perhaps North Korea will? As I said, delusion love never succeeds and never ends well. The Don’s delusional belief that Kim will do his bidding and make Asia more safe undermines the security of Asia. Hey, but maybe love the second time round will be different?
The Grand Offal Party 