Week 74
By 
I think that every possible take has been written on Donald Trump’s disastrous war and the terms of surrender. So I haven’t written much about it. The problem, of course, comes when one tries to sort out what makes sense.
NOTHING that Trump does in what has been called foreign policy makes sense. Or rather, makes sense in any way that people have looked at foreign policy qua policy. You can, if you care to, make sense in terms of his money and his ego. That is not interesting to me. I follow it and use it as a guide, but I can’t write it.
Trump is being criticized for the surrender document from all sides. That doesn’t mean that they all agree. Lindsey Graham and the FDD wanted more Iranian blood. Many people to their left felt that there never should have been a war and that the US has been humiliated. The two are not the same. Also, criticism of the document is possible even for those of us who recognize that it’s probably the only document that will emerge from this quagmire and we will have to wait until another president to clean things up.
Trump looked awful at the G7 meeting and blathered on uninhibited at the press conference. Washington Week in Review showed a clip from his 2018 announcement of withdrawal from the JCPOA and another from the G7. There’s a marked difference.
IN OTHER NEWS,
There were some great events and speeches this week. Zohran Mamdani gave all of us a present in celebrating the Knicks’ victory.
The Obamas’ speeches at the opening of the Presidential Center were good too. We elected Barack, and New Yorkers elected Zohran. There are a few more to be elected in November that can give us hope.
Follow the court-watchers for the details of the lawsuits. Chris Geidner (LawDork, Bluesky), Roger Parloff (Lawfare, Bluesky), and the Just Security tracker.
Let’s stay away from hypotheticals, as usual. Post your pets.
134 more weeks to go. What are you doing?
Previous weeks: Week 10, Week 20, Week 30, Week 40, Week 50, Week 60, Week 70, Week 71, Week 72, Week 73