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In his recent column, Eric Zorn says that a reluctance or inability to peer into the future is the weakness of ... everyone who thought it would be a good idea to elect an immature, incurious bully as president of the United States.

Actually, I looked into the future of this country under someone who'd accomplished nothing more than riding her husband's coattails into the corridors of power, compromised national security by using a homegrown email server in violation of government regulations, and enriched the Clinton Foundation by selling the office of Secretary of State.

That future included more liberal Supreme Court justices, continuing growth of the Obama regulatory state at the expense of business and the middle class, and continuing reduction of freedom of conscience. In my mind, the brighter future for this country involved having Donald Trump in the White House.

Zorn's comments about people who voted for Trump bring to mind Hillary Clinton's comments about deplorables. That's OK with me, because in the last presidential election, we deplorables won.

Claude Groves, Naperville

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Donald Trump gives me hope for the future - Chicago Tribune

Trump addressing the crowd in Krasinski Square in Poland on July 6.

By Krystian Dobuszynski/NurPhoto/Getty Images.

So far, Donald Trump is on his way to being merely a bad president rather than the worst. (That could change; please, Fates, do not pounce.) Yet I doubt any president has had more people saying, only months in, This guys gotta go. I admit Im often one of those people myself, even though I consider Trumps proven misdeeds to be technically minor so far. A small but growing number of people on the right are calling for Trumps removal, too. New York Times columnist Ross Douthat has called for Republicans to launch a palace coup against the president, and American Conservative writer Rod Dreher has suggested that Congress impeach Trump to protect the integrity of our constitutional order. Even Trump supporters have sometimes hinted at frayed patience, watching their agenda slip away over yet another modern day presidential tweet.

What were learning, it seems, is how much propriety, even in purely ritualistic form, matters in a president. What some of us (like this writer) are struggling with is the question of whether an absence of sobriety can ever justify something so drastic as premature removal from office.

As absurd as it may be only months into a presidency, impeachment is already getting lots of attention, and its as much because of unhinged tweeting as it is because of policy. Last weekend, thousands of Americans took to the streets to demand Congress take action. California Democrat Brad Sherman has written a proposed article of impeachment. Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin has rounded up 25 congressional colleagues to support a presidential oversight commission that would monitor the commander-in-chief for soundness of body and mind. I assume every human being is allowed one or two errant and seemingly deranged tweets, Raskin told Yahoo News. The question is whether you have a sustained pattern of behavior that indicates something is seriously wrong.

Officially, of course, collusion with Moscow or obstruction of justice is the reason were supposed to want to go after Donald Trump. But allegations of outright criminality are far ahead of what the evidence permits so far. Certainly, like other bad presidents, Trump has made some horrible policy choices, including ramping up tensions with Iran, proposing to put health coverage out of reach for millions of Americans, withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, and doing Saudi Arabias bidding in the Middle East, to name a few. But crimes? No. Nothing has been close to proven, at least, and we cant reasonably call for impeachment based on suspicions.

Even if it turns out that a G.O.P. operative contacted Russian hackers (in vain) to get ahold of the deleted e-mails of Hillary Clinton, such a sin seems minor in comparison to that of, say, launching a war based on false assurances (hello, George W. Bush) or of violating an arms embargo to sell missiles to Iran and diverting the profits to a Central American guerrilla group (please stand, Ronald Reagan). Perhaps its worse than directing hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to fraudulent plaintiffs in what appears to have been a crude effort at vote buying (dont be shy, Barack Obama), but its still debatable whether itd put Trump in a league of his own. It grates especially on the soulmy soul, at leastto hear pious denunciations of Trump from the same people who served with Dubya as the U.S. established an archipelago of dark sites in which captives were tortured, sometimes to death. Youre going to talk about character?

But, still, they have a point. When Trump tweeted that Mika Brzezinski was bleeding from a facelift, people joked that it was the end of civilizationand it wasnt entirely a joke. For many Americans, this author included, it prompted another round of This guys gotta go. And that in turn raises the question of why. Why should style ever matter more than substance? Selling arms to Saudi Arabia is a matter of life and deathmostly deathfor thousands of innocent people, but no one would suggest Trump be impeached over it. By contrast, tweets about Mika Brzezinski hurt barely anyone apart from Mika Brzezinski, and yet they left everyone disgusted and spooked.

The only answer I can come up with turns out to be painfully conservative. I say painfully not because theres anything wrong with conservatism per se but because, if Trump got anything right about our times, it was that wed come to a radical moment. Bernie Sanders picked up on the same thing. Many Americans, whether on the left or right, didnt just want a few adjustments but a re-examination of fundamentals. Trumps willingness to scandalize the garden party was proof of his willingness to take on this task. Somebody needed to throw a few teacakes at the guests, and conservatives dont do that. But Trump never moved on from there. He just stuck around to throw everything else.

Normal heads of state either possess many of the traditional Roman virtuesa trip to Google reminded me of some favorites: gravitas, veritas, humanitas, frugalitas, pietas, severitas, salubritasor at least try to fake them. Donald Trump exhibits almost none of them, ever. He can just barely pull off a joint appearance with a visiting dignitary before the limits of his self-control kick in and hes back to being himself. Thats alarming. Whether in ancient Rome or ancient China, nothing portended calamity like an emperor who flouted the formalities.

Yes, Donald Trump loves his country, and perhaps to that extent offers a favorable contrast to a tiny but vocal god-damn-America cohort that unfairly but inescapably tarnishes the brand of his opposition. But he loves it in the manner of someone who thanks you effusively for the gift of a Rodin statue and then uses it as a doorstop. What Trump says and does is often funnyhilarious, evenbut mainly because it violates our sense of sacredness and decency. Were reminded almost daily that iconoclasm is one of humors great wellsprings, but when it comes from our head of state, the laughter is mighty bitter. Caligula was funny, too.

And so it is that people think seriously about palace coups or impeachmentare forced to think about iteven as most liberals would generally prefer Trumps policies to those of Mike Pence, and some of us would rank his worst sins much lower than those of several presidents who appear on our legal tender. As it turns out, were far more tolerant of constitutional subversion than of outright insurrection, and perhaps for legitimate reasons. Nibbling away at constitutional norms is terrible, and presidents from both parties have done it, but the very threads of civilization feel at risk when our head of state flouts the few formalities that we have. We need what Confucius called the rites. We want our judges in robes, not T-shirts and shorts. And we want an emperor who can handle what might be the most important requirement of the job: to keep up appearances.

If Trump is impeached, well tell ourselves its for breaches of the law. But the truth is its going to be for breaches of decorum. And its getting harder and harder to dismiss the thought that that may be cause enough.

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Is Donald Trump Too Offensive to be President? - Vanity Fair

The U.S. is hinting at a possible return to war with North Korea after Pyongyang tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, and it is proposing wider U.N. sanctions against any country that does business with this outlaw regime.

Even a so-called surgical strike against North Korea would risk staggering civilian casualties, complicating matters for the U.S. and South Korea. The Chinese leader also has limited options, our Beijing bureau chief notes.

The nuclear push is just one sign of how, despite sanctions, the Norths leader, Kim Jong-un, has been trying to project a strong image with a string of infrastructure projects.

A fallen warrior.

Officer Miosotis Familia, who was shot dead in the Bronx while on duty, was murdered for her uniform, the New York City police commissioner said.

Our reporters spoke to her family and friends, who said she was tough and that was the job for her.

The gunman, Alexander Bonds, was a 34-year-old former prisoner with mental health problems and a history of anger toward the police and justice system.

Venezuelas lawmakers under attack.

A mob stormed the opposition-dominated National Assembly with the apparent acquiescence of government troops on Wednesday.

The assault was a sharp escalation of lawlessness in a country roiled by a failing economy and daily protests.

A bet on electric.

Volvo, the Sweden-based automaker owned by Geely of China, will introduce only hybrid or electric models beginning in 2019. Thats a first for a mainstream car company.

Its chief executive said that while the strategy has risks, a much bigger risk would be to stick with internal combustion engines.

The Daily, your audio news report.

In todays episode, we discuss how the U.S. underestimated North Korea, and how the battle over health care is playing out in Kentucky.

Listen on a computer, an iOS device or an Android device.

Hopes for a Trump bump on the U.S. economy are shrinking, as estimates for the second quarter are being revised downward.

Oil exports from the U.S., illegal for decades to anywhere but Canada, are prompting a Texas port boom.

Ubers tax calculation may have cost drivers in New York hundreds of millions of dollars.

U.S. stocks were mixed on Wednesday. Heres a snapshot of global markets.

Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.

Stereotypically macho messages limit childrens understanding of what it means to be a father, man or boy.

Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli-British chef, suggests blueberry, almond and lemon cake as the perfect companion to a cup of tea.

Catching that outdoor vibe.

DJ Khaled, the longtime producer, performer and social-media star, gives an affectionate tour of his backyard in 360 degrees.

In todays 360 video, DJ Khaled, a longtime producer, performer and social-media star, gives an affectionate tour of his backyard.

All the presidents lawyers.

The Times Magazine looks at how Donald Trumps life and career have been defined by legal battles, and at whether the attorneys who guided him through the courtrooms of New York and New Jersey know how to navigate Washington.

Love in soccer.

Bianca Sierra and Stephany Mayor played for Mexico in the 2015 Womens World Cup. But after coming out as a couple, they traveled far from home to find acceptance.

Antiquities, returned.

The art supplies seller Hobby Lobby has agreed to give up 5,500 artifacts, including ancient clay cuneiform tablets, that were smuggled out of Iraq and labeled tile samples. The company will pay $3 million to settle the case.

Quotation of the day.

Self-restraint, which is a choice, is all that separates armistice and war.

Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of U.S. troops in South Korea, in an unusually blunt warning to North Korea after it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that analysts said could reach Alaska.

No matter where you are, it seems everyone complains about inaccurate weather forecasts.

In 1954, The Times reported that meteorologists were asking the public for a better understanding of their complex work.

The Weatherman is tired of being the butt of a parade of stale jokes, the article read.

But thanks to satellites and ever more advanced data analysis, short-term predictions of three to five days have become remarkably accurate, notes Henry Fountain, a Times reporter who focuses on climate change and the environment.

He cautions, however, that longer-term forecasting, of several weeks to several months, remains more problematic.

These subseasonal to seasonal forecasts, as they are called, are critical for economies worldwide, helping farmers in Australia decide how much irrigation water theyll need, for example, or international shippers plan their routes. They also affect military and disaster planning.

European forecasts are often considered better than most, in part because European governments often devote more resources to them.

But the U.S. is trying to catch up. The government this spring enacted a law that prioritizes research to improve longer-term modeling.

Jennifer Jett contributed reporting.

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Donald Trump, North Korea, Volvo: Your Thursday Briefing - New York Times

He insisted over the weekend, via Twitter, of course, that his conduct in office was "modern day presidential." And if ever there was a definition of what "modern day presidential" means to Trump, this news conference was it.

He attacked the media as "fake news." He refused to say definitively that Russia was behind the meddling into the 2016 election. He attacked former President Barack Obama for "choking" when confronted with intelligence regarding Russian hacking. (And yes, this is the same intelligence that Trump questioned and undermined when he refused to say that Russia was, without question, behind the hacking of the presidential election.)

In a speech following the news conference, Trump struck a far more statesman-like tone -- highlighting the long and proud history of the Polish people and the shared commitment to democracy from Poland and the United States. The difference? Trump largely stuck to the script of his speech. In the news conference, he free-wheeled far more.

And if you closed your eyes and just listened to Trump at the presser, you could easily imagine him speaking at one of his campaign rallies rather than in a foreign country. Bashing Obama. Bashing the media. And, most importantly, continuing to reject the conclusions of the FBI and the CIA that Russia was the prime mover in attempting to meddle in the 2016 election.

"I think it could very well could be Russia but I think it could very well have been other countries," Trump said during the news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda. "I think a lot of people interfere."

The problem here is that the intelligence community has spoken with a united voice that this was a Russian operation -- and, by all accounts, a very successful one.

In January, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said this: "It's pretty clear about what took place, about Russian involvement in efforts to hack information and have an impact on American democracy. It is something that America needs to take seriously."

Despite that conclusive evidence, Trump has been extremely circumspect about blaming Russia -- despite urgings from many in his party to do so. He ramped up that commitment to inconclusiveness on Thursday by voicing it not only in an international setting but doing so just one day before he is set to sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany.

Past presidents traveling abroad might have deflected the question, acknowledging that the press didn't always get it right but pivoting to a broader defense of the absolute necessity of a free and independent media.

Not Trump.

"I think what CNN did was unfortunate for them," he said. "As you know, they now have some pretty serious problems. They have been fake news for a long time. They have been covering me in a very dishonest way."

"What we want to see in the United States is honest, beautiful, free, but honest press. We want to see fair press. I think it is a very important thing. We don't want fake news. And by the way, not everybody is fake news. But we don't want fake news. Bad thing, very bad for our country."

That's Trump aggressively undermining the free press while in a country that has worked to stifle media dissent in recent years. That's truly remarkable.

Trump, time and again during the first six months (or so) of his presidency, has shown that he is already a president like none other that has come before him. Today's press conference in Poland may well be the single best example of just how different Trump really is and just how committed he is to accentuating rather than downplaying those differences.

Thursdays press conference was pure Trump. And pure "modern day presidential."

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Donald Trump just defined what being 'modern day presidential' president looks like - CNN

There are some problems that good chemistry just cant solve. At a surprisingly cheerful summit meeting at Mar-a-Lago in April, Chinese President Xi Jinping seemed to find Donald Trumps sweet spot. Xi said they cemented their mutual trust; Trump called Xi a terrific person and hailed their good chemistry together, predicting that lots of potentially bad problems will go away.

But one of those bad problems isnt going anywhere, and as a result, Trumps view of China is quickly turning sour. The reason for his dwindling patience is Beijings failure to rein in North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns nuclear program and escalating series of missile tests, the latest being an intercontinental ballistic missile that might someday carry a nuclear payload that could hit the continental United States. Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40% in the first quarter, Trump tweeted on Wednesday. So much for China working with us - but we had to give it a try!

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China seems not to have appreciated how fortunate it was that Trumps China policy has focused overwhelmingly on North Korea, rather than on its unfair trade and investment policies and its aggressive military expansion in the Asia-Pacific. For Chinas interests, this has meant free rein on most other issues of concernan extraordinary opportunity that it has squandered by not responding more effectively to what Trump wanted on this single front. Now, Trump is ratcheting up the pressure on China on multiple fronts at once.

Trump seems rightly to have determined that China isnt doing enough on North Korea.

Mondays missile test came months after the president tweeted that a North Korean ICBM wont happen on his watch. North Korea is destabilizing Asia and is now posing a pressing security threat to the U.S. itself. China has more leverage and must do more. So the Trump administration has rolled out various new measures that Beijing has deplored: secondary sanctions on a Chinese bank, shipping company and two company officials for involvement in money laundering to aid North Korea; a new $1.42 billion arms sale to Taiwan; more assertive naval operations in the South China Sea; and the high-level release of a State Department report accusing China of being one of the worst-offending countries on human trafficking.

The Chinese miscalculated with Trump in two ways related to North Korea. First, China failed to take significant concrete steps for which Trump could claim credit. Chinas announced suspension of coal imports from North Korea, a substantial punishment of North Korea, took place before the Mar-a-Lago summit and in response to United Nations resolutionsand this is a president who needs to be able to take personal credit for concrete things.

On this score, what should China have done, and would that have made a difference? Lets simply take the case of the sanctions the U.S. has just imposed on two Chinese entities for pro-North Korean money laundering. We must assume China was informed about the specific U.S. concerns related to these institutions and given information to support those concerns. So informed, China should have stepped up and gone after those companies itself.

The two entities are small, so China would not have lost face by cracking down on them. Most important, going after them would not have brought into play Chinas most fundamental strategic concern regarding North Korea: that tightening the screws enough to freeze its nuclear program and bring it to the bargaining table would jeopardize the survival of what Beijing views as a buffer state. The unusual step of going after some Chinese nationals for money laundering that helps finance North Korea would have responded to Trumps overtures at little cost to China and demonstrated that China was prepared to put new pressure on the North Korean regime.

The second Chinese miscalculation was to assume that Trump would be patient in waiting for concrete steps and results from China on North Korea. One of Chinas finest international relations scholars, Professor Shi Yinhong, was quoted the other day as saying, The latest situation [has] illustrated that Trump is a leader without patience. Indeed. But this lesson should have been learned long ago. Not only has Trump said repeatedly that the era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failedhe is characteristically an impatient person. Chinese diplomats are exquisitely skilled in tactics of delay, but the more valuable skill in dealing with Trump is managing his impatience.

So Beijing misread Trump. But since North Koreas July 4 missile test prompted a Trump tweet still holding out the prospect that China would make a heavy move on Pyongyang, perhaps Beijing will see an opportunity to correct its blunder. Trump has repeatedly signaled that his patience with China is wearing thin, yet he appears to have no viable alternative to demanding that Xi bring Kim to heel. The two leaders may have an opportunity to clarify matters on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting in Hamburg.

It is certainly not a happy thing to see U.S.-China relations becoming more tensethese, after all, are the two most powerful countries in the world. For the sake of the world, to say nothing of the two countries, it is essential the U.S.-China relationship be as positive as possible, maximizing cooperation and managing differences. But the Chinese blunder that produced this tension is not necessarily a bad thing for U.S. interests. By giving China a mostly free pass on everything but North Korea, Trump was not giving enough attention to other issues in the U.S.-China relationship that need U.S. pushbackfor example, the lack of reciprocity in trade and investment and Chinas ever-expanding activity in the South China Sea. Quite apart from North Korea, the central challenge of U.S.-China relations must be addressed: Can the United States coexist peacefully with an increasingly powerful China?

The Trump administration should be wrestling with the full range of China challenges. Even though one fears clumsy and needlessly provocative actions when this administration turns to significant issues, that cannot excuse inattention. A broader China policy will, of course, require administration officials to deal with the relationships great complexities, which Trump has shoved to the side. But this may also allow them to set the U.S.-China relationship on a more sustainable and realistic path.

Paul Gewirtz is the Potter Stewart Professor of Constitutional Law at Yale Law School and is also the Director of Yale Law Schools Paul Tsai China Center.

Originally posted here:
How China Misread Donald Trump - POLITICO Magazine