Saturday, July 12, 2025

Beware the Shiny Objects

In his first six months, President Donald Trump has made remarkable progress towards realigning our government in the proper direction regarding many national issues.  While not always being clear and consistent in his messaging and techniques, he continues to demonstrate sound, fundamental instincts about what is best for America and its people.  So far…the ends are justifying the means.

 

While six months is a grossly inadequate amount of time in which to accomplish fundamental changes in our government (OBBB the exception), his efforts so far have touched many stones that needed turning.  Given his impressive track record thus far and once again acknowledging that most issues are far from settled, one has to wonder where he will move to next.  In my last post, I nominated national immigration reform as a worthy candidate for the next big effort.  That opinion remains unchanged.  But today, I will venture to focus instead on one other issue…foreign policy. 

 

An argument can be made that there is no other policy area in which a sitting president can have more dramatic effect than that of foreign affairs.  Trump fully realizes this and exhibits both confidence and comfort in wielding this awesome power and authority.  The elephant in the foreign policy room is China.  More than any other foreign adversary…China is openly hostile to our nation, its constitutional premises, and it is unapologetically intent on displacing the United States of America as the pre-imminent power on this planet.  It is rare for a hot spot to pop up anywhere across the globe these days without some evidence of China’s involvement.

 

Donald Trump has done a great job of selecting competent people to serve in his Administration; this being one of the brightest differences between his and the previous Biden Administration.  Of all his good cabinet level choices, I don’t think there is one that comes close to the quality of Marco Rubio serving as Secretary of State.  But even with the impressive human and other resources available to our State and Defense Departments, the planet earth is a seemingly limitless territory riddled with every form of complication and conflict imaginable.  It goes without saying that dealing with this dynamic is immensely challenging.  With Russia and Ukraine killing each other’s people; with the Middle East ebbing and then flaming up on a daily basis; with European nations struggling to wean themselves from U.S. domination in military and economic affairs…it is no wonder that China likely takes comfort in hiding itself and its intentions behind the cover of global chaos.  All of the shiny objects can be quite distracting.

 

It is encouraging to hear and see the operations of our President and his State Department in regards to the China threat; it is clearly a primary concern in their mind.  It is equally important that our Congress and our citizenry also support this Administration as they calculate and implement a foreign policy that will effectively confront the idealistic, economic, and military threats posed by China.  Some of the actions taken to address these concerns will likely have real costs to the American people.  But…China is the greatest threat in the foreign policy realm today.

 

The Middle East conflict(s), as viewed through the Israel/Iran prism, appear to be headed down a positive track.  While a surprisingly few appear willing to state the obvious fact that Hamas cannot be trusted in any form of negotiation and must simply be eliminated, a possible solution to Middle East turmoil appears to be taking shape.  It is likely to include Israeli annexation of Palestine with significant autonomy provisions for the Palestinian people, an extension of the Abraham Accords to several of the Arab Middle Eastern nations that have previously been cowed by the belligerence of Iran, and an unabashed and iron-clad alliance between Israel and America. 

 

https://nypost.com/2025/07/05/opinion/between-horror-and-hope-ordinary-iranians-brave-an-uncertain-future/

 

https://israel-alma.org/op-ed-why-didnt-hezbollah-join-iran-in-the-war-against-israel-rising-lion/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/hey-new-york-times-are-we-really-still-touting-gaza-health-ministry-propaganda/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/hamas-wounds-two-americans-in-attack-on-u-s-israeli-humanitarian-organization/

 

https://www.thefp.com/p/how-qatar-bought-america-f28

 

The SCOTUS is beginning, through fits and starts, to establish its identity as a constitutional enforcer for our nation’s justice system.  Keep up the good work.  Never forget: For all of his very real faults, Mitch McConnell is the reason Merrick Garland does not serve on the SCOTUS today.  Let’s give credit where credit is due.

 

https://mrctv.org/blog/craig-bannister/supreme-court-lifts-district-judges-injunction-blocking-trumps-federal-layoffs

 

https://americanmind.org/salvo/casa-is-a-step-in-the-right-direction/

 

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/did-scotus-just-transform-americas-schools/

 

There seems to be some movement towards a bipartisan approach to national immigration reform.  It cannot come too soon.

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/07/11/it-should-be-obvious-by-now-that-not-everyone-can-become-an-american/

 

https://amgreatness.com/2025/07/05/what-an-america-first-guestworker-policy-could-look-like/

 

While an “in your face” obsession with looking back at Obama/Biden Administration corruption and the incompetence issues associated with Biden’s Administration is not a productive use of a limited 4-year Trump Administration term, it is nonetheless important and critical to find out where wrongs may have been committed and might be prevented in the future.  Let’s just do it diligently…behind the scenes, off the screens, and in the normal process of things.

 

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/07/the-cia-critiques-itself.php

 

https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2025/07/08/cia_contradicts_obama_officials_sworn_denials_about_russiagate_report_1121513.html

 

https://thefederalist.com/2025/07/09/theres-one-last-chance-to-hold-john-brennan-accountable-for-russiagate/

 

https://nypost.com/2025/07/06/us-news/miranda-devine-ex-cia-chief-john-brennan-may-have-opened-himself-up-to-perjury-charges-over-trump-russia-hoax/

 

Let us continue with a “back to basics” approach to education…

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/restoring-civics-education/

 

Glenn Youngkin is the quality of person that we need to run our government.  We can only hope he is willing to pursue that aim…

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesbroughel/2025/07/09/virginia-shows-a-smarter-path-to-regulatory-reform/

 

Food security is national security.  This concept is lost in most of today’s national security discussions, but it is essential to the subject…

https://justthenews.com/government/security/food-security-national-security-hegseth-says-dod-serious-about-chinese-farmland

 

At some point, sooner rather than later, this subject must be addressed by our government…

https://archive.ph/L2wTK#selection-487.129-487.145

 

Kim Strassel is one of the premier journalists in America today.  Her remarks here re: the OBBB are spot on…

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/07/gut-this.php

 

I will never understand how charlatans of this nature mange to spend lifetimes in the public spotlight while seemingly never being called out for the blatant fraudsters that they are…

https://johnkassnews.com/the-remakable-rags-to-riches-story-of-stacy-abrams/

 

 

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Beware the Shiny Objects

In his first six months, President Donald Trump has made remarkable progress towards realigning our government in the proper direction regar...