Hayden: Words matter, and Trump's may mean war
BY MICHAEL HAYDEN, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 10/11/17 09:55 AM EDT 0 THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL
It’s pretty amazing what kind of behavior has become normalized around Washington these days. I mean, I don’t remember an earlier period where I was counting on the the leader of North Korea to have enough emotional maturity and geopolitical wisdom to ignore the taunts of an American president. Really. I don’t remember that.
Last Saturday, after dismissing diplomacy, negotiations, agreements and financial assistance as foolish, failed experiments with Pyongyang, President Trump announced that "only one thing will work" in dealing with North Korea. He didn’t further identify the “one thing,” but he was clearly implying military action.
Earlier in the week, in front of all of the nation’s four-star combatant commanders and their spouses during a White House photo op, the president told reporters that the formal scene was the "calm before the storm." Pressed for the meaning of his words, Mr. Trump cryptically replied: "You'll find out."
To my ear, neither statement rang “presidential,” and I'm pretty sure that the four-stars weren't thrilled with being props for the president’s unscheduled, extemporaneous threats.
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http://thehill.com/opinion/international/354884-hayden-words-matter-and-trumps-may-mean-war