Trump’s Saudi Trip: Less Than Meets the Eye?
What’s the outcome of President Trump’s trip last week to the Middle East? I’ll focus mainly on what may be the after effects of the […] More
Fine Print
America First Except When It Involves Russia
When it comes to Russia, is President Trump following his own guideline, America First, and if not, why? The infamous May 10 Oval Office meeting […] More
Can Trump Stay on Script, Out of Trouble on His Overseas Trip?
President Trump’s first trip overseas beginning Friday will test his ability to stay on script, limit impulsive, off-hand, public remarks, and stop controversial tweeting, all […] More
Sabre Rattling in Korean Peninsula: No End in Sight
Can there be serious negotiations so that diplomacy may end the growing threat of a military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula? Not yet, is my […] More
Trump Just Can’t Say or Do Anything that Comes to His Mind
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at age 33, is continuing his father’s and grandfather’s pattern of wild threats and bluster to cloak development of nuclear […] More
Confusion + Confrontation = Trump Foreign Policy
President Donald Trump may be the only world leader impressed with the impact of the recent United States use of Tomahawk missiles in Syria and […] More
Are Ivanka’s Personal Interests Influencing China Policy?
On April 6 – the same day Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner dined with President Xi and his wife at Mar-a-Lago – the Chinese government […] More
Unclear What Trump Learned from Ordering the Syrian Strike
The lessons Donald Trump takes away from last Thursday’s U.S. Tomahawk missile strike against Syria’s Shayrat Air Base are more important than the ones learned […] More
Trump Administration Emulating Putin’s ‘Active Measures’ Domestically
President Donald Trump and his White House team are using some of the same “active measures” to manipulate the American people today that Russian President […] More
Everyone Wants to do Business with the Trump Family
President Donald Trump and his family’s myriad financial activities are unique for a White House occupant. Prior to becoming Defense Secretary, James Mattis on January […] More
Trump Supplemental Budget to Fight ISIS, Build the Wall
The Trump administration is building up American ground forces available in Kuwait to fight against Islamic terrorists in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. At the same […] More
Nuclear Posture Review: Response to Russia?
Pressure is growing for development of a new, U.S., low-yield, land-based or air-launched, tactical nuclear weapon as a response to Russia’s recent deployment of a […] More
Watching a Three-Ring Circus
I’ve covered many political scandals over the past 50 years, including Watergate, Iran-contra, and the Clinton impeachment, but the past few weeks have convinced me […] More
Mattis Needs Luck to Explain ISIS Options to Trump
President Trump wanted a military plan from his generals to “totally obliterate ISIS.” Instead, he is getting a series of political-military options put together not […] More
The More Said, the More Questions Raised in Flynn Firing
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, during three Sunday television interview programs, gave different and sometimes confusing stories about what activities led to President […] More
Howard Baker’s Words and the Flynn Controversy
“What did the President know and when did he know it?” For those of us who went through Watergate, that question, first posed by Sen. […] More
DHS Secretary Kelly's Border Remedies Differ from Trump
Last Tuesday, days before the current Trump ordered roundup of illegal aliens began, Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly went out of his way to […] More
Very Mixed Results So Far in Trump-Led Shake-Up
The shake-up that Donald Trump voters wanted when they put him into the Oval Office has begun – with very mixed results. Trump’s ill-prepared, travel […] More