Today's Word: National Security

tRump's big pillars in his candidacy spiel to make America great again (I may have to wash my hands after typing that) were national security and put people back to work.  At this point, one has to wonder what his conception of national security is.  Two recent incidents seem to show that his and his cabinet's definition is like Gollum's promise to safely escort Frodo and Sam to Mordor in the Lord of the Rings...not terribly substantial...a bit of political bipolar.

First of all there was Michael Flynn, one-time defense intelligence chief and newly confirmed National Security Advisor.  Well after his resignation this morning, he is a one-timmer...again.  In his first gig in politics, Flynn was fired from the Obama Administration for insubordination, which apparently made him a prime candidate for the tRump krew.  And his 2015 appearance at a banquet in Moscow that featured Vladimir Putin put him quite out of favor with many in the defense and intelligence circles.  However, after less than a month on the job, he has resigned from his position.  He had to leave the White House...again because, according to nine sources, he spoke with the Russian ambassador about President Obama's sanctions on Russia in response to their efforts to hack the US election--assuring him that the sanctions would be dealt with--then deceived the Administration about it, then denied the allegations flatly, then his spokesman tried to back pedal, then the outcry grew to a chest-thumping roar so he had to step down.  And his actions are being investigated criminally.  So...the guy who was supposed to be in charge of national security consorting with a man many consider to be a national enemy.  Whose NATIONAL security is he worried about?  And let's not forget tRump's openly stated admiration for Putin.

Then there was this:

Photo from linked article just below.

Yup, that's tRump with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the patio at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida discussing how to respond to North Korea's ballistic missile launch on Sunday.  A pretty sensitive national security matter.  Oh, and it was so dark that cell phones had to be used to illuminate the documents.  Cell phones that can be hacked.

This is in stark contrast to how other Presidents have discussed such sensitive matters.  Pete Souza, the White House photographer for the the Obama Administration, for example, noted

"When we were on the road, national security discussions and head of state phone calls were conducted in a private, secure location set up on-site. Everyone had to leave their Blackberry outside the area."

Jon Favreau, a former speech writer for Obama, posted this contrast on his Twitter feed:

Screen capture from Pete Souza's Twitter feed; original post link https://twitter.com/jonfavs/status/831000671461601281

Notice tRump's smug smile.  And behind him, to the left, we see a fuzzy (both literally and metaphorically) Steve Bannon...on whose right is none other than Michael Flynn.  And the woman in the pretty dress.  Who is she?  What's her role in national security?  Gosh...it looks like SECURITY is not much of a concern for this administration. 


ADDENDU(B)M

The Guardian reported today that tRump had known for several weeks that Flynn had been lying about his contacts with the Russian ambassador and he refused to do anything about it.  Apparently he could not see any problem with the situation.  Sean Spicer said that the resignation was the result of  the "eroding level of trust."  Ostensibly he means between tRump and Flynn, but the real story is the erosion of trust with the US citizens and non-citizens who are living here.  Both of them seem to be missing the point.  A lot of them, as a matter of fact.