Vengeance Is Mine Saith the President

Used to be that vengeance was the business of the Lord, but the orange man thinks of himself as a god, so that’ll have to do. And vengeance is on his mind.

Yesterday’s performance in the Oval Office was the orange man in his most comfortable environment, the “You’re fired” chair. Enough has been written about that, so I needn’t add my take, but it focused minds around the world.

My take on it is that the orange man will double down, because that’s what he does.

He’ll take America out of NATO if he can, and blame Zelenskyy, because that’s his way. He’ll no doubt downplay the value of Ukrainian rare earths and valuable minerals, claiming they weren’t worth all that much anyway. Zelenskyy no longer has that option, he’ll say, because he was not sufficiently grateful to him personally and that’s the price you pay for not minding your manners when in the orange man’s arena. Threw him out on the street. Told him not to come back unless he’d learned some manners

He will likely put the lap-dog Musketeer to work undoing Russian sanctions, because sanctions are only for those who step outside the orange man’s favor, like Mexico, Canada and China (last term’s golf partner and honored guest at Mar a Lago). Russia’s Putin is a man among men, and a pal.

But, as almost everyone who walks their dog knows, picking up shit makes you a good neighbor.

And during his first six weeks as Leader of the Fee World, the orange man left many steaming piles across the yards and sidewalks of allies, as well as needy nations. Also, some here at home come to think of it. You think I made a typo in that first sentence, but no, there’s always a ‘fee’ in the orange man’s world—the necessary cost of entry.

Here in Europe, the sigh was almost one of relief, coming to terms at last with the threat of abandonment. NATO’s children are stronger for knowing the divorce is eminent, and they better grow up quickly. Almost anything is better than the endless bickering across the treaty’s dinner table, and the problematic American Uncle has finally thrown down his napkin and left.

Sam founded this protective family circle, but he got grouchy in his old age and was no longer all that easy to live with.

Fair enough, the kids had grown less reliable without a strong moral code to keep them in line and all’s fair in love, war and relationships gone to seed. There’s a lot of strength left in the NATO family, and the bully down the street is weaker these past three years of constant argument over who does or doesn’t pick up after their dog.

So, life goes on pretty much as it always has, and those who thought they’d be better off living on the other side of town, are having second thoughts. It’s funny how things sometimes work out. The smallest of neighborhood guys, in the house down the street, the one who always hoped to join our association, finally stood up to the bully.

None of us had ever done that.

Maybe we’ll let him join after all.