State of the Union
7/17/18
Deals With Dictators, Episode 2

I kid you not. I was searching for creatures with whom I could aptly compare Republicans, and when I googled “list of invertebrates” (AKA spineless critters) the first option that came up was, in illiterate Google-ese, “list of invertebrates paul ryan.”  It seems that for one brief shining moment, the Speaker of the House had graced the pages of Wikipedia, appearing in that list along with arachnids (population 102,248) and crustaceans (47,000). Yep. There he was: “Paul Ryan (population 1).”
 
That entry’s been taken down, but as we know, things live forever on the internet so I imagine our descendants will be able to find it someday—by which time Putin’s “useful idiot” and his party of jellyfish will have gone the way of the dinosaurs.
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As I write, it’s 36 hours, give or take a few, after the last of Trump’s stunningly inappropriate performances, first at the NATO conference in Brussels and, later, at the pretend summit with his playmate Vladimir in Helsinki.

​Finally, in a development so rare that MSNBC lost its head and posted photos as though these people had found the Fountain of Youth, 27 of the 287 Republicans currently serving in Congress spoke out. “REPUBLICANS BREAK WITH TRUMP OVER PUTIN COMMENTS,” the network chortled. Can it be? Is there a backbone taking shape? We can only hope. ​
Hallelujah! But now what will they do?
A few years ago, a colleague and I were discussing the problem of incompetence in the workplace, a phenomenon for which Trump (not to mention our do-nothing donor-beholden Congress) could be the poster child. Later, I came across an article that explained what had so puzzled us about incompetence: People who are truly incompetent don’t know they’re incompetent. In this regard, incompetence is like the most dangerous kind of ignorance—that in which you don’t know what you don’t know. Mercy! Trump suffers from both of those syndromes. 
 
All that explains a lot about Donald and a little about the Republicans. But more about the GOP another time. Meanwhile, watch Donald carefully. We don't know what went on behind closed doors, but the body doesn't lie. Freeze the TV once in awhile. Watch Donald carefully as he practices his linguistic arts: the walkback, the ham-handed deflection, the insult, and his fall-back strategy, bald prevarication . Study his body language, his facial expression, his eyes. I did that today. Here he is with his best bud, Vlad. Even low-grade photos (sorry about that) tell a tale. Compare and contrast.   
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Deals With Dictators, Episode 2
​A Rogue's Gallery
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Donald Trump
Here are the two guys excerpted from the header box at the top of the page. Which one's having the most fun? Who  appears to be in charge? Which man looks chagrined--as though he'd rather be out on the golf course or ... anywhere but here.

Which looks like he has something to hide and is happy about it? Which looks like he has something to hide and is worried about it?

Hmmm....                                                                  
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Vladimir Putin
Entering the room for the "press conference," AKA photo op
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Preparing to speak to the assembled journalists. The photo, on the other hand, speaks for itself. Sometimes body language is all.
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Above: Body language! Who's sittin' in the catbird seat?

Right: "What's this thing? I wonder what's inside. Money? Instructions?"                                                                                                                                                                                                           

KEEP WATCHING!

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