I’m just writing something brief to let you know I haven’t disappeared. Among other things I had an ophthalmology appointment today and my vision is still blurry, but it’s cleared enough to see what I’m writing now.
More evidence that Trump has entered a cornered animal phase — see ‘Honeymoon is over now’: Trump turns vicious after another ally turns on him — drops brutal low blow and questions if her own people even like her.
Trump has now turned on his European ally, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after she, like many, chastized him publicly. He angered religious leaders and lawmakers after posting an AI-generated image of himself appearing like Jesus Christ on Truth Social, including Pope Leo XIV.
Meloni, 49, took issue with the president repeatedly blasting the Pope for saying the “delusion of omnipotence” is triggering America’s military conflict with Iran. She called Trump’s verbal attack on the Chicago-born pontiff “unacceptable.”
According to EuroNews, Meloni further defended Pope Leo by adding, “The pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn all forms of war.”
The feud with the Pope is turning into a big deal. Trump responded,
“It’s [she] who’s unacceptable because she doesn’t mind that Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if they had the chance,” Trump told the Italian daily.
“Do Italians like the fact that your prime minister isn’t giving us any help to get oil?” he asked. “Do people like her? I can’t imagine. I’m shocked by her. I thought she was brave, but I was wrong. She’s no longer the same person, and Italy will never be the same country again. Immigration is killing Italy and all of Europe.”
He’s one to talk about whether people like her. Trump’s approval numbers have sunk below 40 percent in most polls. And that’s in the U.S. You should see what they think of him in Europe.
I’ve gotten to be a big fan of Tom Nichols, who writes for The Atlantic and some other places. Something he wrote:
Why was Trump angry with Pope Leo? For the same reason that Trump ever gets mad at anyone: The Holy Father dared to criticize him. Last week, the president of the United States posted an expletive-filled threat—on Easter Sunday, no less—to destroy the ancient civilization of Iran. His supporters wrote this off as a clever gambit to bring an end to the war (which it has not). Leo called the threat “unacceptable,” blasted the “delusion of omnipotence” that led to the war, and said: “Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”
If Trump is going to have a screaming fit every time some prominent person criticizes him, he will be having a whole lot of screaming fits from now on. The other world leaders are over any notion that they have to be nice to him for diplomacy’s sake.
The latest on the war front is that Trump is saying that the war in Iran is “close to over.” Of course it isn’t over, but this is so Trump. He got himself into a mess he doesn’t know how to fix, so he’s basically willing it away. It’s like when he kept saying that Covid was going away when it barely had gotten started, and he continued to say that it would just go away as millions died. Now he’s trying to will the war to go away.
Anyway, do see Donald Trump messed with the wrong pope by Christian Paz at Vox. This is not a feud Trump can win. Soon he’ll be saying the Pope is going to evaporate, somehow.
I was getting worried. Glad you are back.
The more I look, the more I think Trump is screwed. Some countries are seriously hurting, I read, with gas shortages. Europe's recession will mirror ours. I think Iran can wait this out better than Trump or the GOP. My diplomatic read is that Iran does not want to do anything that's a legitimate excuse for a resumption of bombing.
Picking a fight with Pope Leo was a huge error. Catholics swung for Trump and the GOP bigly. If republicans in Congress ignore the insults, it won't make conservative Catholics liberal. But it may keep a lot of Catholics home in Nov. The other thing is that it may engage 1.4 billion Catholics to engage against the war. (Trump seems to have united the Italian Parliament – against him.)
I don't think Trump and Iran can make a deal. The rest of the world inviting Trump to leave the mess for them to clean up, I can believe. Not because they want ti but they need it over, and Trump can't do it. Along the way, they will 'determine' that the US is at fault, open the Stiaight, kick the US out of the region (maybe), and assign uncollectable dmages to the US for the bombing.
One thing Republicans will talk about is Just War doctrine. The US Council of Bishops laid some smackdown on them.
"How can the pope say that God doesn't listen to those who wage war? What about 'Just War' doctrine?" Republicans asked, as if the pope was as dumb as they were.
Bishop's response was to the effect "well, if you're fighting a 'just war', you are defending yourself against an aggressor who is, wait for it, *waging war*. That's how we can say God doesn't listen to those waging war." (It's also in the Bible, for reals, and all, so Republicans can't squirm out, saying it's just a papist heresy.)
Kicking Iraq out of Kuwait could have been justified under Just War doctrine, maybe. Whether Kuwait was "our business" or what, I don't want to argue that. But, "an aggressor seized territory, it's just to kick the aggressor out," so at least the basic preconditions existed, to say this war was to (re)establish justice.
But attacking Iraq a second time? No – there were still peaceful avenues to explore. That's the other aspect of Just War, you can't invade, just because it suits your time table; you can only invade when you've eliminated all peaceful options.
(Theologians can debate how reasonable the peaceful options must be, you can't say Ukraine should give up territory to end the awful war Russia is suffering, but, I don't want any truck with theology tonight, or I'll have to clean my boots again.)
So Iran is a trivial example of an unjust war, and JD lecturing the pope suggesting otherwise is like… alas, it's like RFK heading up HHS, lord help us!
Glad to "see" you around!
Maha said: "It’s like when he kept saying that Covid was going away when it barely had gotten started, and he continued to say that it would just go away as millions died."
Brilliant.
Glad you're back Maha. Hope you are feeling better. Unfortunately not much has changed since. Except Trump continually out performs himself in reaching new lows. He's as dumb and childish as ever. And his sycophantic supporters continue to rise to new heights of obsequiousness to match. Even if all hostilities were to cease by guarantee today, months if not years worth of economic suffering can't be avoided, its already baked in. Such is the damage this clown has done. At this rate the US and possibly the world will be in ruins by the end of his term. But no worries, there's always Joe Biden and Obama to blame. I hope and pray dems, if they take full control by 2028, will take a page from the new president of Hungary and hold them all fully accountable.
Best wishes navigating our counties health care system. My experience suggests charting through it takes a large toll on one's mental health resources. You will be expected to make decisions that would tax even a physically healthy person. To do that with physical parts going awry is, I found, quite challenging to say the least. You get no map and as you well know federal level health support is almost completely out of order.
Looking at the European map of favorable/unfavorable ratings two factors seem to stand out. North and landlocked. That might explain why favorable ratings seem too high locally, being really landlocked and not that far north. It sure does not explain Idaho, though. Even the best minds have no solid ideas of the factors in control there. The percent of land under US federal control, is not a factor in the European situation. Possible.
England's rating seems significantly less unfavorable than surrounding isles. You have to wonder if the measure might have a polite bias. Always a bit stiff around the lip area with those Brits you know.