Bolton:Trump ok'd China's camps, didn't know UK had nukes, thought Finland was Russia

[Dill]

(06-19-2020, 04:29 PM)hollodero Wrote: It opens the door for basically everyone to publish a book about conversations with the US president, who will lose the possibility to share his thoughts in confidence. Which is a bad development. You don't want to put your president in a situation where he constantly has to wonder if his counterpart will share the conversation with the public.

Which is why I can really understand what bfine is saying here. Presidential advisors should be bound to discretion. Except when actual laws are broken, in which case they should not choose a book deal to tell about it.

These are good points.   There are all kinds of things people thought we shouldn't do before Trump. E.g., mental health professionals followed the Goldwater rule. Previous presidents remained silent about the current one, etc.

But Trump has gone so far out of bounds, with no accountability, that in consequence many are breaking those unwritten norms because the normal options, like whistleblowing and IG reports, have been neutralized under cover of a regime party--to the cheers of millions.

Our president didn't know Finland was an independent country (if Bolton is right).  I can't help feeling rather stressed and desperate, repeatedly hearing such things about the guy in charge of US diplomacy and national security strategy. Before Trump I'd have agreed--silence unless laws are broken. But now I insist it is material--a matter of public and national interest--whether a president has basic, 8th-grade knowledge of global affairs, and most especially with respect to a president given to breaking laws.

Yes, I agree. Going forward presidents will be more nervous about communicating with advisors who may kiss and tell. But unfortunately that is now the lesser evil. This is what our government and policy experts are complaining about when they publicly fret about the institutional consequences of Trump's constantly violating norms with impunity, while rewarding bad people and punishing good. The institutions break down from within. Responsibilities are unclear even if incentives to misbehave are not. The gears grind. The machine breaks when needed (like during a pandemic).