Dear Imprudence

So Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.  That was expected.  What happened next was unexpected.

The United States's withdrawal from the Iran deal this past Tuesday was the dumbest thing Trump has done since last Thursday.  It re-imposes sanctions on Iran that will hurt the Iranian people more than it hurts the Iranian leadership, the sanctions will cost American companies that have already pursued business interests with Iran, like Boeing, billions of dollars, it allows the Iranians to enrich uranium sooner rather than later, it will cause a rift with the Europeans and prevent their companies from doing business with Iranians due to the sanctions, and it makes the U.S.'s word on honoring commitments as valued as a used Kleenex.  Even if Martin O'Malley or some other Democrat does become President in 2021, no one will want to deal with this country out of fear that another Republican President will go back on this country's word.

So what was unexpected?  The stock market did not go down. In fact, it's been increasing over the past three days.  Oil prices fell because of French and German commitment to preserving the deal (a deal a Democratic President will not be able to rejoin for the reasons sate in the previous paragraph).  This is despite Israeli attacks on Iranian positions in Syria.  It's also despite Iran's threats to go ahead and start working on the bomb, as evidenced by this statement by Foreign Minister Javad Zarif: 

"The President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has been tasked with taking all necessary steps in preparation for Iran to pursue industrial-scale enrichment without any restrictions, using the results of the latest research and development of Iran's brave nuclear scientists."

So America will go on like the future is going to be like the present only more so - no jolts, no surprises, no crisis arises, our economy goes along as it should.   Nowhere was this more apparent than yesterday's meeting between Trump and auto company executives seeking relief from fuel-economy standards that would - HORRORS! - force them to make smaller cars and dial back their SUVs.  This is going on as Trump tries to force California to give up its higher fuel economy standards, a policy that has the support of the car companies.

You know, I'm going to look forward to seeing gas hit ten dollars a gallon.

Meanwhile, Trump's eagerly awaited summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un take place one month from today in Singapore. and I'm anticipating it like I anticipated the premiere of Shanghai Surprise in 1986 - I didn't like what the two major players did on their own, and I'm not looking forward to their collaboration!  Trump has praised Kim as an honorable man for releasing three American hostages, all Korean ethnics, and said that Kim was "really excellent to these people."

In fact, they were tortured.

Those of you old enough to remember John F. Kennedy's disastrous summit meeting with Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna in 1961 and how Khrushchev "savage" Kennedy can expect a similar savaging of Trump next month.