Hoo boy.
This is a good reminder of why the betrayal of the Kurds is going to be so important. It's not a story that goes away in a few weeks. It will have ongoing repercussions. 1/
If you were one of the serious professionals hanging around in the Trump administration because you thought you could still have influence and prevent stupid and malicious stuff like this from happening, now you know that was all an illusion. So you're more likely to leave. 2/
BTW, I've never thought that was a great idea, and here's one of the more prescient things I've written. 3/
tracinskiletter.com/2018/09/06/dag…
tracinskiletter.com/2018/09/06/dag…
That's what we're seeing. The whole illusion of "Trump isn't so bad after all, what are you NeverTrumpers complaining about?" is starting to disappear. He has fired or demoralized all the responsible adults, and now we're starting to see how he really makes decisions. 4/
And that's just going to snowball. More responsible adults will jump ship, and we'll be left with Acting Secretary of Defense Kurt Schlichter, and stuff is going to get crazier and way, way more dangerous. 5/
The adults will leave, not just because they know Trump isn't listening to them, but also because they know their own reputations are going to be sullied. Usually, even if the public turns on the president, you can still say you served honorably. Not so much from here on. 6/
And to bring this back to Bolton: some of those people are going to talk. The usual code of omerta, that you don't stick a knife in the back of the guy who appointed you--do you think Trump can inspire that kind of loyalty? There will be memoirs, and they're gonna be lit. 7/
One final observation. This could really accelerate impeachment. It will add to the sense, not just in the Beltway, but among the general public, that every hour of this man's presidency is dangerous, and God knows what he'll do to burn everything down on his way out. 8/
Right now, people seem to prefer a more deliberate timeline for impeachment, an investigation that takes months. If things get really crazy, or if they just seem crazier now that people can see what's happening, they will want it to happen faster. 9/9
