David Frum Profile picture
May 9 4 tweets 1 min read Read on X
Biden making the same error w/r/t Israel that he previously made with Ukraine: trying to micro-manage from a distance somebody else's defensive war by limiting categories of weapons. This error doesn't limit war. This error prolongs war, by denying the ally the means of success.
I often think the Biden foreign policy would produce more success if its architects were less clever. "Give the Ukrainians/Israelis enough that they don't lose, but not enough to win" is an idea to baffle all lesser minds.
The micro-management of Israel's war is one part of a much bigger scheme: an Arab force to police Gaza, reform of the Palestinian Authority, a Saudi-US defense agreement, etc. etc.

Less clever people would have arrived at a simpler plan: fight Hamas until it's beaten.
Biden will seek re-election in November on a foreign policy record that includes the fiasco of the Afghanistan exit, inconclusive wars in Europe and Middle East, no new trade agreements. He needed one clear success. Israel's war could have been it. But no. Too simple.

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More from @davidfrum

Nov 7
Everyone who endorses the false claim that the US economy of 2024 is an inflation-wracked hellscape of misery for working people ...

is doing advance comms work for the Trump administration when in 90 days time they start taking credit for the best economy since the 1960s.
On CNN (to the disgust of Tucker Carlson's website)
dailycaller.com/2024/07/24/dav…
Read 6 tweets
Nov 5
Pro-Trump political violence in 2021 was not spontaneous. It was incited by a serving president. The president also refused to protect the intended targets of violence. The violence of 2021 did not erupt bottom-up. It was organized top-down. 1/x
Those conditions do not prevail this time. Trump is out of office, any incitement will be - and will obviously appear as - blatantly an act of rebellion. The serving president will enforce the law with necessary force. 2/x
Individuals can run their mouths and lose their tempers. The United States is a big country with a lot of guns. But what made 2021 so dangerous was the complicity of the head of government. Minus that ... 3/x
Read 4 tweets
Nov 3
Closing argument in @TheAtlantic The rest is up to you.

theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Because of Trump, America's "proud tradition of peaceful transition of power" has reset to zero. theatlantic.com/politics/archi…Image
Read 5 tweets
Oct 27
I posted the below last night in an emotional mood. It was answered by many generous comments in remembrance of my lost Miranda, and I thank every commenter. Of course there were also some other comments. A thread about those....
I'll quote one of those "others," but it stands for many: "You’re voting for the abortion of your grandchild? How exciting!"

That phrase "your grandchild" came up again and again - as if my daughter's child, had she lived to have one, would belong to *me* more than to her.
My original post didn't reference abortion at all. I was not particularly thinking about abortion when I cast my vote as my daughter would have wished. I was thinking rather of the grim and resentful drive to police and control women that seems to animate Trump/Vance.
Read 9 tweets
Oct 23
Do you think somebody possibly has video of Trump mocking the handicapped, demeaning US prisoners of war, boasting about sexually assaulting women, praising Vladimir Putin, or urging a violent attack on the US Capitol? That would be huge.
Confessing that he spied on underage girls undressing? Promising to release his tax returns, but never doing it?
Reminiscing fondly about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein?
Publicly fantasizing about "dating" his own daughter?
Imagine if there were video of any of that.
Belittling the mother of a soldier who died in combat for the United States? Congratulating himself that for years he paid no income taxes to the United States? Exulting over swapping "love letters" with the dictator of North Korea? What if any of that was available to view?
Read 11 tweets
Oct 14
Below is a fascinating example of Trump supporters' fantasy world. They tell a story of Trump charity to Nelson Mandela that somehow has gone untold until now.

What actually happened was that Trump creditors seized his "Trump Shuttle" airline during Trump's first bankruptcy in summer 1990. The creditors leased Trump-branded planes to anyone who would pay a commercial rate, including Nelson Mandela's eight-city US tour that year.
No Trump did not have a trusted secret black woman senior executive at his side in his early years. pbs.org/newshour/polit…
No Trump did not single-handedly stop a mugging in NYC in 1991. The only source for that story was Trump himself. Other persons in the scene contradict Trump's version. businessinsider.com/trump-claims-h…
Read 8 tweets

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