Betrayal, Trump-style

For any normal commander-in-chief, an overwhelming, bipartisan House resolution condemning his actions (vote: 354-60) would at least provoke a smidgen of introspection. Donald Trump used the rebuke of his precipitous withdrawal from Syria as an opportunity to lash out at congressional Democrats visiting the White House, hurling schoolyard insults at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

It was the bitter end to a particularly disturbing Wednesday: Little more than a week after selling out America’s Kurdish allies, who shed blood to kill and imprison ISIS fighters throughout Northern Syria, Trump added grievous insult to fatal injury.

In seeming to excuse the Turkish assault on our allies, he said of Kurdish fighters, “They’re no angels. They’re no angels.”

A subsequent remark was even more obscene. “The PKK,” he said, referring to the Kurdish political party that the Turkish government deems a terrorist organization, “is probably worse at terror, more of a terrorist threat in many ways, than ISIS.”

And the cross-border incursion, Trump said of the Pandora’s Box on whose lid his fingerprints are still visible, “has nothing to do with us.” He added that the offensive “didn’t surprise me at all” because Turkish President Recep Erdogan has “been wanting to do this a long time.”

He didn’t explain how, if it the invasion was indeed an anticipated consequence of America’s withdrawal, it would make any sense for him to impose sanctions, as though Erdogan is suddenly coloring outside the lines.

But don’t ask for logic. Don’t ask for arguments. This is Trump. This is gut. This is rage.