Atttribute to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

So, Mr. Trump explained his administration’s assassination of Iranian General, war hero, respected statesman and Church Elder Qasem Soleimani—and the nine other victims, including a top Iraqi military commander— this way:

"We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war."

Maybe Mr. Trump doesn’t remember how the 9/11 attacks solidified the American people behind Bush Jr. and propelled him from a lack-luster PresideNT with low popularity to a 90%-plus approval rating, literally over-night?

And maybe he’s forgotten how that support was used by the U.S. Establishment to start "The War on Terror" that’s still going on 19 years later and which he inherited?

Or maybe Mr. Trump thinks we Americans are so exceptional, we’re the only people in the world who react that way when we’re attacked? And on the other hand, folks like the Iranians for example, will just be chastened if not outright grateful when we attack them?

Or is it that Mr. Trump just has serious psychiatric problems as increasing numbers of shrinks have suggested?

Since in their DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders, 5th version), in the interest of income, the Mental Health Guild has classified just about every possible combination of human emotion and behavior as a psychiatric disorder, they can certainly find Mr. Trump—along with the rest of us—has conditions they would gladly treat but not necessarily cure. For a nice fee, of course.

They suggest he’s grandiose, antisocial, narcissistic, and paranoid etc. And, since an Australian study found that 1 in 5 CEOs are psychopaths, we can probably add that and/or " sociopath" to the list.

And they say he’s deceitful and tells lies, so far, after 1,055 days in office, 15,413 of ’em. And counting.

Well, DUH! That IS how politicians get elected after all. And most of the folks who manage to get a shot at the position are quite accomplished at it.

Bill Clinton was notable, and his wife is no slouch. Obama was quite slick at it and "Dubya" Bush & Company told 935 thoroughly documented whoppers to get " us" to attack, kill, maim, and displace well over a million innocent Iraqi men, women and children.

So, since as POTUS (PresideNT Of The United States), Mr. Trump will almost certainly be responsible for killing, maiming and displacing large numbers of innocent men, women, and children—currently possibly in Iran—being a bit of a sociopath—maybe even a psychopath—will help.

And to feel better about it—and possibly avoid PTSD—he can follow previous PresideNTS and call most of those innocent men, women and particularly children "collateral damage" instead of "murder victims."

The bottom line is that to serve as presideNT, especially of the U.S. these days, sociopathy, psychopathy, etc. has become extremely helpful and lying is necessary. As Historian Zinn put it, "If governments told people the truth, they wouldn’t last very long ."

So while psychiatrists, psychologists, etc. may correctly diagnose those characteristics in Mr. Trump, they should be careful in considering them a handicap. They’re just part of a skill-set that is an essential—and now traditional—requirement for the job.

But nuts or not, does it really matter? We already know that apparently a presideNT with early Alzheimer’s isn’t a problem. And Jimmy Carter thought he was being chased by an amphibious rabbit.

Besides, executive power is way over-rated. Noting Sen. John McCain’s failed six-year attempt to pass a health care bill etc.—and citing his own experience—Arnold "The Governator " Schwarzenegger admitted in a whopping understatement, "...it just doesn’t go as fast in politics as it goes in the private sector."

And Bill Maher really nailed it — as he quipped of Bill Clinton’s failed attempt to decriminalize marijuana while he was PresideNT, "If he’d only been in a position of power."

Likewise, despite Mr. Trump’s grandiose delusion that his Administration is running like " a fine-tuned machine ,", with the failed Mexican Border Wall, the attempt to bring the troops home resulting in more troops going abroad, etc., The Donald is finally learning that his machine isn’t the one that’s running things in D.C..

Other than being mostly flashy hood-ornaments and popular targets for fake news, Mr. Trump and Co. — well, as Bill Clinton put it,

"...by the time you become the leader of a country, someone else makes all the decisions. You may find you can get away with virtual presidents, virtual prime ministers, virtual everything." —Bill Clinton, 1998, Monopoly Men

So nuts or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s not Mr. Trump and Co. we need to worry about, it’s the pre-existing perpetual virtual machine, often called "The Deep State ," which "makes all the decisions." That’s what we need to worry about.

And try to fix. Or get rid of and/or away from. If not for you, then for the kids, grand kids and the yet unborn. What are you going to do about it?

Don’t worry, sooner or later something will occurr to you.

Oh yes, and Mr. Trump castigated Iran for spreading death, destruction and chaos throughout the region. Does that mean we should add "hypocrisy" to the essential skill-set for a U.S. PresideNT?

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L. Reichard White [send him mail] taught physics, designed and built a house, ran for Nevada State Senate, served two terms on the Libertarian National Committee, managed a theater company, etc. For the next few decades, he supported his writing habit by beating casinos at their own games. His hobby, though, is explaining things he wishes someone had explained to him. You can find a few of his other explanations listed here.