Trump just set his own, uncrossable 'red line' — and North Korea crossed it instantly
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/09/tru...ne--and-north-korea-crossed-it-instantly.html
President Donald Trump appears to have painted himself into a corner: He must now follow up on his pledge of hitting North Korea with "fire and fury," or he risks further blowing U.S. credibility.
Kim Jong-un's regime said late on Tuesday that it might strike Guam. That came shortly after Trump warned Pyongyang it would face "power, the likes of which this world has never seen before" if the renegade state continued to threaten the U.S.
"If the red line he drew today was 'North Korea cannot threaten the U.S. anymore,' that line was crossed within an hour of him making that statement,".
The episode draws parallels to President Obama's own geopolitical red line.
In 2013, the former leader said the use of chemical weapons in Syria's civil war would trigger an American military response. But when it happened, Obama failed to follow up on his promise — a move that critics, including Trump, said weakened Washington's position as a superpower.
"Trump is drawing a decisive red line for himself, we all think back to Obama's red line in Syria, which ultimately became an embarrassment for him,".
A U.S. offensive on North Korea isn't likely anytime soon, experts said, which means Trump just made the same mistake as his predecessor. "Certainly, the president cannot back up a red line,". Defense secretary James Mattis and new chief of staff John Kelly are unlikely to sign off on any military action, so this may just be yet another example of "Trump being Trump and firing off his mouth,".
something needs to be done, but blustery rhetoric is pure stupidity.
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