These People Are Nuts! |
Three different high-profile people have pulled me aside over the last several days. All three conversations were off the record. All three involved people whose names you would know instantly. And all three were worked up about Donald Trump's apparent agreement with Iran.
One called it appeasement. Another called it surrender. A third said Trump was giving away America's leverage for free.
I listened to all of them. I asked questions. I let them make their case. And when each conversation ended, I walked away thinking exactly the same thing: These people are nuts.
I don't say that lightly. These are accomplished people. Smart people. Influential people.
But on this issue? Nuts.
In fact, the more I thought about what they were saying, the more off balance I became.
What has me off balance is how otherwise intelligent people can miss something this obvious. These are not stupid people. They're successful. They're respected. They've spent years around politics, diplomacy, and foreign policy. Yet somehow they've convinced themselves that leverage should never actually be used. That's like spending years sharpening an axe and then refusing to swing it because you might dull the blade.
One of them spent nearly 10 minutes explaining how Trump was giving away all of America's leverage. I kept waiting for him to explain what exactly he thought leverage was for.
To frame it? To put it in a trophy case? To admire it from a distance? The entire purpose of leverage is to use it. That's what makes this criticism so bizarre.
Iran didn't wake up one morning and decide to negotiate because the ayatollah had a change of heart.
Iran came to the table because of pressure. Because of........