Whether people care to admit it or not, his tweets aren't just throwaway statements, like when he was a private citizen. They're record....
What does it matter if "they're record?" That's just a fancy way of saying "yup -- he said it", which isn't in dispute. So again...what actual substantive difference does it make if those statements are "record"?
and in some cases, policy.
But not in
this case. We have withdrawn no troops, and ended no sanctions. In fact, the entire point of this article was to point out that every single sanction remains in place. So in terms of actual
policy, nothing of substance has changed.
If credibility and the loss of it aren't important, that's fine - just say so.
Sure they are. But the reality is that
this has absolutely nothing to do with credibility. Anyone being remotely honest with themselves understands that this was just diplomatic posturing. It's like saying your mother in law's pork chops were delicious when they were dry and tough as hell. People understand that judging your overall credibility because you said something nice in public so as not to create a scene would be foolish.
The same applies to Trump here -- except among those who who wait with baited breath for anything to criticize.
In any case, the mistake you are making here is the same most American diplomats, foreign policy experts, and politicians have been making for decades. You are judging negotiations by the
process -- how well each little bit of back and forth plays in isolation on the evening news, what sound bites can be isolated and criticized, etc.. When the only thing that really matters is what happens at the end of the process -- actually achieving a deal that puts you in a better position than you were.
