The Art of the Schlemiel

The guy who has conned an entire political party is now in the position of having been conned by an enemy of democracy.

Never has the contrast between reality and Trump’s fantasy life been more vivid than it has been with Putin’s Alaska visit and his subsequent meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders.

Virtually every reputable news organization (note that I used the word “reputable”) has been reporting that Putin dominated the meeting and Trump not only got nothing but also gave Putin legitimacy on the world stage.

For starters, they met on U.S. soil, on territory that was once Russian, land that Putin would love to get his expansionist hands on again. Second, despite Trump saying repeatedly prior to the summit he’d be very upset if no cease fire in Ukraine were agreed to, Putin not only didn’t agree to a cease fire but also received Trump’s buy-in that Ukrainian territory that Russian overtook during the war (and even some that they didn’t) would remain in Russia’s control.

After his visit to Alaska, Putin returned to Russia having attended only one of the two planned sessions. There was no need …