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Oh, how it goes against every instinct in my body to give Donald Trump credit for anything. But watching the remaining hostages embrace their families fills my heart with such joy that, for the moment, I am willing to put aside all of the 1,478 grievances I have against this man/monster. Anyway, I’m not sure just how much responsibility for this outcome belongs to him. Trained as a scientist, I realize that by giving him credit for any of this I may be confusing cause and affect with a mere association between a cease fire and the presence of the Trumpster.
And, as much it may be that Donald has pulled off a cease fire—for now at least—all this does remind me that even a broken clock is right twice a day.
So, how the hell did he pull this off? How did he successfully bully the evil forces of Hamas, how is it that he actually bullied his good friend Bibi Netanyahu? The answer is that Trump has one thing, actually two things, going for him in almost all of his negotiations. The first is that he really does hold just about all of the cards. Without the full and total support of the US, Israel could not resist the forces of evil that surround it. Transactional Trump never acts on principle, but the people around him are good at helping him dangle the carrot and wield the stick. For the crazy Orthodox religious zealots in Israel, it would be hard for them to say no when offered the chance to bring the hostages home. For Netanyahu himself, are we surprised that Trump was actually willing to go before the Knesset and tell them that, like other innocent politicians, Bibi is a good man who has been falsely accused. Poor Bibi has been hoodwinked into looking guilty by nasty political opponents who would stop at nothing to bring a good man down. That part of the speech had already been written–and spoken–for years. All he had to do was change “me” to “he.”
But the most important thing Trump has going for him is the fact that he is so totally unpredictable, volatile, and vengeful. For those of you who were out there back in 1964, think back to when Barry Goldwater was running for President against Lyndon Johnson. The mere thought that the crazy Goldwater would have his hands on the nuclear codes was enough for people to go running into the arms of his political opponent. But when I compare the ICQ (Irrational and Crazy Quotient) of Goldwater vs Trump, it’s a no-contest.
Think of it: When he got in the middle of all this, what did Trump declare? He warned that if Hamas didn’t agree to release the hostages “all hell is going to break out.” I’ve yet to read or hear an intelligent interpretation of what the Great American Father meant by “all hell is going to break out.” Was Israel’s current campaign a whole lot less than “all hell.” After all, what could Trump do to the civilian population of Gaza and its surroundings than the IDF had not–was Trump going to nuke Gaza? Perhaps my imagination for evil is not as deep as Donald’s, but I’m just not certain what sadistic acts Stephen Miller might have come up with to live up to the standard of “all hell.” But no matter, even the nasties who launched the Oct 7 attack apparently believed that Donald Trump’s version of “all hell” was not only scary, but absolutely possible.
Bottom line: Donald may have stopped the war, but it’s a whole lot more to establish a peace. To Donald the next steps are defined in terms of real estate, not in addressing centuries of hatred and conflict, not in bringing together those with mindsets of extremism and hatred.
Well, Donald, you’ve done it—or at least taken a significant first step. The devil is in the details, details that you’ve never been very good at.
Gee, it’s a shame that your timing was not quite good enough to get you that big prize that you’ve always desired. But, no hard feelings, I myself will award it to you personally. Here’s to you:
DONALD TRUMP, WINNER OF THE 2025 NOBLE PEAS PRIZE
