Last week's failed "summit" between North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un and malignant narcissist and corrupt Moscow asset Donald "Rump" Trump produced one clear winner: Kim. He's managed to elevate himself on the international stage on a par with the U.S., while doing nothing more than temporarily suspending nuclear testing and missile launches. In the meantime, Rump has nothing to show other than flattering letters from Kim and some photos of them smiling together. And while the Very Stable Genius shuffled home to mounting legal troubles, Kim basked in his win. The Associated Press posts this from Vietnam:
"Since Trump flew home to Washington, Kim has stepped assuredly into the spotlight, keen to show himself as a poised leader taking his rightful place on the international stage. He met Friday with President Nguyen Phu Trong, the country’s top leader and Communist Party chief, grinning broadly as he was feted by top officials and escorted down a red carpet.Rump apparently also mischaracterized what doomed the "summit," declaring that North Korea wanted all sanctions lifted, when they were willing to accept partial sanctions relief in return for partial dismantlement of their Yongbong nuclear facility. To cap off Rump's "summit" failure, his sycophantic defense of Kim over the imprisonment and killing of University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier blew up in his orange face, as Warmbier's family led a chorus of condemnation for Rump's excusing Kim.
As Kim met with officials in Hanoi, the United States and North Korea have both been spinning their versions of what happened during one of the most high-profile diplomatic collapses in recent years.
But some experts believe that Kim, by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Trump at a summit that captivated many around the world, will have one sure win: He’ll be able to portray himself to his people and supporters as the charismatic head of a nuclear-armed power, not an international pariah that starves its citizens so it can build nukes and missiles." (our emphasis)
We suppose we can be thankful that this time this ignorant narcissist was pulled away from the table before making a lopsided "deal" that would have harmed our and our allies' security in exchange for a photo op, bragging at his rallies and =snicker= a Nobel Peace Prize. But he hasn't learned anything from this, and will try again.
