OnPolitics Today: Outsourcing wars until North Korea insources one to us
Things every ’80s kid will instantly recognize: Donald Trump in the news, the looming threat of nuclear annihilation, and Cabbage Patch Kids. Most of that list will be featured in today’s retro edition of OnPolitics Today, except not the part that you want and definitely the part that you really, really don’t want.
Duck and cover, or hire someone to do it for you
Can we just hire a company to fight in Afghanistan for us? Apparently so. The White House is considering a plan which gradually would withdraw the 8,400 American troops still in the central Asian country and hand over the war effort to private contractors.
“At what point do you say a conventional military approach in Afghanistan is not working,†Erik Prince, Academi founder and former Navy SEAL, told USA TODAY. “Maybe we say that at 16 years.â€
Under the proposal, 5,500 former Special Operations troops employed by Academi (formerly known as Blackwater) would take over the U.S. military’s advisory mission. Academi’s 90-plane private air force also would provide advisory assistance, and could (with Afghanistan’s approval) be able to drop ordnance on targets in a purely advisory manner. Prince says the plan would cost under $10 billion a year, a fraction of the $40 billion budgeted this year. We might not send our soldiers to Afghanistan anymore, but we’ll still send our cash.
But are we wrapping up one war before starting another, more destructive war? On Tuesday’s news that North Korea has produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead capable of reaching American targets, Trump said the rogue nation risked “fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Late Tuesday afternoon, North Korea said American military installations in Guam were in their sights.
You and me could write a bad bromance
Special prosecutor Robert Mueller has a new fan: Donald Trump. The president repeatedly has referred to Mueller’s investigation as a “witch hunt,” but Trump’s chief counsel John Dowd says the president has sent messages expressing “appreciation and greetings’’ for Mueller’s work.
“He appreciates what Bob Mueller is doing,” Trump’s chief counsel John Dowd told USA TODAY in an interview Tuesday. “He asked me to share that with him and that’s what I’ve done.
“The president has sent messages back and forth,’’ Dowd said, implying that the communication might be a two-way street.
Is this the start of a Washington bromance? We hope not, because Trump’s last liaison with an investigator didn’t end well for either side.
Trump can’t take New Hampshire primary for granite
President Trump railed against “Fake News Suppression Polls” on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. (Remember when Breitbart did scientific polls last year? They should do those again. Could be fun!) While we’re not sure which specific poll prompted his tweet, he probably wasn’t thrilled about this one which says he’s already losing the 2020 New Hampshire primary.
In a hypothetical two-way matchup, the poll found that 52% would back Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has hinted at the possibility of mounting a 2020 campaign, while 40% would back Trump. Eight percent were undecided. Kasich also topped Vice President Mike Pence in a head-to-head matchup, 41% to 27%.
Is this a sign that GOP primary voters are looking past Trump already? Possibly. But it might have more to do with Trump allegedly calling the Granite State a “drug-infested den.” Rule 1 of politics: Even in “private” conversations, don’t insult the people you have to win over.
Elsewhere in politics
- ‘I don’t see Kid Rock anywhere on the ballot. And who’s this Bob Ritchie guy?’
- If you haven’t been to the polls in years, Ohio is about to cancel your voter registration. The gym, on the other hand, won’t cancel your membership no matter how long it’s been
- Daenys Targaryen running against Dean Heller for U.S. Senate! Wait, sorry … it’s just Danny Tarkanian
This news item probably won’t make the cut
Someone’s getting paid $89,000 a year to spot things @realDonaldTrump can retweet.