Not to sound ignorant

[Monty92]

To be fair, that 'extreme provocation' was only the same provocation the Russians endured when the US Atlas missiles were stationed in Turkey (Americans don't tend to mention that aspect). It could be argued that Kennedy's reaction was excessively precipitous - although whether he had any choice other than to react that way in the face of public reaction to missiles in Cuba is another question.

In all honestly, though, the situation you describe is analogous - albeit not identical - to Trump's vis-a-vis North Korea. Extreme nuclear provocation and threats to US territory, interests and allies. My beef is that Trump as POTUS is legitimately entitled to react in the way he has, but is castigated for it purely because people don't like him rather on the merits of his actions.

Isn't it just the words he used that people didn't like? Fire and fury? If he'd have just said "the gravest issues would arise", a la JFK at the start of the Cuban crisis, no-one would have had much beef.

[Burney]

Isn't it just the words he used that people didn't like? Fire and fury? If he'd have just said "the gravest issues would arise", a la JFK at the start of the Cuban crisis, no-one would have had much beef.

And yet old Barry O'Bama said this and no-one gave a shít.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...ar-attack-fro/

[Monty92]

And yet old Barry O'Bama said this and no-one gave a shít.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...ar-attack-fro/

Bit of a naughty headline that rather distorts the sentiment expressed.

Listen, I'm not going to deny that Trump is treated by different standards. But that's partly just the kind of politics we all engage in, if we're honest, but also a reflection of the fact that his behaviour entitles others to treat him by different standards, imo.

[Luis Anaconda]

And yet old Barry O'Bama said this and no-one gave a shít.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...ar-attack-fro/

Wasn't criticised by whom, b? Given that his every step was dogged by certain opponents who challenged his legitimacy as an American citizen and the basis of absolutely bugger all evidence - oh, wait, who was the main cheerleader for that little movement?

What you regard as prejudices can just as easily be seen as well-grounded fears that his braggadocio makes him completely unfit to deal with situations like this and it's hardly unfair to point this out when it makes the sort of wild statements he did the other day. I do agree that his hasn't actually "done" anything wrong but that doesn't make him any less scary. In fact, for all the fuss about him, he doesn't seem to have done an awful lot apart from talk a lot on Twitter (bearing out the point you've made many times about the President having very little power).

[Burney]

Wasn't criticised by whom, b? Given that his every step was dogged by certain opponents who challenged his legitimacy as an American citizen and the basis of absolutely bugger all evidence - oh, wait, who was the main cheerleader for that little movement?

What you regard as prejudices can just as easily be seen as well-grounded fears that his braggadocio makes him completely unfit to deal with situations like this and it's hardly unfair to point this out when it makes the sort of wild statements he did the other day. I do agree that his hasn't actually "done" anything wrong but that doesn't make him any less scary. In fact, for all the fuss about him, he doesn't seem to have done an awful lot apart from talk a lot on Twitter (bearing out the point you've made many times about the President having very little power).

But the point is that they aren't 'well-grounded' fears. They're just prejudices based on a personal distaste for him. You say yourself that he hasn't actually 'done' anything wrong.
To my mind, Trump has to reassure his regional allies that the US will act if they come under real threat and that he isn't going to be a massive pussy like Obama was with his ever-disappearing 'lines in the sand'. A bit of intemperate language was definitely merited.

[redgunamo]

But the point is that they aren't 'well-grounded' fears. They're just prejudices based on a personal distaste for him. You say yourself that he hasn't actually 'done' anything wrong.

As kids growing up in the sticks, this was how racial prejudice was always explained to us. Waste of time, of course; there were so few darkies and whatnot about that nobody had ever actually bothered to develop a mechanism for dealing with the topic. There simply wasn't "racism", as urban sorts understood it.