By Robert Reich. Proposed title: Greenland
"It could be a Monty Python skit from forty years ago: A demented U.S. president demands the Nobel Peace Prize (which he initially spells “Noble”), after converting the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War and abducting the president of a Latin American country by force.
When he doesn’t get the Prize, he says he’s no longer in favor of peace and decides to invade Greenland. When Greenland refuses him and Denmark and the rest of Europe make a fuss, he goes into a rage, raises tariffs on Europe (which are really import taxes that cost Americans dearly) and threatens war on NATO. The president of Russia is delighted.
Can’t you see it? Eric Idle plays the American president — full of himself and utterly off his rocker. John Cleese is the hapless Latin American president who’s abducted. Terry Gilliam is the incredulous head of Greenland. Terry Jones plays the righteous leader of Denmark, and Michael Palin the whacky but triumphant president of Russia.
The Monty Python team was so funny because they came up with completely absurd situations, handled them with deadpan seriousness, and stretched them to the limits.
But this particular situation isn’t funny. It’s actually happening. And Trump is truly, tragically, frighteningly out of his mind."
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