Gavel Gamut
By Jim Redwine
(Week of 21 December 2015)
THE DONALD & VLADIMIR
My first vote for president was for Lyndon Johnson because he promised to keep us out of war in Viet Nam. Four years later Richard Nixon told us he had a secret plan to get us out of Viet Nam. Now there was a man who could keep a secret.
As I understand war, countries use their resources to destroy other countries’ resources such as people, buildings, roads and bridges then, should peace break out, they use their remaining assets to rebuild what was destroyed; not the dead people, of course.
On the other hand, where countries engage in peace, existing people and institutions can be preserved while assets are used to build new structures such as hospitals and schools. Call me sentimental but I prefer peace. And this brings us to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Please let me be clear. I have no wish to endorse either of these men or anyone else. However, I have been impressed with Vlad’s publicly stated position that Syria’s presidency is a Syrian issue and The Donald’s unequivocal opposition to the war in Iraq. My position might well be influenced by our son, Jim, having seen combat in both Iraq wars.
The somewhat tangential meeting of the minds between Don and Vlad on Iraq and Syria may be what has connected Trump and Putin. This moment of good feeling may be reflected in Putin’s statement praising Trump’s business acumen and saying it was not up to Putin, but up to America’s voters, whether Trump should be chosen.
My impression of Putin’s position is most likely colored by my time in Russia when the National Judicial College sent me there to teach Russian judges about America’s jury system. Peg and I saw first hand the devastation caused by World War II. It is still obvious after more than half a century. Even the Kremlin in Red Square needed work. St. Basil’s Cathedral of onion dome fame looked pristine from a distance, but it too suffers from a combination of resources diverted to the war effort and an effete economic system. Putin may be looking to Trump for help.
One of the largest sources of Trump’s fortune is simply his name. He has made millions out of licensing the “Trump†name to be applied to non-Trump buildings all over the world.
Mr. Putin used to be with the KGB when there was a KGB. He is comfortable with such stratagems as using pseudonyms. Perhaps Putin is playing nice with Mr. Trump in order to seek his permission to use the Trump name on some of Russia’s aging assets to increase tourism and get more American dollars spent in Russia. That would be easier than repairing the old buildings and probably cheaper too.
I have tried to envision St. Basils Cathedral or Red Square with a large neon sign flashing an American presidential candidate’s name. It would be better than another Cuban Missile Crises. If Putin could get The Donald to agree, we might turn the long-time touchy relationship between our countries into a cooperative business venture.
