The Near-Extinction of Thoughtfulness

News story:

Iranian officials told Reuters that Trump warned Iran an attack was imminent unless they agreed to talk

When Iran did not immediately agree, Trump called off the attackhttps://t.co/Df2cgQLeLZ

— Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani (@AdrienneMahsa) June 21, 2019

Read this important terse analysis.

Two very similar reactions by two influential people:

someday we may actually need someone to take a threat seriously—and of course stupid threats like this make it more likely that they won’t https://t.co/szT0MMx846

— George Conway (@gtconway3d) June 21, 2019

He obviously intended to type “ensure” ("stupid threats like this ensure that they won’t"), but thought about it for a few seconds and decided, correctly, that “make it more likely” was more accurate...even though it's less snappily satisfying.

That pause for reflection, with diligent follow-thru, is a nearly extinct move (outside of the crustiest journalists...who are constantly punished by the Left for their measuredness). I treasure it when I spot it.

Please tell me the Iranians are lying. If not, Trump lost all credibility on future threats. https://t.co/zDioLerx0b

— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) June 21, 2019

So that's the new-school approach: thinking/writing like an addled teenager. Trump didn't lose "some" credibility, or even just "credibility". He's lost all credibility. EVERY IOTA of it.


The second guy's an expert, and a lawyer, so if I were to challenge him on this, he'd sheepishly concede the overstatement. Whereas I'd imagine many readers will see no problem with it. Trump is the worst possible president (he's not. He's a mere "4". We're spoiled.), and has no credibility whatsoever (he has poor credibility). Every bad thing is the worst possible thing; every bad move is the worst possible move; and thus our species slogs miserably through utopia toward its inexorable extinction.