Thursday, August 02, 2018

A Retreat into Bad Poetry

It's been over two weeks since Putin talked to Trump in Helsinki, and the hubbub around this meeting has died down somewhat, making it possible to put together some thoughts on what on Earth that all was. Obviously, there was a lot for these two heads of state to discuss, just to keep the international situation from spinning out of control, and perhaps they did. And, equally obviously, the one thing that these two couldn’t have possibly done is prevent the political situation within the US from spinning out of control.

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Unspelled version:

A retrIt Hntu PVT pGetrh

Hts PHn GFd tU MIks sHns pUthn tOkt tU trBmp Hn RelsHNki, + Y RBPbP arWnT YHs mIthN RVS TXT TWn sBmMot, mCkhN Ht pOshPl tU pQt tqKEYd sBm yOts On MOt On Dy YVt Ol MOS. OPFhuslh, YEd MOS A lOt fOr YIS tU RETS OF stCt tU ThskBs, JBst tU kIp Y hntdnVznal shjuCzon frOm spHnhN Wt OF kontrGl, + pdRVps YC THT. +, IkMalh OPFhuslh, Y MBn yHN YVt YIS tU kQTnt RVF pOshPlh TBn HS preFEnt Y polHthkl shjuCzon MhYHn Y LU-Es frOm spHnhN Wt OF kontrGl.

pdRVps mGst hmpOrtantlh, YC TesXTeT tU restArt Y prOses OF KEthN strvtIJhk ArmS lhmhtCzon tOks PVk On trVk. Hn respOns tU Y LU-Es pQlhN Wt OF Y vntXPvlHsthk mHsl trIti Hn TesEmPd OF 2001, rBza RVS spEnt Y pVst 17 LHdS TeFElophN nLU RXpdsOnhk + sbPOrPhtal mHsl sHstemS, sBm OF YEm nLUklhd-pWdT + MHY bnlHmhteT rCnJ. YIS nLU MEponS RVF PDhT amErhka’s TrImS OF EFd PIhN CPl tU lOnj A sbksEsfql nLUklhd fDst strXk vKEnst rBza. YC RVF Olsg reTLUst Y stVtus OF amErhkan PblHsthk TefEns sHstemS tU YVt OF FErh ekspEnshF skrVp mEtal. nW YVt mLUzual vzUdT TestrBkzon HS MBns vKEn KvrantIT, Ht mCks pDfekt sEns fOr Y MDlT’s tU nLUklhd sLUpdpwdS tU ristArt MDk On fHKdhN Wt RW tU KvrantI Ij BYd’s sekLUrhth, PekOS Enh oltDnathF rBnS Y rHsk OF nLUklhd vnxalEzon fOr PGy sXTS.

Ht sImS rVYd OPFhus YVt RGlThN tOks On preFEnthN Vn vkshTEntal nLUklhd konflvKdCzon Hn Y fCs OF rVThklh OltdT strvtIJhk sDkbmstvnseS HS OrTdS OF mVKnhtLuT mOr hmpOrtant YVn EnhyhN Els. + LEt Hn Y MEst Y mITia kBfdaJ OF Y eFEnt MOS vlON Y lXnS OF YHs PI-PI-sI RETlxn: “trBmp sXTS MHY rBza vKEnst Ef-PI-X Vt RelsHNji sBmht”. Hn YEd XS, trBmp PrGk A kArThnal rUl PX KGhN vKEnst Y “rBzan elEkzon mETlhN” nVrvthF. PX Y MC, Y PI-PI-sI RETlxn HS fVJuas: rBza THT nOt tCk sXTS vKEnst Y Ef-PI-X. pUthn sET YVt Hn A TemOkrash Gnlh Y kOrts kVn TesXT On Y trUy OF sBj vleKCzonS, + OfdT Y rBzan KBFdnment’s kgopdCzon Hn hnFEsthKcthN YEm. PBt RHS MDTS fEl On TEf HdS. hnstET, Y MDlT MOS fOrst tU PEd MHtnes tU A FErh strCnJ spEktvkl: Y LU-Es prEShTent stUT vkLUST OF nByhN lEs YVn “trISon.” Y MDT HS Hn kMGts PekOS Ht kQTnt pOshPlh PI YVt: Hn Y LU-Es, Y lIKl TefhnHzon OF trISon HS spesHfhklh lHmhteT tU Y Vkt OF CThN + vPEthN Vn Enemh Hn tXm OF MOr + TBS nOt vplX tU LU-Es prEShTents RGlThN tOks MHY fOren lITdS.

Y amErhkan mITia riVkzon MOS MXTlh ThskBst Hn rBzan mITia, + MOS kOmonlh refDT tU VS “RhstHrha.” PBt X yHNk YVt YHs kvrvkterhSCzon mHseS Y pOLnt. LEs, LU kQT metafOrhklh refD tU MOt RVS PHn RVpenhN LUShN tDmS POrgT frOm sxkOloJh Or sxkXatrh, PBt X TGnt yHNk YVt YHs rIalh VTS klVrhth. MOt LUs HS A TxaKnGshs Hf Ht kVnt PI fOlgT Bp MHY yEraph Or trItment? Hf YEd MOS Y poshPHlhth OF mEn Hn MXt sLUts rBnhN Ontu Y sEt Vt sI-En-En Or Em-Es-En-PI-sI, MIlThN shrHnJeS + strCtJvkets, YEn, zQd, kOl Ht “RhstHrha” Or “sxkGshs” Or MotEFd LU lXk. PBt Y proPaPHlhth OF YVt RVpenhN HS SIrg. mOr tU Y pOLnt, YIS nOt-kMXt-JDnalhsts RU lXk yrGhN kwntdfVkjualS arWnT vkLUST trBmp OF trISon MhYWt sG mBj VS POYdhN tU KUKl “trISon,” Hn MHj kCs YC MQT RVF ThskBFdT YVt Y tDm TBSnt vplX + trX tU LUS A THfdent MBn. YC mXt RVF trXT plBKhN Hn “ThslOLalth,” PBt YEn, bpOn rIThN Bp On Y jCn OF komVnT MhYHn Y eKSEkLuthF PrVnj, YC MQT RVF ThskBFdT YVt Y rekMXdment OF remCnhN lOLal flGS Bp frOm Y Ef-PI-X tU Y pbEShTent, nOt TWn. YC MQT RVF PHn fOrst tU MDk TWn Y lHst, Ol Y MC tU “skEpthshSm,” MHj HS MOt Ht Vkjualh MOS.

sxkglOJhkl mEtaforS vsXT, MOt MOS Ht YVt pgSEst (vnBYd mEtafor) mVs mITia Hn Y LU-Es tU kOl trBmp A “trCtd”? MI RVF olrETh estVPlhzt YVt YHs spIj MOSnt VkzonaPl (TLU tU lIKl lhmhtCzonS On Y mInhN OF Y tDm “trISon”). Ht konsHsteT OF eFOkathF LEt nonsEnshkal frCSeS + sEntenseS, EnTleslh repIteT MHY KrCt Vfekt. Hf pOlhthks HS tCken tU mIn Y pdsLUt OF Y pOshPl, YEn Ht THTnt IFen kMOlhfx VS polHthkl spIj. mOr Or lEs PX prOses OF elhmhnCzon, MI Ar fOrst tU koNklUT YVt Ht MOS… pGetrh. nOt KQT pGetrh, mXnT LU, PBt sBmyhN mOr vlON Y lXnS OF FGKon pGetrh VS TeskrXPT PX TBKlas VTamS: Y sOrt OF pGetrh YVt, MEn resXteT, kOSeS OTiens mEmPdS tU nO YEd lHmS Of Or tU ekspXd OF hntDnal REmoraJhN. kompEd, fOr eKSVmpl, JOn mbkCn’s “nG prXd pbEShTent / RVS EFd vPCst RhmsElf mOr vPJEktlh / PefOr A tXrant!” tU VTamS’ prostEtnhk FGKon JTlts: “X zVl rEnT YI / Hn Y KOPdMorts / MHY mX PlDKlkrbnjon!” PBt X yHNk YVt Ht MOS trBmp YVt stArteT YHs pGetrh slVm, MHY YHs PHt OF MDT sVlvT: “pbEShTent pUthn sES Ht’s nOt rBza. / X TGnt sI Enh rISon MX Ht MQT PI…” RI YEn fvsIzuslh kdEkteT Ht tU “X TGnt sI Enh rISon MX Ht MQTnt PI…” YIS lXnS Ar MDYh OF VTamS’ pGet lOreat KrBnyos Y flVjulent.

MOt RVS prOmpteT YHs amErhkan retnIt Hntu PVT pGetrh? pdRVps Ht RVS sBmyhN tU TU MHY Y rialhSCzon YVt Y LU-Es HS nG lONKd TOmhnant Or priEmhnent Hn Y MDlT, Hn Enh sEns Vt Ol. YHs rialhSCzon mBst PI sbprEst PX Ol mInS pOshPl, fOr sBj yOts Ar sHmplh nOt vlWT MhYHn Y mCnstrim OF Y MDlT’s Gnlh eksEpzonalhst nCzon. pGemS Ar RElpfql RHd Hn YVt YC RVF nG trUy FVlLu. LU kVn nG mOr ThspLUt A pGem YVn LU kVn kMEsjn Y MDTS OF Y nVznal Vnyem. (“nG, Wd flVK MOSnt stHl YEd!”) pGemS sHmplh Ar, + Hf LU kMEsjn YEd FdVshth, YEn LU Ar vKEnst pGetrh htsElf. sCm MHY Y rBza mETlhN/kolUZon/RVkhN nVrvthF: Ht JBst HS. sChN YVt Ht HSnt HS JBst lXk sChN YVt mErh THTnt RVF A lHtl lVm.

X MHl lIF LU MHY sBm FGKon pGetrh OF mX Gn. olmGst A TEkcT vKG, Vt Y EnT OF 2009, X rGt Bp sBm preTHkzonS fOr Y nEkst TEkcT. MBn OF mX preTHkzonS, + MBn PX MHj X stHl stVnT, MOS YVt Y amErhkanS, bnCPl tU mOTdct YEd Vpetxts Hn Y fCs OF rVThkllh OltdT sDkbmstvnseS, MHl

konsLUm YemsElFS Hntu oPlHFhon
VS sG mEnh ThsemPWelT LEt stHl rVFenus zArks
EnTleslh KOrJhN YemsElFS
On YEd Gn PHlghN EntrclS.