Dear Don, you've been conned and all the whole world can see it

The Advertiser

5 days ago

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
Dear Donald,
It's been a while but having seen you on the news the other night, I had to reach out.
It must be hard realising the person you thought you knew and trusted has been stringing you along the whole time.
We saw the anguish on your face, when returning to Washington from your golfing weekend you spoke to the media on the tarmac before boarding your beat-up, old presidential jet.
You looked confused and angry. What the hell happened? you asked. You'd known him for years, you'd liked him, but now he'd gone crazy, firing rockets into cities, killing innocent people. That was something you didn't like.
And like anyone who'd been scammed, you revealed something we'd not seen from you before - a hint of embarrassment. How could you have been so naive?
Oh, Donald, we tried so hard to warn you. In your first term, when you'd cosied up to Vlad and to Kim Jong Un, we knew you'd fallen in with a bad crowd. We saw you soaking in their reflected strength, seeing a version of yourself in their power, wanting to be like them.
At the 2018 Helsinki press conference, as you stood alongside Putin, you told a stunned world that you'd asked the Russian president if his country had interfered in the 2016 election and he denied it and you believed him.
Donald, Donald, Donald, we all thought, of course he'd deny it. He's a former KGB officer who made a career of convincing East Germans to do the dirty work of the Kremlin and rat on their compatriots. But you took him at his word, just as you have in your second term when you thought he was serious about settling the Ukraine war in terms acceptable to both sides.
That dawning you'd fallen victim to the grift - seen by all on that tarmac the other day - must have been hard for someone like you. And to rub salt into your wound, the Kremlin accused you of being emotional after your outburst. How it must sting to be stung.
You're going through what the rest of us experienced very early in childhood. That moment of hard clarity when we realised we weren't the centre of the universe, nor the smartest person in it.
You're not alone, Donald. It's well known victims of scams feel acute embarrassment. Falling for a scam can shake the beliefs we hold about ourselves and others. Not that we expect you to change a lifetime of pathological self-belief. You'll probably just blame Joe Biden or Taylor Swift in a blizzard of late night tweetrums.
But we all saw it, Donald. That moment of doubt when you realised you'd been outsmarted by the autocrat you'd been warned about. You appeared foolish, jilted and out of your depth.
It reminded me of that occasion in the early 1990s when you held up a dinner cruise in Manhattan, arriving late and inappropriately dressed in a velour leisure suit along with your then wife. I stood nearby and watched her curse you for your foolishness and the embarrassment you'd caused her. For being late. For your fashion choices.
Tell me, Donald. Somewhere deep down, are you cursing yourself for trusting Putin? For making that bold claim before you were elected that you'd end the war he started in a day?
Yours,
The Echidna.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Was there ever a chance Donald Trump could broker a deal to end the Ukraine war? Is there some poetic justice in Trump being conned by Putin into believing the Kremlin genuinely wanted peace? Has the US been weakened by Trump's gullibility? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Nationals Leader David Littleproud has declared that his party's commitment to Australia's net-zero 2050 target will be reviewed, while saying he is close to reaching agreement with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to re-form the Coalition.
- More than three weeks after the federal election, the final Senate results are in for Tasmania. Jacqui Lambie has been re-elected, while Richard Colbeck avoided making the Liberals' horrible election result worse by holding on to his seat.
- Whistleblower Richard Boyle has been hailed a "superhero" after striking a plea deal under which he will avoid jail. The 49-year-old has admitted to four criminal charges linked to his exposure of unethical debt recovery practices at the Australian Taxation Office.
THEY SAID IT: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." - Randall Terry
YOU SAID IT: John's kept awake at night by the ghosts of cruelty - from the Holocaust and from the recent suffering in Gaza.
"Thank you for writing this," writes Helen. "You are exactly right to align the horrors of the Nazi atrocities against the Jewish people with the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians in Gaza. Day after day I think, 'How could it get worse?' Then it does. These child killings are inflicted. Yes, these incidents haunt me and I am powerless to help the starving and maimed children."
Helen W writes: "Yes John, I certainly believe the Israeli government should face an international court to answer charges of war crimes. Whether they ever will is a different matter. I belong to a post run by members of the Israeli Defence Force and former members thereof. They, having seen and participated in the very genocide that is occurring in Gaza, are endeavouring to tell the world the truth. They are also trying to let the world know that many Israelis, including those in the IDF, abhor with what is happening in Gaza."
"All war contains war crimes and this one in Israel-Palestine is no exception," writes Derek. "I wish the UN could somehow become a lot stronger and prevent this sort of misery ever happening again. I detest war and these days we should all be looking towards a united world but that still seems like a dream with so many destructive vested interests in the world. Surely the time has come for the world to unite and finally prevent this destructive madness ever happening again. And yes, I've always been a dreamer."
Sue writes: "Right to the point, John. This, like the Holocaust and many other horrific situations through history, is something that we should not forget, but who would, indeed who is in a position to, sit in that court? At the end of a war in which hatred of Jews played a significant role, politicians created the state of Israel in a location which had historical and significant differences with the Jewish people and their religion - surely a recipe for disaster!"
Michael writes: "A better solution would be for the Hamas leaders (including their Hezbollah mates) and the Israeli leaders to be in the front of their troops and lead them into battle, like the pharaohs and kings of old. It might solve the issues quickly if they become the first casualties. Trouble is, the Hamas leaders are living it up in Qatar, and Netanyahu is ignoring the home protests about his actions."
"The IDF bear responsibility, too," writes Phil. "'Just following orders' is not a defence against war crimes."
Phil C writes: "I could not dwell on the tragedy that befell Dr. Alaa al-Najjar. To ward off the black dog, I am compelled to avert my eyes, heart, and mind from such unspeakable tragedy. The common conflation of anti-genocide with anti-semitism is an obscene ruse. Netanyahu is a war criminal, and the civilised world need to stop him now!""
"You said it so well for us all, John," writes Linda. "Words fail me on the idiocy and cruelty of fellow humans. Yes, they should both be subject to an international court for war crimes. Thank you, and Garry, for your ongoing articles in Echidna."
Michelle writes: "Thank you for your piece on the horrors of genocide, historically, and today in Gaza. The collective memory of 80 years ago is diminishing as new generations have failed to learn the lessons of the past. I am not a religious Jew, and very proud of my heritage, My mother went to school in Palestine, my grandparents lived and worked alongside Palestinians. Like most Jews my family lost many members to the gas chambers, I never forget."
Paul writes: "It's hard to compare the horrors of the Nazi genocide and the Gaza conflict. The Nazis deliberately rounded up people of specific groups and murdered them. Most of the deaths of innocents in the Gaza conflict are not due to their deliberate targeting by the Israelis. We live in a very safe nation - it is hard for most of us to know what it would be like to have a state led by a terrorist group living on our border, that constantly fires missiles into our territory and kidnaps and kills our citizens. We would probably demand military action ,too. And once engaged, and the enemy won't surrender, do you disengage, let the terrorists win and let the terrorism resume? It's hard to know."
"Glad to see your newsletter so strong on the Gaza Genocide," writes Marie. "We must not forget what is happening in the West Bank as well. Australia needs to get aligned with Canada, France and the UK to exert pressure on the pariah state of Israel."
Irene writes: "The Gaza war should end now. The world should condemn both sides. Both sides should answer and pay for their appalling crimes against humanity. Humanity should take the blame for allowing such mass atrocities."
Amanda writes: "Justice needs to be brought to the war criminals on all sides of the Israel/Gaza war. With two friends from Australia we were caught up in a protest in Istanbul calling for the end to the Gaza war- we stood together and we cried with the women, children and men who walked the streets that day, thousands of them. We didn't feel anything other than their solidarity towards us which was made clear through gestures across the language barrier."
"The events in Gaza are atrocious," writes Brian. "And so were the actions of Hamas leading up to this war. And I continue to wonder why Hamas simply will not hand back the Israeli hostages and plead for peace. Nor are Hamas's backers in Iran demanding this. Obviously, the welfare of the Palestinian people means less to Hamas and Iran than their ideologies."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
Dear Donald,
It's been a while but having seen you on the news the other night, I had to reach out.
It must be hard realising the person you thought you knew and trusted has been stringing you along the whole time.
We saw the anguish on your face, when returning to Washington from your golfing weekend you spoke to the media on the tarmac before boarding your beat-up, old presidential jet.
You looked confused and angry. What the hell happened? you asked. You'd known him for years, you'd liked him, but now he'd gone crazy, firing rockets into cities, killing innocent people. That was something you didn't like.
And like anyone who'd been scammed, you revealed something we'd not seen from you before - a hint of embarrassment. How could you have been so naive?
Oh, Donald, we tried so hard to warn you. In your first term, when you'd cosied up to Vlad and to Kim Jong Un, we knew you'd fallen in with a bad crowd. We saw you soaking in their reflected strength, seeing a version of yourself in their power, wanting to be like them.
At the 2018 Helsinki press conference, as you stood alongside Putin, you told a stunned world that you'd asked the Russian president if his country had interfered in the 2016 election and he denied it and you believed him.
Donald, Donald, Donald, we all thought, of course he'd deny it. He's a former KGB officer who made a career of convincing East Germans to do the dirty work of the Kremlin and rat on their compatriots. But you took him at his word, just as you have in your second term when you thought he was serious about settling the Ukraine war in terms acceptable to both sides.
That dawning you'd fallen victim to the grift - seen by all on that tarmac the other day - must have been hard for someone like you. And to rub salt into your wound, the Kremlin accused you of being emotional after your outburst. How it must sting to be stung.
You're going through what the rest of us experienced very early in childhood. That moment of hard clarity when we realised we weren't the centre of the universe, nor the smartest person in it.
You're not alone, Donald. It's well known victims of scams feel acute embarrassment. Falling for a scam can shake the beliefs we hold about ourselves and others. Not that we expect you to change a lifetime of pathological self-belief. You'll probably just blame Joe Biden or Taylor Swift in a blizzard of late night tweetrums.
But we all saw it, Donald. That moment of doubt when you realised you'd been outsmarted by the autocrat you'd been warned about. You appeared foolish, jilted and out of your depth.
It reminded me of that occasion in the early 1990s when you held up a dinner cruise in Manhattan, arriving late and inappropriately dressed in a velour leisure suit along with your then wife. I stood nearby and watched her curse you for your foolishness and the embarrassment you'd caused her. For being late. For your fashion choices.
Tell me, Donald. Somewhere deep down, are you cursing yourself for trusting Putin? For making that bold claim before you were elected that you'd end the war he started in a day?
Yours,
The Echidna.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Was there ever a chance Donald Trump could broker a deal to end the Ukraine war? Is there some poetic justice in Trump being conned by Putin into believing the Kremlin genuinely wanted peace? Has the US been weakened by Trump's gullibility? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Nationals Leader David Littleproud has declared that his party's commitment to Australia's net-zero 2050 target will be reviewed, while saying he is close to reaching agreement with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to re-form the Coalition.
- More than three weeks after the federal election, the final Senate results are in for Tasmania. Jacqui Lambie has been re-elected, while Richard Colbeck avoided making the Liberals' horrible election result worse by holding on to his seat.
- Whistleblower Richard Boyle has been hailed a "superhero" after striking a plea deal under which he will avoid jail. The 49-year-old has admitted to four criminal charges linked to his exposure of unethical debt recovery practices at the Australian Taxation Office.
THEY SAID IT: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." - Randall Terry
YOU SAID IT: John's kept awake at night by the ghosts of cruelty - from the Holocaust and from the recent suffering in Gaza.
"Thank you for writing this," writes Helen. "You are exactly right to align the horrors of the Nazi atrocities against the Jewish people with the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians in Gaza. Day after day I think, 'How could it get worse?' Then it does. These child killings are inflicted. Yes, these incidents haunt me and I am powerless to help the starving and maimed children."
Helen W writes: "Yes John, I certainly believe the Israeli government should face an international court to answer charges of war crimes. Whether they ever will is a different matter. I belong to a post run by members of the Israeli Defence Force and former members thereof. They, having seen and participated in the very genocide that is occurring in Gaza, are endeavouring to tell the world the truth. They are also trying to let the world know that many Israelis, including those in the IDF, abhor with what is happening in Gaza."
"All war contains war crimes and this one in Israel-Palestine is no exception," writes Derek. "I wish the UN could somehow become a lot stronger and prevent this sort of misery ever happening again. I detest war and these days we should all be looking towards a united world but that still seems like a dream with so many destructive vested interests in the world. Surely the time has come for the world to unite and finally prevent this destructive madness ever happening again. And yes, I've always been a dreamer."
Sue writes: "Right to the point, John. This, like the Holocaust and many other horrific situations through history, is something that we should not forget, but who would, indeed who is in a position to, sit in that court? At the end of a war in which hatred of Jews played a significant role, politicians created the state of Israel in a location which had historical and significant differences with the Jewish people and their religion - surely a recipe for disaster!"
Michael writes: "A better solution would be for the Hamas leaders (including their Hezbollah mates) and the Israeli leaders to be in the front of their troops and lead them into battle, like the pharaohs and kings of old. It might solve the issues quickly if they become the first casualties. Trouble is, the Hamas leaders are living it up in Qatar, and Netanyahu is ignoring the home protests about his actions."
"The IDF bear responsibility, too," writes Phil. "'Just following orders' is not a defence against war crimes."
Phil C writes: "I could not dwell on the tragedy that befell Dr. Alaa al-Najjar. To ward off the black dog, I am compelled to avert my eyes, heart, and mind from such unspeakable tragedy. The common conflation of anti-genocide with anti-semitism is an obscene ruse. Netanyahu is a war criminal, and the civilised world need to stop him now!""
"You said it so well for us all, John," writes Linda. "Words fail me on the idiocy and cruelty of fellow humans. Yes, they should both be subject to an international court for war crimes. Thank you, and Garry, for your ongoing articles in Echidna."
Michelle writes: "Thank you for your piece on the horrors of genocide, historically, and today in Gaza. The collective memory of 80 years ago is diminishing as new generations have failed to learn the lessons of the past. I am not a religious Jew, and very proud of my heritage, My mother went to school in Palestine, my grandparents lived and worked alongside Palestinians. Like most Jews my family lost many members to the gas chambers, I never forget."
Paul writes: "It's hard to compare the horrors of the Nazi genocide and the Gaza conflict. The Nazis deliberately rounded up people of specific groups and murdered them. Most of the deaths of innocents in the Gaza conflict are not due to their deliberate targeting by the Israelis. We live in a very safe nation - it is hard for most of us to know what it would be like to have a state led by a terrorist group living on our border, that constantly fires missiles into our territory and kidnaps and kills our citizens. We would probably demand military action ,too. And once engaged, and the enemy won't surrender, do you disengage, let the terrorists win and let the terrorism resume? It's hard to know."
"Glad to see your newsletter so strong on the Gaza Genocide," writes Marie. "We must not forget what is happening in the West Bank as well. Australia needs to get aligned with Canada, France and the UK to exert pressure on the pariah state of Israel."
Irene writes: "The Gaza war should end now. The world should condemn both sides. Both sides should answer and pay for their appalling crimes against humanity. Humanity should take the blame for allowing such mass atrocities."
Amanda writes: "Justice needs to be brought to the war criminals on all sides of the Israel/Gaza war. With two friends from Australia we were caught up in a protest in Istanbul calling for the end to the Gaza war- we stood together and we cried with the women, children and men who walked the streets that day, thousands of them. We didn't feel anything other than their solidarity towards us which was made clear through gestures across the language barrier."
"The events in Gaza are atrocious," writes Brian. "And so were the actions of Hamas leading up to this war. And I continue to wonder why Hamas simply will not hand back the Israeli hostages and plead for peace. Nor are Hamas's backers in Iran demanding this. Obviously, the welfare of the Palestinian people means less to Hamas and Iran than their ideologies."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
Dear Donald,
It's been a while but having seen you on the news the other night, I had to reach out.
It must be hard realising the person you thought you knew and trusted has been stringing you along the whole time.
We saw the anguish on your face, when returning to Washington from your golfing weekend you spoke to the media on the tarmac before boarding your beat-up, old presidential jet.
You looked confused and angry. What the hell happened? you asked. You'd known him for years, you'd liked him, but now he'd gone crazy, firing rockets into cities, killing innocent people. That was something you didn't like.
And like anyone who'd been scammed, you revealed something we'd not seen from you before - a hint of embarrassment. How could you have been so naive?
Oh, Donald, we tried so hard to warn you. In your first term, when you'd cosied up to Vlad and to Kim Jong Un, we knew you'd fallen in with a bad crowd. We saw you soaking in their reflected strength, seeing a version of yourself in their power, wanting to be like them.
At the 2018 Helsinki press conference, as you stood alongside Putin, you told a stunned world that you'd asked the Russian president if his country had interfered in the 2016 election and he denied it and you believed him.
Donald, Donald, Donald, we all thought, of course he'd deny it. He's a former KGB officer who made a career of convincing East Germans to do the dirty work of the Kremlin and rat on their compatriots. But you took him at his word, just as you have in your second term when you thought he was serious about settling the Ukraine war in terms acceptable to both sides.
That dawning you'd fallen victim to the grift - seen by all on that tarmac the other day - must have been hard for someone like you. And to rub salt into your wound, the Kremlin accused you of being emotional after your outburst. How it must sting to be stung.
You're going through what the rest of us experienced very early in childhood. That moment of hard clarity when we realised we weren't the centre of the universe, nor the smartest person in it.
You're not alone, Donald. It's well known victims of scams feel acute embarrassment. Falling for a scam can shake the beliefs we hold about ourselves and others. Not that we expect you to change a lifetime of pathological self-belief. You'll probably just blame Joe Biden or Taylor Swift in a blizzard of late night tweetrums.
But we all saw it, Donald. That moment of doubt when you realised you'd been outsmarted by the autocrat you'd been warned about. You appeared foolish, jilted and out of your depth.
It reminded me of that occasion in the early 1990s when you held up a dinner cruise in Manhattan, arriving late and inappropriately dressed in a velour leisure suit along with your then wife. I stood nearby and watched her curse you for your foolishness and the embarrassment you'd caused her. For being late. For your fashion choices.
Tell me, Donald. Somewhere deep down, are you cursing yourself for trusting Putin? For making that bold claim before you were elected that you'd end the war he started in a day?
Yours,
The Echidna.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Was there ever a chance Donald Trump could broker a deal to end the Ukraine war? Is there some poetic justice in Trump being conned by Putin into believing the Kremlin genuinely wanted peace? Has the US been weakened by Trump's gullibility? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Nationals Leader David Littleproud has declared that his party's commitment to Australia's net-zero 2050 target will be reviewed, while saying he is close to reaching agreement with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to re-form the Coalition.
- More than three weeks after the federal election, the final Senate results are in for Tasmania. Jacqui Lambie has been re-elected, while Richard Colbeck avoided making the Liberals' horrible election result worse by holding on to his seat.
- Whistleblower Richard Boyle has been hailed a "superhero" after striking a plea deal under which he will avoid jail. The 49-year-old has admitted to four criminal charges linked to his exposure of unethical debt recovery practices at the Australian Taxation Office.
THEY SAID IT: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." - Randall Terry
YOU SAID IT: John's kept awake at night by the ghosts of cruelty - from the Holocaust and from the recent suffering in Gaza.
"Thank you for writing this," writes Helen. "You are exactly right to align the horrors of the Nazi atrocities against the Jewish people with the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians in Gaza. Day after day I think, 'How could it get worse?' Then it does. These child killings are inflicted. Yes, these incidents haunt me and I am powerless to help the starving and maimed children."
Helen W writes: "Yes John, I certainly believe the Israeli government should face an international court to answer charges of war crimes. Whether they ever will is a different matter. I belong to a post run by members of the Israeli Defence Force and former members thereof. They, having seen and participated in the very genocide that is occurring in Gaza, are endeavouring to tell the world the truth. They are also trying to let the world know that many Israelis, including those in the IDF, abhor with what is happening in Gaza."
"All war contains war crimes and this one in Israel-Palestine is no exception," writes Derek. "I wish the UN could somehow become a lot stronger and prevent this sort of misery ever happening again. I detest war and these days we should all be looking towards a united world but that still seems like a dream with so many destructive vested interests in the world. Surely the time has come for the world to unite and finally prevent this destructive madness ever happening again. And yes, I've always been a dreamer."
Sue writes: "Right to the point, John. This, like the Holocaust and many other horrific situations through history, is something that we should not forget, but who would, indeed who is in a position to, sit in that court? At the end of a war in which hatred of Jews played a significant role, politicians created the state of Israel in a location which had historical and significant differences with the Jewish people and their religion - surely a recipe for disaster!"
Michael writes: "A better solution would be for the Hamas leaders (including their Hezbollah mates) and the Israeli leaders to be in the front of their troops and lead them into battle, like the pharaohs and kings of old. It might solve the issues quickly if they become the first casualties. Trouble is, the Hamas leaders are living it up in Qatar, and Netanyahu is ignoring the home protests about his actions."
"The IDF bear responsibility, too," writes Phil. "'Just following orders' is not a defence against war crimes."
Phil C writes: "I could not dwell on the tragedy that befell Dr. Alaa al-Najjar. To ward off the black dog, I am compelled to avert my eyes, heart, and mind from such unspeakable tragedy. The common conflation of anti-genocide with anti-semitism is an obscene ruse. Netanyahu is a war criminal, and the civilised world need to stop him now!""
"You said it so well for us all, John," writes Linda. "Words fail me on the idiocy and cruelty of fellow humans. Yes, they should both be subject to an international court for war crimes. Thank you, and Garry, for your ongoing articles in Echidna."
Michelle writes: "Thank you for your piece on the horrors of genocide, historically, and today in Gaza. The collective memory of 80 years ago is diminishing as new generations have failed to learn the lessons of the past. I am not a religious Jew, and very proud of my heritage, My mother went to school in Palestine, my grandparents lived and worked alongside Palestinians. Like most Jews my family lost many members to the gas chambers, I never forget."
Paul writes: "It's hard to compare the horrors of the Nazi genocide and the Gaza conflict. The Nazis deliberately rounded up people of specific groups and murdered them. Most of the deaths of innocents in the Gaza conflict are not due to their deliberate targeting by the Israelis. We live in a very safe nation - it is hard for most of us to know what it would be like to have a state led by a terrorist group living on our border, that constantly fires missiles into our territory and kidnaps and kills our citizens. We would probably demand military action ,too. And once engaged, and the enemy won't surrender, do you disengage, let the terrorists win and let the terrorism resume? It's hard to know."
"Glad to see your newsletter so strong on the Gaza Genocide," writes Marie. "We must not forget what is happening in the West Bank as well. Australia needs to get aligned with Canada, France and the UK to exert pressure on the pariah state of Israel."
Irene writes: "The Gaza war should end now. The world should condemn both sides. Both sides should answer and pay for their appalling crimes against humanity. Humanity should take the blame for allowing such mass atrocities."
Amanda writes: "Justice needs to be brought to the war criminals on all sides of the Israel/Gaza war. With two friends from Australia we were caught up in a protest in Istanbul calling for the end to the Gaza war- we stood together and we cried with the women, children and men who walked the streets that day, thousands of them. We didn't feel anything other than their solidarity towards us which was made clear through gestures across the language barrier."
"The events in Gaza are atrocious," writes Brian. "And so were the actions of Hamas leading up to this war. And I continue to wonder why Hamas simply will not hand back the Israeli hostages and plead for peace. Nor are Hamas's backers in Iran demanding this. Obviously, the welfare of the Palestinian people means less to Hamas and Iran than their ideologies."
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
Dear Donald,
It's been a while but having seen you on the news the other night, I had to reach out.
It must be hard realising the person you thought you knew and trusted has been stringing you along the whole time.
We saw the anguish on your face, when returning to Washington from your golfing weekend you spoke to the media on the tarmac before boarding your beat-up, old presidential jet.
You looked confused and angry. What the hell happened? you asked. You'd known him for years, you'd liked him, but now he'd gone crazy, firing rockets into cities, killing innocent people. That was something you didn't like.
And like anyone who'd been scammed, you revealed something we'd not seen from you before - a hint of embarrassment. How could you have been so naive?
Oh, Donald, we tried so hard to warn you. In your first term, when you'd cosied up to Vlad and to Kim Jong Un, we knew you'd fallen in with a bad crowd. We saw you soaking in their reflected strength, seeing a version of yourself in their power, wanting to be like them.
At the 2018 Helsinki press conference, as you stood alongside Putin, you told a stunned world that you'd asked the Russian president if his country had interfered in the 2016 election and he denied it and you believed him.
Donald, Donald, Donald, we all thought, of course he'd deny it. He's a former KGB officer who made a career of convincing East Germans to do the dirty work of the Kremlin and rat on their compatriots. But you took him at his word, just as you have in your second term when you thought he was serious about settling the Ukraine war in terms acceptable to both sides.
That dawning you'd fallen victim to the grift - seen by all on that tarmac the other day - must have been hard for someone like you. And to rub salt into your wound, the Kremlin accused you of being emotional after your outburst. How it must sting to be stung.
You're going through what the rest of us experienced very early in childhood. That moment of hard clarity when we realised we weren't the centre of the universe, nor the smartest person in it.
You're not alone, Donald. It's well known victims of scams feel acute embarrassment. Falling for a scam can shake the beliefs we hold about ourselves and others. Not that we expect you to change a lifetime of pathological self-belief. You'll probably just blame Joe Biden or Taylor Swift in a blizzard of late night tweetrums.
But we all saw it, Donald. That moment of doubt when you realised you'd been outsmarted by the autocrat you'd been warned about. You appeared foolish, jilted and out of your depth.
It reminded me of that occasion in the early 1990s when you held up a dinner cruise in Manhattan, arriving late and inappropriately dressed in a velour leisure suit along with your then wife. I stood nearby and watched her curse you for your foolishness and the embarrassment you'd caused her. For being late. For your fashion choices.
Tell me, Donald. Somewhere deep down, are you cursing yourself for trusting Putin? For making that bold claim before you were elected that you'd end the war he started in a day?
Yours,
The Echidna.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Was there ever a chance Donald Trump could broker a deal to end the Ukraine war? Is there some poetic justice in Trump being conned by Putin into believing the Kremlin genuinely wanted peace? Has the US been weakened by Trump's gullibility? Email us: [e-mail]
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Nationals Leader David Littleproud has declared that his party's commitment to Australia's net-zero 2050 target will be reviewed, while saying he is close to reaching agreement with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to re-form the Coalition.
- More than three weeks after the federal election, the final Senate results are in for Tasmania. Jacqui Lambie has been re-elected, while Richard Colbeck avoided making the Liberals' horrible election result worse by holding on to his seat.
- Whistleblower Richard Boyle has been hailed a "superhero" after striking a plea deal under which he will avoid jail. The 49-year-old has admitted to four criminal charges linked to his exposure of unethical debt recovery practices at the Australian Taxation Office.
THEY SAID IT: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." - Randall Terry
YOU SAID IT: John's kept awake at night by the ghosts of cruelty - from the Holocaust and from the recent suffering in Gaza.
"Thank you for writing this," writes Helen. "You are exactly right to align the horrors of the Nazi atrocities against the Jewish people with the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians in Gaza. Day after day I think, 'How could it get worse?' Then it does. These child killings are inflicted. Yes, these incidents haunt me and I am powerless to help the starving and maimed children."
Helen W writes: "Yes John, I certainly believe the Israeli government should face an international court to answer charges of war crimes. Whether they ever will is a different matter. I belong to a post run by members of the Israeli Defence Force and former members thereof. They, having seen and participated in the very genocide that is occurring in Gaza, are endeavouring to tell the world the truth. They are also trying to let the world know that many Israelis, including those in the IDF, abhor with what is happening in Gaza."
"All war contains war crimes and this one in Israel-Palestine is no exception," writes Derek. "I wish the UN could somehow become a lot stronger and prevent this sort of misery ever happening again. I detest war and these days we should all be looking towards a united world but that still seems like a dream with so many destructive vested interests in the world. Surely the time has come for the world to unite and finally prevent this destructive madness ever happening again. And yes, I've always been a dreamer."
Sue writes: "Right to the point, John. This, like the Holocaust and many other horrific situations through history, is something that we should not forget, but who would, indeed who is in a position to, sit in that court? At the end of a war in which hatred of Jews played a significant role, politicians created the state of Israel in a location which had historical and significant differences with the Jewish people and their religion - surely a recipe for disaster!"
Michael writes: "A better solution would be for the Hamas leaders (including their Hezbollah mates) and the Israeli leaders to be in the front of their troops and lead them into battle, like the pharaohs and kings of old. It might solve the issues quickly if they become the first casualties. Trouble is, the Hamas leaders are living it up in Qatar, and Netanyahu is ignoring the home protests about his actions."
"The IDF bear responsibility, too," writes Phil. "'Just following orders' is not a defence against war crimes."
Phil C writes: "I could not dwell on the tragedy that befell Dr. Alaa al-Najjar. To ward off the black dog, I am compelled to avert my eyes, heart, and mind from such unspeakable tragedy. The common conflation of anti-genocide with anti-semitism is an obscene ruse. Netanyahu is a war criminal, and the civilised world need to stop him now!""
"You said it so well for us all, John," writes Linda. "Words fail me on the idiocy and cruelty of fellow humans. Yes, they should both be subject to an international court for war crimes. Thank you, and Garry, for your ongoing articles in Echidna."
Michelle writes: "Thank you for your piece on the horrors of genocide, historically, and today in Gaza. The collective memory of 80 years ago is diminishing as new generations have failed to learn the lessons of the past. I am not a religious Jew, and very proud of my heritage, My mother went to school in Palestine, my grandparents lived and worked alongside Palestinians. Like most Jews my family lost many members to the gas chambers, I never forget."
Paul writes: "It's hard to compare the horrors of the Nazi genocide and the Gaza conflict. The Nazis deliberately rounded up people of specific groups and murdered them. Most of the deaths of innocents in the Gaza conflict are not due to their deliberate targeting by the Israelis. We live in a very safe nation - it is hard for most of us to know what it would be like to have a state led by a terrorist group living on our border, that constantly fires missiles into our territory and kidnaps and kills our citizens. We would probably demand military action ,too. And once engaged, and the enemy won't surrender, do you disengage, let the terrorists win and let the terrorism resume? It's hard to know."
"Glad to see your newsletter so strong on the Gaza Genocide," writes Marie. "We must not forget what is happening in the West Bank as well. Australia needs to get aligned with Canada, France and the UK to exert pressure on the pariah state of Israel."
Irene writes: "The Gaza war should end now. The world should condemn both sides. Both sides should answer and pay for their appalling crimes against humanity. Humanity should take the blame for allowing such mass atrocities."
Amanda writes: "Justice needs to be brought to the war criminals on all sides of the Israel/Gaza war. With two friends from Australia we were caught up in a protest in Istanbul calling for the end to the Gaza war- we stood together and we cried with the women, children and men who walked the streets that day, thousands of them. We didn't feel anything other than their solidarity towards us which was made clear through gestures across the language barrier."
"The events in Gaza are atrocious," writes Brian. "And so were the actions of Hamas leading up to this war. And I continue to wonder why Hamas simply will not hand back the Israeli hostages and plead for peace. Nor are Hamas's backers in Iran demanding this. Obviously, the welfare of the Palestinian people means less to Hamas and Iran than their ideologies."