<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The title from that old James Bond movie can be applied to President Trump&rsquo;s private <span style="color: #222222; background: white; mso-no-proof: yes;">tete</span><span style="color: #222222; background: white;">-a-tete with Vladimir Putin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>I <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">am generally loathe</span> to use pejoratives or vulgarities in these commentaries, but the low level of bogus and irrelevant news analysis leading into and out of the meeting in Helsinki can only be described as a lot of crap.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A great deal of <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">airtime</span> was wasted on giving meaning to the words &ldquo;summit&rdquo; or &ldquo;meeting.&rdquo;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>In the opinion of the anti-Trump media, the use of the word &ldquo;meeting&rdquo; was an attempt to play down the importance of the encounter and to lower expectations of any outcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>For the rational-minded world beyond the biased New York/D.C. media bubble, the use of the words represent a distinction without a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>They are fungible.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In terms of lowering expectations, Trump was pretty clear that he had no illusions about any outcomes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>He said he was not sure how the meeting &ndash; or was it summit? &ndash; would turn out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>In characteristic fashion, he shrugged his shoulders and said, &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have to see.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In their pre-meeting determination to declare the thing that happened in Helsinki a total failure for America and a huge success for Russia, the elite media <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">and</span> their <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">pseudo-intellectual</span> contributors concocted their own expectations based on <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">establishment</span> traditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>There will be no signed agreement &ndash; no communique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Well, at least they did not think so because they admitted they did not know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Ultimately, there was not one <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">and</span> no one said there would be.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They claimed the pre-ordained failure was due to Trump going into the gathering unprepared against a cagey and crafty Putin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>But <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">&hellip;</span> they did not know how much Trump had actually prepared.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They resurrected the canard that they used to undermine the President in Singapore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Trump was giving Putin exposure on the national state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>One might proffer that specious argument had Trump been meeting with King </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, but Putin is already among the best known and most influential &ndash; for good or ill &ndash; leaders on earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Trump and Putin had met at two times previously at international summits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Imagine, &ldquo;meeting&rdquo; at a &ldquo;summit.&rdquo;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>He should have a pretty good read on the Russian despot.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The talking heads brought up their dubious claim that Trump says nice things only about Putin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>This leads to their favorite speculation that Putin has something on Trump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Really? Anyone paying attention has heard Trump say nice things about virtually every world leader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>It is part of his negotiating style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>When has he said a bad thing about Chinese President Xi Jinping?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Never.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">And yet,</span> he slapped tariffs on China.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It would seem that in Trump&rsquo;s opinion &ndash; and he may be correct &ndash; Putin, Xi and he are the three most important leaders of the world because they are more than heads-of-state but <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">are influence</span> leaders of conglomerates of nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Even more importantly, what Trump says about various heads-of-state is less important than the functional policies and programs between those nations and the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>If you look at contemporary political reporting like a <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">game show</span>, the press focuses on the banter between the host and the contestants and ignores who is winning the prizes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The press spent an <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">inordinate</span> amount of time conjecturing if Trump would confront Putin on such issues as election meddling, Ukrainian invasion, Syrian involvement <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">and</span> sanctions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>The fact that they were totally clueless about what Trump had in mind or would say did not stop them <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">from</span> creating all kinds of false negative and uninformed narratives &ndash; basically conjecturing on their own baseless speculations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Would Trump give Putin a pass on election meddling?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Would he end sanctions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Would he withdraw from NATO&rsquo;s military exercises on the Russian border?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Would he agree to sell Alaska back to Russia for a small profit &ndash; with a codicil for the development of Trump golf courses?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Unfortunately for Trump and the Republicans, the President appears to have given both Putin and Trump critics their fondest dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>That is covered in more detail in &ldquo;From Russia with Love<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ; </span>Part 2 &ndash; The President.&rdquo;</span></p>