Ah’bal in Arabic means, “idiot.” There is no place for anyone in the Trump administration to be one.
One of the most distinct features of Trump 2.0 is the quality of his cabinet and other picks. Donald Trump surrounded himself with a far better class of characters than he did in his first go as president. He has included people who ran against him for president and even those who personally insulted him. Trump wants the job done right, and he is quick to forgive and forget. The only ones he did not bring back were those who shafted him the first time around. Fool me once, shame on you….
There was a very interesting exchange between President Trump and a member of the press recently. The president seems to be speaking with the press daily. Those who are veterans of the Biden administration probably do not remember very many words as they never had an opportunity to ask questions of the president or his ventriloquist. Somebody asked Trump if he would undertake a certain action with regard to the military. His response was unique. “I wouldn’t tell Pete [Hegseth] what to do, but I like the idea.” This was both routine yet revolutionary at the same time. Donald Trump made it clear that he gave Pete Hegseth and all of his other cabinet secretaries the freedom to do their jobs. Sure, he is the boss, but Donald Trump understands that being a good boss means choosing the right people and then letting them run their own shows. He is not a micromanager. Sure, he won’t stand on the sidelines if one of them is royally screwing up. But short of that, they have his full confidence that they can do the job. Giving them this approval pushes them to do their jobs right.
I remember years ago watching a series of videos on Navy sailors going through the BUD/S course to become SEALs. Towards the end of the grueling program, two guys were found to have contraband in their lockers. The officer in charge ordered them to do push-ups as punishment. As soon as they started, the officer walked away. The two guys were shocked: “He trusts us to do the full number of push-ups. He believes in us.” They couldn’t believe it. This is the way of Trump. He may want something done with the military, but from the second that Pete Hegseth was sworn in as secretary of Defense, it became his baby and the boss will not interfere.
It has come out of late that the U.S. has been negotiating directly with Hamas. This state of affairs does not bother me. I was miffed that Joe Biden did not lift his finger to directly avenge the dozens of Americans murdered by Hamas on October 7th. Even just one strafing pass of F-18’s from the Eisenhower or a bombing run from a B-52 would have meant that American blood was not free. That Donald Trump wants to get out the American captives is okay by me; I wish that our government had stood by us and not shafted us when we sued the Palestinian Authority (PA) and PLO in federal court in New York. So, the concept of negotiating with Hamas to free American citizens is, in my opinion, a good idea.
With the above said, the specific negotiator does not have to be an idiot. I had never heard of Adam Boehler, but apparently he is the fellow that Steve Witkoff sent to speak with Hamas. During an interview with Jake Tapper, Boehler said that the Hamas guys do not have horns and were even “guys like us, pretty nice guys.” He said that they were “human” and that he needed to build on that “human” aspect. Okay, you’ve lost this American terror victim. I am certain that Dr. Mengele was a brilliant conversationalist and Herman Goering could give you a course on art history. And no doubt that Josef Goebels was charming, and Adolf Hilter himself would be a “nice guy” over a cup of hot tea at his Eagle’s Nest. If Mr. Boehler cannot keep front and center at all times that the people he is meeting are steeped in American blood, that they authorized, condoned and celebrated American citizens being raped, murdered, and taken into captivity, then I suggest that he go into selling used cars. The people he met are not “pretty nice guys” but deranged killers who would authorize the murder of Boehler’s family, given the opportunity. If Boehler cannot remember with whom he is dealing, then I strongly suggest that President Trump or Secretary Rubio get him out of his negotiating gig and have him paint the State Department instead.
One can negotiate with his enemies but he needs to remember who that enemy is. MacArthur did not shake hands or otherwise recognize the Japanese who came aboard the USS Missouri to sign the instruments of peace. There are many people who put up pictures of October 7th victims or pictures from the pogrom and then write something to the effect, remember why Israel is fighting or don’t forget what Hamas did. Boehler does not have the mandate to put aside the murderous aspect of his Hamas interlocutors and see them as “pretty nice guys.” No, they are demonic murderers, whether they are in the shower, playing tennis or sitting across from our clueless American rep. He does not need to shake their hands, make small talk or even negotiate. If the U.S. can waste fuel to send a B-52 bomber with an Israeli fighter escort to do circles off of the Israeli coast (as they did last week), then they can dictate terms. “Give us our live hostage and the four dead bodies. If you don’t, then we will blow up your fuel storage units. I’m out of here.”
That I need my car tuned does not mean that I will turn it over to any “ah’bal” to fix it. The negotiations with Hamas have long-term implications for American families and Israel’s future. They should not be entrusted with someone who is impressed by a murderer who wears an Armani suit. Give Adam Boehler the boot. He doesn’t have a clue with whom he is dealing. If he thinks that the murderers of American citizens are pretty nice guys, then he should be the first Trump appointee to join Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley for tea far away from Washington.
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