Anyone surprised that I used the Insult Comedian’s first name in the post title? Me too. It speaks to the power of alliteration. I couldn’t, however, fit dictator in the title so I used a picture of the troika of tyrants as the featured image. That’s my new nickname for Russia’s Putin, China’s Xi, and North Korea’s Kim. The three dictators are seen attending a Chinese military parade, which explains why Xi is wearing a Mao outfit instead of his usual bespoke suit. The people have bespoken or some such shit.

Let’s move on to Donald’s Dastardly Diesel Deal. He first explained it as a way to lower prices for beleaguered American farmers and truckers. This explanation was ridiculed by oil industry experts because the amount of diesel involved is insignificant compared to the demand. The amount of money Russia stands to make *is* significant.

Thanks for the cosmic moment, Carl.

Trump’s latest explanation is that he violated the recently passed Lindsey Graham Act imposing additional sanctions on Russia to benefit the world as a whole. This fails the laugh and smell tests alike. Slate’s Fred Kaplan described it as spitting on Graham’s tombstone. One could even call it a:

The real beneficiary of this deal is Trump’s pal, Vladimir Putin. He can use the windfall on his war with Ukraine or in support of his Iranian allies in their war against the United States. The Kaiser of Chaos is so besotted with the Russian dictator that he’s giving aid and comfort to a country giving aid and comfort to our ostensible enemy. This is double dealing at its most dastardly and dimwitted.

Shifting explanations are Donald’s jam. This update undermines any positive political impact of the deal. It’s another example of the wannabe king’s weakness: He changed his story after facing withering criticism from some Republicans. So much for being a tough guy. If the Insult Comedian is a tough guy, I’m Bogie and he died before I was born. As far as I know transmigration was NOT involved even though I wear a fedora on cold days and occasionally say this:

While I’m channeling Bogie, Trump 2.0 is the OPPOSITE of this line from The Maltese Falcon:

Trump 2.0 is the stuff that nightmares are made of.

The most plausible explanation for this dastardly deal is Trump’s dictator love. He loves bossing people around and digs the pageantry associated with despotic regimes. He’s running against Communists at home while embracing them abroad. Putin is the only one of the troika of tyrants who doesn’t call himself a commie but he’s a former KGB officer and Warsaw Pact nostalgist. Trump’s NATO hatred plays into Putin’s hands. The malakatude, it burns.

Why Trump is choosing to revive what he derides as the “Russia, Russia, Russia hoax” during the run-up to the midterms is beyond me. Is there’s a secret pro-Putin vote that I’m unaware of?

The two countries were destined to be adversaries or enemies because of Russia’s commitment to tyranny and America’s to democracy. Trump hates democracy and loves tyrants, which makes him our first anti-American president. All the flag hugging in the world can’t change that:

The Insult Comedian has never understood something most Americans get: When a president speaks, it’s policy. That’s why past presidents, even the shitty ones, were careful with their words. Donald never shuts up and thinks his endless blather and bullshit is as empty as his head. The troika of tyrants begs to differ. America’s wannabe tyrant has joined Team Putin in its assault on Ukraine and human decency.

The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum nails the importance of this moment:

In the past 72 hours, Donald Trump has dropped all pretense, torched a couple decades of American policy, and undermined 18 months of his own diplomacy. He lifted sanctions on the import of Russian diesel fuel, in violation of the letter and spirit of laws that he himself signed. He has threatened to stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine, unless Ukraine agrees not to target Russian refineries, thus demanding that Kyiv give up its most effective weapon while asking nothing from Russia in exchange. He has not criticized Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plants or factories, even those owned by American companies. He has offered no condolences for the recent deaths of Ukrainian children in Russian bombing raids.”

Vladimir Putin rarely smiles but he’s smiling now. He snapped his fingers and POTUS did his bidding. Putin is too subtle to say “welcome to the axis of evil” but he’s surely thinking it as he contemplates his latest triumph over Trump.

You say axis of evil; I say troika of tyrants. Let’s call the whole thing off.

The last word goes to Elmer Bernstein: