Donald Trump's quest to defeat ISIS has come full circle with the news that his latest strategy has been delayed so that he can get more credit for it.
The mainstream media has become so used to Trump's lies and incompetence that even his most monumental demonstrations of both barely even register anymore.
For example, when was the last time you heard about Trump's secret plan to defeat ISIS, the one he's been promising he already had for years now? In 2015, he told radio host Simon Conway that his idea was “foolproof” but that he couldn't tell anyone because then he wouldn't get the credit:
“I know a way that would absolutely give us guaranteed victory. I'm going to say it, I guess I'll be forced to say it at some time, but I hate to say it. Because as soon as you say it, they're going to be — it's an idea that, in my opinion, is foolproof. And I'm not talking about dropping bombs, I'm not talking about dropping the big nuke, I'm talking about something that would be unbelievable as an idea. The problem is, then everybody is going to take the idea, run with it, and then number one, people forget where it came from.”
Trump continued to promise he already had a plan to instantly defeat ISIS, and in September, Kellyanne Conway even swore she had heard the secret plan:
“He certainly has a plan, I've heard it.”
For some reason, though, these lies barely resonated when, in January, Trump made it obvious that he never had a plan by signing an executive order commanding his military advisers to come up with a plan while telling TV cameras that it was an actual plan:
“This is the plan to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. In other words, ISIS. I think it's going to be very successful.”
Six months later, we're still waiting for the rollout of the plan Trump never had to begin with. According to new reporting, the delay is over White House concerns that the current strategy is pretty much Obama's strategy and that Trump would like it to be more Trump-y:
That's presented a dilemma for those working on the Trump anti-ISIS strategy and slowed its public unveiling, U.S. officials tell The Daily Beast. The White House has asked defense officials to come up with new ideas to help brand the Trump campaign as different from its predecessor, according to two U.S. officials and one senior administration official. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive debates.
The senior administration official described Trump’s plan as “relying even more” on special operations working together with local partner forces. “But that’s nuanced, like most of the suggested changes” and doesn't easily translate to a talking point, he said.
It's too bad ISIS doesn't run a cable news network. Otherwise, Trump would know just what to do.
This is a commentary piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.