Speak softly and carry a big stick. - Theodore Roosevelt
Yesterday, our president threatened to invade Mexico, put Iran "on notice," and hung up the telephone on the PM of Australia.
Iran asked for it, but Mexico? Australia? Will we stumble into a war because somebody tweets something he doesn't like?
I have been listening to and reading talks by Steve Bannon. It is striking how often the man uses the word "arrogant." This reminds me of the Talmudic adage כל הפוסל במומו פוסל, "all who disparage others, disparage themselves." He seems to think a great deal about arrogance and should anybody express an opinion different than his own, they will be labeled with the first epithet that comes to mind: arrogant. It doesn't take a great deal of insight to suggest that humility isn't Mr. Brannon's greatest strength and that he knows it.
Rowland Manthorpe suggests that confidence in its original sense, is a good thing. It derives from the Latin "with faith." Presumably that implies some sort of transcendent faith. But in the modern sense of the word is different: suggesting faith in oneself. That's dangerous. We might be wrong every once in a while. Sometimes we should count to ten before tweeting.
"Confidential" means to entrust somebody with secret information. People aren't keeping Mr. Trump's threats confidential. Who leaked the conversations he had with the Mexican and Australian leadership? Either the Mexicans or Australians themselves or somebody within the American administration shared these private conversations. Mr. Trump isn't inspiring "confidence."
Mr. Trump says that he is a religious man. I would refer him to Isaiah 30:15 "For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not."
http://time.com/4657474/donald-trump-enrique-pena-nieto-mexico-bad-hombres/