World War Four

Today the keening in the prestige press is more high-pitched after the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Mattis is pope of the church of the deep state. He stands for a unipolar world of U.S. global hegemony where wars are perpetual, no regional powers let alone peer competitors are allowed and the military spectrum is dominated fully.

On the bright side, Mattis' resignation is proof that Trump's pullout from Syria and his draw-down order in Afghanistan is legit; it has congressional power brokers on opposite sides of the aisle -- Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Marco Rubio, Nancy Pelosi -- singing from the same songbook.

If there was ever a moment when the nature of the U.S. warfare state is on display it is now. Mattis framed his resignation as a decision taken because Trump was insufficiently committed to World War Four with Russia and China. The lunacy of the deep state is that it is deeply committed to World War Four. Despite all the brainwashing, all the various Integrity Initiatives, what fraction of the electorate would vote for World War Four?

Another bright spot, the voters who voted for Trump -- and I believe that a significant percentage of Trump voters voted to blow the whole motherfucking show to kingdom come -- are finally getting the candidate they wanted. In a few hours the senate will reject the house funding bill which included billions for Trump's border wall. Parts of the government will shut down at midnight.

But the shutdown won't last long, not as long as, for instance, the October 2013 GOP shutdown over Obamacare. That one lasted 16 days; this one, worst-case scenario, will run just shy of two weeks, and take place during the quietest stretch of the calendar, the weekend before Christmas to the second business day following New Year's.

All in all Trump is delivering slabs of deep red meat to his base. He's obviously feeling vulnerable. But, to his credit, he's going straight at his opposition. If the deep state is going to make a move, now would be the time.