Vague Democrats in presidential race could learn a thing or two from Nancy Pelosi
President Donald Trump's best-laid plans sometimes turn out to be little more than slogans.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi memorably called his bluff in a meeting between Trump and congressional leaders on the Syria situation.
The House had just voted, 354-60, on a rare and overwhelming bipartisan rebuke of the president's announced withdrawal of U.S. troops. That action opened a door for Turkey to attack Syrian Kurds who have been fighting the Islamic State with American support.
Like earlier meetings between Trump and congressional leaders, this one turned contentious, according to media reports. At one point, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer intervened in an argument between Trump and Pelosi, a California Democrat, to ask the president, "Is your plan to rely on the Syrians and the Turks?"
To which Trump replied, "Our plan is to keep the American people safe."
"That's not a plan," Pelosi said. "That's a goal."
Bingo. Thank you, Madam Speaker. My biggest complaint about Trump since he first entered the 2016 race was his wealth of wishes with no visible path to achieve them.
That trickery, or fakery, began with his slogan, "Make America Great Again." That's an easy goal to achieve if you never reveal what you mean by "great." It's hard to hold people accountable if they avoid being specific about their plans. Now Trump has updated his slogan to "Keep America Great" for his reelection campaign, while I'm still wondering what he meant the first time.
But that's just me. Before Trump defenders warm up their word processors to tell me how great they feel these days, despite the fast-moving impeachment inquiry haunting the president's plans, I hasten to add that being long on goals but short on plans is not limited to any one party.
A striking example showed itself at the Democratic presidential debate in Ohio the night before the White House meeting. Former Vice President Joe Biden was holding on to his lead. But breathing down his neck was Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has made a campaign slogan of "I've got a plan for that."
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