"We can't trust Russia, and we won't ever trust Russia," said United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, speaking on CNN. Seriously, was a statement like that helpful to what President Trump was trying to accomplish in the wake of his summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin? Does it help to say the opposite of what President Trump has said, or annoy the Russians when we are trying to get something out of them, or reveal our true cards to them – tell them what we really think during negotiations?  Does it help to fan the Russians' natural paranoia?  All of those things are likely side effects from Ambassador Haley's rather intemperate statement on the Russians in the wake of the G-20 summit and its Trump-Putin meeting, which, if I had to guess, was probably geared to a domestic, not foreign policy audience. I say this ruefully because there is so much to admire about the former South Carolina governor.  But telling...(Read Full Post)