[margalabargala]

> We have to take the Presidents Statements are credible, firstly, because it's the closest thing to the truth anyone has. He has no real strategy, he makes things up on the spot.

I'm sorry, this is nonsense. "He makes things up, therefore we have to take the things he says as credible"?

The President is not an oracle of truth, nor are his words the most accurate representation we have on the intentions of US government actions.

Let's say he had said directly, "The January 3rd operation in Venezuela was a best-effort attempt by the US to take control over Venezuela".

Now let's say he had instead said "The January 3rd operation in Venezuela was a best-effort attempt by the US to take control over Madagascar".

You would genuinely, truly believe that in that moment, the capture of Maduro from Venezuela was the most effective thing the US government could do to take control of Madagascar?

[bluegatty]

No, the position that POTUS statements can't be taken as valid are actually 'nonsense' - it's just the opposite.

The presidents statements are the legitimate statements of the State of the United States of America, it has nothing to do with what you or I think about 'Madagascar'.

He is POTUS, his words are nominally and pragmatically state policy.

If he makes a declaration of 'use of force' against another it should be taken at face value.

This would be true if were only a nominal figurehead, leaving policy to others, but he's not, he has material power and wields it.

Given the construction of the balance of power - 'He is America' at least for the time being.

[margalabargala]

You seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding about how the Presidency of the US works.

The statements POTUS makes to the public are simply statements by a person and should be taken as such.

The instructions the POTUS gives, privately or publicly, to the various apparatuses of the US government, are what is nominally and pragmatically state policy. When these contradict public statements POTUS has made, it is these instructions that are what actually matter.

[bluegatty]

You seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of power and geopolitics.

First this: "The statements POTUS makes to the public are simply statements by a person and should be taken as such." <-- this is definitely not true, even with a basic deference to the more traditional, formal view of the US president's role, or the role of any Head of State for that matter.

The US Presidents proclamations are policy, and always have been. Obviously - a statement at the 'correpondents dinner' is not the same thing as a quick media response, is not the same thing as a statement from behind the podium, is not the same thing as a prepared address or document - but anything above board is representative of the State.

Particularly given the current POTUS leverage over Congress and wide Judicial deference to his power.

Obviously, POTUS is going to have private discussions and give directions that are not consistent with public statements - that adds to the ambiguous nature of his statements, but his public statements are still facto policy and must be taken at face value.

A statement like 'force is on the table' internally may seem like a negotiating tactic or 'populist politics' or 'stuff tough business guys say' or even 'fodder for fox news', but geopolitically it's borderline a declaration of war. It should be taken seriously.

[margalabargala]

Yeah, no.

Sure, what a head of state says should be taken seriously. It has the potential to resemble what the country does.

That's not the same thing as "the most recent thing out of the mouth of the head of state Is The Best Idea We Have Of Current Policy". That's asinine.