V23, N2 Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017 Rokita announces with Delph support Braun, Rokita join Senate race, Delph out, and Messer announces Saturday By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – The Republican U.S. Sen- ate race took definition Wednesday morning with U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita’s entry that came with a full-throated endorsement of State Sen. Mike Delph, who consid- ered a candidacy himself. Rokita’s official entry will be bookended by the emergence of State Rep. Mike Braun into the race on Tuesday, and U.S. Rep. Luke Messer’s official kickoff at his annual barbecue in Mor- ristown on Saturday. Unless Attorney General Curtis Hill decides to get in, and his office did not return an inquiry on that from Howey Politics Indiana, the field and make his case to voters on Saturday. looks to be set at six with Terry Henderson of Atlanta, The presumption is that Messer and Rokita will Mark Hurt of Kokomo and Andrew Takami of New Albany be the brawling frontrunners, but Braun believes many already declared. Messer announced his candidacy on Facebook last week, and is expected to tout his resume Continued on page 3 Coming fire and fury By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – On Aug. 6, 1945, President Harry S Truman, a mostly unknown political figure, commander in chief for just less than five months, and widely seen as a novice, made a stunning announcement: “Sixteen hours ago an “I’m honored that people believe American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an im- in my ability to help our nation portant Japanese Army base. succeed in the same way Indiana That bomb had more power than 20,000 tons of TNT. We has prospered, but after much are now prepared to obliterate more rapidly and completely consideration, I have decided not every productive enterprise the to seek a seat in Congress. ” Japanese have above ground in any city. We shall destroy - State Sen. Brandt Hershman their docks, their factories, and their communications. Let there Page 2 be no mistake; we shall completely to understand diplomatic language … destroy Japan’s power to make war.” I think it was important that he deliver On Tuesday, President Trump, that message to avoid any miscalcu- widely seen as a novice on all things lation on their part,” Tillerson said, military and diplomatic, reacted to a apparently standing by Trump’s threat. report that North Korea had attained “I think what the president was just a miniaturized nuclear warhead with reaffirming is that the United States arms folded and clenched to his torso, has the capability to fully defend itself saying, “North Korea best not make from any attack, and our allies, and any more threats to the United States. we will do so. So the American people Howey Politics Indiana They will be met with fire and fury like should sleep well at night.” WWHowey Media, LLC 405 the world has never seen.” Defense Sec. Jim Mattis add- Massachusetts Ave., Suite It was a chilling moment, ed, “It must be noted that the com- 300 Indianapolis, IN 46204 underscoring comments U.S. Sens. bined allied militaries now possess the Joe Donnelly and Todd Young made to most precise, rehearsed and robust www.howeypolitics.com HPI earlier this summer that Ameri- defense capabilities on Earth. The cans need to wrap their heads around DPRK regime’s actions will continue to Brian A. Howey, Publisher the notion that we may be grossly overmatched by Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington be at war – nuclear war ours and would lose any arms Jack E. Howey, Editor – in a matter of months. race or conflict it initiates.” Perhaps it’s just weeks or The Wall Street Mary Lou Howey, Editor days now. Journal editorialized today: Mark Curry, photography Trump and Kim “Diplomacy works best when Jong Un are now locked there is a credible stick to go Subscriptions in a duel of belicosity, with the carrots. The Trump neither providing the Administration has the right HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 other much space to idea, even if the President’s HPI Weekly, $350 back down and save face. Kim re- words lack the usual diplomatic poli- Ray Volpe, Account Manager sponded to Trump with a threat to tesse.” 317.602.3620 bomb Guam. And it had TV producers We learned in 2016 when email: [email protected] seeking B-roll of MSNBC’s Joe Scarbor- Trump’s temperament issues were ough recounting a Trump conversation raised that there is no check and bal- with foreign policy experts: “Three ance if a President orders a nuclear Contact HPI times [Trump] asked about the use strike. [email protected] of nuclear weapons. Three times he The BBC reported: “That asked at one point if we had them, military aide will be carrying a satchel Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 why can’t we use them?” over his or her shoulder containing a Washington: 202.256.5822 The real chilling aspect briefcase known as ‘the nuclear foot- Business Office: 317.602.3620 came from former National Security ball’. Inside will be a piece of digital Agency Director Michael Hayden when hardware measuring 3 inch by 5 inch, © 2017, Howey Politics Scarborough then asked a hypo- known as ‘the biscuit’. This contains thetical question: How quickly could the launch codes for a strategic nucle- Indiana. All rights reserved. nuclear weapons be deployed if a ar strike. The briefing for the incoming Photocopying, Internet forward- president were to give approval? “It’s president on how to activate them will ing, faxing or reproducing in scenario dependent, but the system is have already taken place out of public any form, whole or part, is a designed for speed and decisiveness. sight, but the moment President-elect violation of federal law without It’s not designed to debate the deci- Donald Trump takes the oath of office sion,” Hayden said. that aide, and the satchel, will move permission from the publisher. Quick, get Dennis “the Worm” quietly over to his side. Donald Trump Rodman on the phone. will then have sole authority to order Secretary of State Rex Til- an action that could result in the lerson, himself a novice in diplomacy, deaths of millions of people in under tried to reassure a jittery world. an hour. The question on a lot of “What the president is doing is send- people’s minds right now is, given his ing a strong message to North Korea thin skin and impulsive temperament, in language that Kim Jong Un would what are the safeguards, if any, to understand, because he doesn’t seem prevent an impetuous decision by one Page 3 man with catastrophic consequences?” pay any attention to word choice.” Mark Fitzpatrick, a nuclear non- The New York Times quoted White House proliferation expert at the International insiders: “[Trump’s] ominous warning to Institute for Strategic Studies in Washing- Pyongyang was entirely improvised, accord- ton, told the BBC that ultimately, the sole ing to several people with direct knowledge of authority to launch a strike rests with the what unfolded. In discussions with advisers be- president. “There are no checks and bal- forehand, he had not run the specific language ances on the president’s authority to launch by them. Among those taken by surprise, they a nuclear strike. But between the time he said, was John F. Kelly, the retired four-star authorizes one and the time it’s carried out, Marine general who has just taken over as there are other people involved,” Fitzpatrick White House chief of staff and has been with said. the president at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., for his That would include Sec. Mattis. Fitzpatrick notes, working vacation. “The idea of a rogue president taking such a monumental “But the president’s ad-libbed threat decision on his own is unrealistic. He gives the order and reflected an evolving and still unsettled approach to one of the secretary of defense is constitutionally obliged to carry the most dangerous hot spots in the world as Mr. Trump it out. The secretary of defense could, in theory, refuse to and his team debate diplomatic, economic and military op- obey the order if he had reason to doubt the president’s tions. The president’s aides are divided on North Korea, as sanity, but this would constitute mutiny and the president on other issues, with national security veterans like Mattis can then fire him and assign the task to the deputy secre- and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the national security adviser, tary of defense.” on one side and Stephen K. Bannon, the president’s chief Whew. strategist, and his allies on the other.” The questions quickly percolated up Tuesday. White House adviser Sebastian Gorka said the Was Trump speaking off the cuff, or were his words vet- situation was “analogous to the Cuban missile crisis” and ted? Was he simply ratcheting up the pressure on Chinese trumpeted the supremacy of the American “hyperpower.” President Xi? Or, as he’s done in office and on the cam- So, the strong message has been sent, but with paign, was he winging it? very little wiggle room. Kim lobs another missile, and Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear nonproliferation expert does Trump then order a preemptive strike? Does he do it who tweets as ArmsControlWonk, told Washington Post before non-essential U.S. military personnel are evacuated columnist David Ignatius, “Tillerson has drawn the line from South Korea, Japan and Guam? If that does occur, in a more traditional and reasonable place. The question what kind of panic ensues in Seoul and Tokyo.