Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. His forthcoming book is “The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam.”
WASHINGTON - JULY 4: Fireworks explode in the sky above the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol, as a U.S. flag is seen in the foreground, while the nation celebrates its 229th birthday July 4, 2005 in Washington, DC. Hundreds of thousands of people took part to celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in the nation's capital which concluded with the largest fireworks display in the area. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: U.S. President Donald Trump looks on after speaking about trade in the Oval Office of the White House March 31, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Trump signed two executive orders that aim to boost U.S. manufacturing by addressing foreign trade. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the American Airlines Center on September 14, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. More than 20,000 tickets have been distributed for the event. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 08: Former FBI Director James Comey immitates a gesture he said he saw President Donald Trump make during one of their conversations while he testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill June 8, 2017 in Washington, DC. Comey said that President Donald Trump pressured him to drop the FBI's investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and demanded Comey's loyalty during the one-on-one meetings he had with president. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MAY 25: US President, Donald Trump and British Prime Minister, Theresa May are pictured ahead of a photo opportunity of leaders as they arriving for a NATO summit meeting on May 25, 2017 in Brussels, Belgium. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is made up of 28 countries. This year's summit is held at their new headquarters in Brussels. The US President Donald Trump will meet other leaders to discuss NATO taking a greater role in the fight against ISIS. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
BOZEMAN, MT - MAY 25: Republican Greg Gianforte scelebrates with supporters after being declared the winner at a election night party for Montana's special House election against Democrat Rob Quist at the Hilton Garden Inn on May 25, 2017 in Bozeman, Montana. Gianforte won one day after being charged for assuulting a reporter. The House seat was left open when Montana House Representative Ryan Zinke was appointed Secretary of Interior by President Trump. (Photo by Janie Osborne/Getty Images)
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - JANUARY 17: Fox Network logo is displayed during the 2005 Television Critics Winter Press Tour at the Hilton Universal Hotel on January 17, 2005 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Fox
US President Donald Trump is seated for a a lunch with Republican Party House and Senate leadership, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (L) and House Speaker Paul Ryan, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on March 1, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Mandel Ngan (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 7: U.S. President Donald J. Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House on May 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Trump is returning from a weekend trip to the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 24: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives on stage to speak during a campaign rally at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on October 24, 2016 in Tampa, Florida. There are 14 days until the the presidential election. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
LAREDO, TEXAS - JULY 23: Republican Presidential candidate and business mogul Donald Trump talks to media from his car wearing a, "Make America Great Again," hat during his trip to the border on July 23, 2015 in Laredo, Texas. Trump's recent comments, calling some immigrants from Mexico as drug traffickers and rapists, have stirred up reactions on both sides of the aisle. Although fellow Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has denounced Trump's comments and his campaign in general, U.S. Senator from Texas Ted-Cruz has so far refused to bash his fellow Republican nominee. (Photo by Matthew Busch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 17: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) walks along the West Wing colonnade with his daughter Ivanka Trump (L) and his son-in-law and Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Planning Jared Kushner before he departs the White House March 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. The first family is scheduled to spend the weekend at their Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - Smoke billows following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, on April 8, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Mohamad ABAZEED (Photo credit should read MOHAMAD ABAZEED/AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: President Donald Trump speaks on the phone with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in the Oval Office of the White House, January 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. On Saturday, President Trump is making several phone calls with world leaders from Japan, Germany, Russia, France and Australia. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
