This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Contemplating the contingent ramifications of a Donald Trump presidency, I reflected back on a crucial episode in our nation's history. I chose as a template for comparison the Cuban Missile Crisis into which to insert my hypothetical commander in chief. Fraught with danger, this was a time when the world teetered on the brink of nuclear Armageddon. A collective breath was held as tense negotiations narrowly averted disaster.
Then it dawned on me — the more fitting role for my comparison was on the other side. Nikita Khrushchev was a bombastic braggadocio with a penchant for theatrics. His myopic nationalism and notorious unpredictability were dangerously destabilizing and a threat to world peace. Enamored with himself, he put his stilted vision of national glory ahead of humanitarian considerations. His supercilious ego, pompous displays, vituperative attacks and brash style may have mesmerized the masses, but he was far from being the champion they perceived.
Come to think of it, I could see Donald Trump take off his shoe to pound on a table in a blustery fit of pique. Naturally given to spectacle, he fits the bill for entertainer extraordinaire, but he has no business as the leader of the free world.
Kent Jackson Fetzer
Salt Lake City