Dear Editor,

Well, I guess the “bromance” between Trump and Putin is over!

A Trump-Putin collusion was the nutty narrative that the dishonest left continually pushed. With the destruction of a Russian-backed Syrian air base, from where chemical weapons were launched, Trump has announced the U.S. is back in the business of standing up for what is right. This, in stark contrast to Obama, who drew a red line, then did nothing.

But more than that, this administration is what talent looks like. Trump, as he always does, recognizes and surrounds himself with talent. We now have the best and brightest running the country. Rex Tillerson, secretary of state; James Mattis, secretary of defense; and Nikki Haley, UN ambassador are among the stellar picks by Trump for the important business of projecting to the world who we are and what we stand for.

Contrast the Trump administration to the feckless cronyism of Obama’s mediocre picks. In Eric Holder, Susan Rice, Loretta Lynch and John Kerry, Obama had less-than-stellar talent. Even worse, the Obama administration put self-serving, dishonesty ahead of telling the American people the truth. Remember Susan Rice lying about the non-existent “protest gone out of control” in Benghazi to cover their bad judgment.

By contrast, new UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s speech to the United Nations was brilliant. With regard to Assad’s use of chemical weapons, she totally embarrassed Russia, who, under an Obama agreement, was responsible for the dismantling of Syria’s chemical stockpiles. In Haley’s speech, which was extremely well received around the world, she said Russia was either in collusion with Assad or was incompetent in removing the weapons or was being hoodwinked by Assad. Haley hit the nail right on the head, with any of those scenarios putting Russia and Putin in an embarrassing, unjustifiable position. So much for Putin favoring Trump.

From the “Trump bump” in the economy, to wrangling concessions from previously inscrutable China, to actually taking a stand against brutality, Trump represents what American Exceptionalism is all about. And finally, after an eight-year lull, America has the talent in place to lead.

Eben D. Henson 

Danville