In re-reading Tom Clancy’s book, Executive Orders, I think President Donald Trump may think of himself as the book’s President Jack Ryan. The book was written in 1996 just before Trump once said he started thinking about being President. Ryan was supposed to be just a placeholder Vice-President but almost the entire government was killed minutes before the ceremonial swearing in before a joint session. President Ryan had to fill all the top spots, get a new congress, fight a war, and show he was supposed to be President.

Normally when a new President takes office, all those top posts have to be filled. That’s about 400 positions. Usually the party has a stockpile of people who can fill those posts. When Trump took office he would not take anyone who hadn’t been his supporter during the campaign or wasn’t at least an acquaintance. Most often the people he found were extraordinarily critical of the department they were to run. Ryan picked apolitical experts with considerable experience. Trump picked loyalists that would support him completely whether they were knowledgeable of the department or not.

Both had to start over. Ryan because they were all dead and Trump because of his hatred of Obama and all he did and Bush II because of his stated opposition to Trump. Neither had ever held office and had no political experience. Ryan had an experienced Chief of Staff; Trump is too unstable to be guided by any of his Chiefs of Staff.

Yes, I think Donald Trump thinks he is the real world Jack Ryan facing down Iran. He may not know what Clancy wrote wasn’t factual and he can’t do what fictional Ryan did. Fictional Ryan was later elected to a full term with a huge majority, Trump got a minority of the vote and will get even less in 2020 if he chooses to run again.