Kim Jong Un is sane and understandable, even though he's also a terrible despot.

I found this New York Times letter to the editor, from Michael Mindlin of Long Beach, CA, especially compelling and full of good sense.  He writes:

"Let's get this out of the way.  Kim Jong Un is a terrible despot who starves and murders the North Korean people to further his militaristic goals.   But let's be clear:  He is not crazy or beyond understanding.  And using this falsehood to justify our actions is dangerous.

"In fact, the only thing more dangerous is the ignorance and hubris exhibited by President Trump.  Mr. Kim's actions are sane and absolutely predictable.  He has learned that to survive as an enemy of the United States he must possess a nuclear bomb.   He has one now, and nothing will force him to commit suicide by giving it up or by engaging the full power of an American attack.

"There is no good outcome that comes from false threats and name-calling -- only miscalculation.  Nor is there any military outcome that doesn't result in horrific deaths and possible nuclear fallout on the West Coast.   What is needed now is sober, adult conduct with the wisdom that comes from reading a history book and approaching the job of president as if there were millions of lives on the line."

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That's the letter.  But read the next blog -- "Trump undermines his own Secretary of State" -- and think about Mr. Mindlin's observation that "the only thing more dangerous is the ignorance and hubris exhibited by President Trump."