The Listening Path, 51st Day of Spring, 526 M.E. (Deneb): One of the Stable Genius' favorite sayings, which he falsely claims to be from Abraham Lincoln, is “A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have.”  

The Stable Genius' problem, however, is that his friendship is little better than his animosity. Even when it is obviously in his own interest to help those who are loyal and useful, to build alliances with other nations, or to earn the trust of the voters, he cannot be relied upon to do so.

As the war in Iran enters its eighth week, the Stable Genius' declarations have grown increasingly deranged, seesawing between declarations of violence and peace, between hellfire and ceasefire, between civilizational destruction and international comity, a manic approach to negotiating that has been euphemistically described in the press as “mixed messages.” It's time to set the euphemisms aside and recognize that the president is not simply feigning madness.

His apologists and sycophants like to say that in his chaotic mind lurks the "Madman Theory” - a term coined by Richard Nixon to describe “a belief that acting crazy is a rational strategy.” However, far from a performance designed to forward American interests, never mind prevent an expensive and unpopular war, the Stable Genius' homicidal hysteria appears to be genuinely psychotic, both to voters and to America’s allies. 

His erratic behavior does not indicate a mere "high capacity for irrationality.” He is actually and wildly irrational. His behavior only makes sense if one assumes his own voters and his potential international allies are also legitimate targets of his the mad threats, if they too are to be terrorized by the specter of the deranged emperor. 

The Stable Genius’ madman act has a logic only if the president really sees both voters and allies as enemies to be intimidated.