He’s running.

Governor John Kasich (R-OH) continues his policy of spending more time worrying about President Donald Trump than the citizens of his own state. I’m not sure how much of this comes down to Trump living rent-free in his head and how much has to do with his aspirations for another presidential bid, but the guy just can’t seem to put a regulator on his mouth these days. In the latest episode, Kasich decided to weigh in on Trump’s trip to France for Armistice Day and the thinly veiled shots that French President Emmanuel Macron was taking at Trump. It will likely come as no surprise that Kasich decided to take Macron’s side. (Washington Times)

French President Emmanuel Macron’s thinly-veiled shots at President Trump over the weekend won at least one hearty American “oui” — from Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Mr. Kasich, a frequent critic of Mr. Trump, took to Twitter to second Mr. Macron’s attack on “nationalism” at a speech Sunday marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

“@EmmanuelMacron is right,” Mr. Kasich tweeted, going on to quote what the French leader said in front of Mr. Trump, who has taken much criticism as racist for calling himself a “nationalist.”

Here’s the Ohio Governor’s poorly conceived tweet on the subject.

.@EmmanuelMacron is right: “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism..By saying our interests first, who cares about the others, we erase what a nation holds dearest…its moral values."

America was founded as the shining city on the hill. United, we can keep it that way

— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) November 11, 2018

Great idea, Governor Kasich. That should improve your chances in 2020. Then again, Emmanuel Macron doesn’t actually get to vote in the United States (yet) so perhaps not. But it will win you even more fans among Democrats (who also don’t tend to vote in the GOP primary).

Not for nothing, but I’m old enough to remember there being an unofficial rule in foreign policy which said that politics stops at the shoreline. If there’s a dispute between the American president and some other foreign leader, nobody says you have to be a cheerleader for POTUS if you disagree with him. But you could at least keep your opinion to yourself rather than taking the side of a foreign government.

As to the substance of the attack, I need to make a point one of these days to compose a more lengthy piece about all the garbage we keep hearing about “nationalism” being equal to racism, sexism, homophobia or being Hitler. (All of which have either been stated or clearly implied by liberals in recent years.) Kasich attempts the same disingenuous ploy that others have worn thin before him, saying that putting your own country’s best interests first somehow equates to, “who cares about others.”

This, of course, is nonsense. Of course we should put the interests, security, and survival of our own country at the top of our priority list. That doesn’t mean we don’t also act and invest in the interests of our allies who share similar visions for a better world. And you can try to make nationalist a dirty word all you like, but I’ll stick with one of the oldest and most accepted definitions of the word. “Loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially a sense of national consciousness.”

When loyalty and devotion to your nation become evil characteristics in your book, you’ve raised more questions about yourself than anyone else. Maybe John Kasich should consider moving to France when his term ends and seeking citizenship there. Even if they were willing to take him he might not like French society all that much after soaking in it for a while.