PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

• A trip with more swagger than strategy.
• This will be a day that leaves an indelible mark on the presidency.
• Openly colluding with a leader of a hostile power

These are just three comments from analysts writing about President Donald Trump traipse through Europe where he pilloried allies and made nice with Vladimir Putin.

Well, to answer the question in the headline, my only response is that I’ll feel better if I had just a few wthoughts.

At least I’ll have the solace of commenting on what many observers couldn’t believe – “the” American leader kowtowing to a Russian leader on a world stage. My notions won’t inform the debate over President Donald Trump’s incredible conduct; they will just illustrate, at least to me, why Americans need to identify an alternative to Trump at the next election – if we can survive that long.

What Trump should have done in Europe and Russia is what he could not bring himself to do, which is to act in a mature fashion, perhaps, if he wanted to do so, to build personal bridges to the Russian leader, but, at the same time, holding him accountable for his formidable actions against the U.S., including clear proof that Russia interfered in the last presidential election.

One of the questions, I suppose, is why Trump would want to meet with Putin in the first place when he, Trump, didn’t have a strategic reason for doing so. Of course, strategy is not Trump’s long suit, if he has a strategy at all.

Without any first-hand knowledge of the give-and-take in Europe – if that’s what it was, “give-and-take” – I turn to quote more practiced hands.

From Dan Balz, chief correspondent for the Washington Post: “Monday’s news conference was the capstone to an international trip in which, at every opportunity, the president undercut U.S. allies in Europe while playing nice with Putin. He did this through repeated derogatory tweets, backroom hectoring of European leaders (especially German Chancellor Angela Merkel), interviews with the British media (in which he attacked British Prime Minister Theresa May) and the U.S. press, and in public settings with other world heads of government.

“Together, they added up to a moment that will leave a mark on Trump’s presidency. That’s not to say it will fundamentally change the course of his presidency, given the fluidity of events, the reality that attention spans are short and the probability of more shocks from various directions that will put the focus elsewhere. Nothing much changes minds about the president, and this trip and Monday’s news conference might not, either.”

From Dana Milbank in the Washington Post, a columnist I often hesitate to quote because he makes a living off rebuking of Trump, but his comments, this time, make sense to me: “My fellow Americans, we are a deeply stupid nation.

“I know this must be the case because President Trump has repeatedly informed us that we are a “stupid country”— he offered this opinion on at least nine occasions since he launched his campaign for the presidency — and he should know. As he reminded us after his NATO meeting last week, he is a ‘a very stable genius.’

“It is furthermore the president’s highly intelligent opinion we have been led by ‘stupid people’ and ‘our laws are so corrupt and stupid.’ We have been stupid about trade. We have been stupid in dealing with Iraq, Iran, China, Mexico, Canada, Europe and Muslims. We have the “dumbest” immigration laws. Among the many stupid things Trump has identified: White House staffers, the FBI, the National Football League, Democrats, the filibuster and journalists.”

From Washington Post editorial writers: “In Helsinki, Trump again insisted ‘there was no collusion’ with Russia. Yet, in refusing to acknowledge the plain facts about Russia’s behavior, while trashing his own country’s justice system, Trump in fact was openly colluding with the criminal leader of a hostile power.”

From David Ignatius in the Washington Post: “Jonathan Lemire of the Associated Press was the reporter who asked Trump bluntly: ‘Who do you believe’ about Russian election interference — Putin or U.S. intelligence? Trump initially spun some conspiratorial nonsense about missing Democratic computer servers and Hillary Clinton emails. And then this unforgettable statement:

“My people came to me, Dan Coats [Director of National Intelligence] came to me and some others, they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be. . . . I have confidence in both parties.”

“’It was unbelievable,’ said a stunned Will Hurd, a Republican congressman from Texas and former CIA officer. ‘I would never have thought I’d see an American president being played by a foreign adversary in that way.’

“Donald Trump left for Europe a week ago with his reputation enhanced by a strong Supreme Court nomination. He returned Monday with that reputation diminished after a tumultuous week of indulging what amounts to the Trump First Doctrine.

“Trump marched through Europe with more swagger than strategy. His diplomacy is personal, rooted in instinct and impulse, and he treats other leaders above all on how much they praise Donald J. Trump. He says what pops into his head to shock but then disavows it if there’s a backlash. He criticizes institutions and policies to grab headlines but then claims victory no matter the outcome.”

From Wall Street Journal editorial writers: “The world hasn’t seen a U.S. President like this in modern times, and as ever in Trump World, everyone else will have to adapt.”

And, finally, I wonder what happened to America First if that is really a hallmark of Trump’s presidency. It was not display this week in Europe.