This was written soon after Donald Trump returned from a NATO conference where he picked up a new nickname, "Daddy," which apparently pleased him. I won't go into how or why the nickname came about because most of his behavior that week proved he much more deserves a far different nickname: "The Crybaby President."

He's always been a crybaby, of course, one of many reasons he's never behaved presidentially. Instead, this petulant child is a daily embarrassment, whether he's advising West Point graduates not to have trophy wives, telling an audience about the size of Arnold Palmer's penis, delivering a speech at an army base and confusing World War Two with World War One, asking male soccer players if a woman could make their team, comparing himself with Al Capone, or finding an excuse to mention "the late great" (and entirely fictitious) Hannibal Lecter.

He clinched his crybaby status long ago with his denial of the 2020 election, but reached new depths — as did members of his administration — by whining about press coverage of the mission to destroy Iran's nuclear program. Trump even called for the firing of CNN reporter Natasha Bertrand, saying she should be "thrown out like a dog."

Bertrand was only doing her job, and doing it well, and, thank heaven, CNN came to her defense. That she and other reporters quoted sources that suggested the bombing mission did not obliterate Iran's nuclear program was something we needed to know. It may still be too soon to know the extent of the damage, but one thing we know for sure: We cannot accept the word of Donald Trump. Long ago we learned the man is incapable of telling the truth.

The administration's criticism of CNN, MSNBC and the New York Times became particularly embarrassing when Anderson Cooper of CNN showed clips of his network reporting everything they were accused of ignoring.

Trump is incredibly petty, and in the case of the bombing saw an opportunity to at least match the praise given President Barack Obama for the mission that located and killed Osama bin Laden. Trump can't think straight about anything, but Obama is his special nemesis, affecting him like kryptonite affects Superman.

So when reporters were given reports from other, more objective sources about the effectiveness of the bombing, Trump went ballistic. They were raining on yet another one of Trump's parades. The man so badly wants to be praised that he cannot tolerate anything less.

Whether Iran's nuclear program was damaged, not obliterated is an important detail, the importance magnified by Trump's inability to keep his mouth shut. Had he any knowledge of the military tactic he endorsed, he would have known that short of doing the unthinkable — that is, dropping a nuclear bomb — it's nearly impossible to obliterate a target buried deep in a mountain. Trump himself made the odds longer by warning Iran such a mission was a possibility, giving them time to move the uranium essential for the development of a nuclear weapon.

I think it's fair to say a majority of Americans did not approve of the mission, fearing it would get our country involved in the kind of war Trump himself promised he would avoid. You would think Trump and his minions would have avoided the world "obliterated" until he had proof, and let the mission speak for itself, concentrating on the apparent result — a ceasefire. Long may it last.

But Trump, his secretary of defense, Pete "What the hell am I doing?" Hegseth, and his press secretary Karoline "Anyone who questions me is a loser" Leavitt insist on making premature boasts, and doing it in the extreme. They're like folks who post YouTube videos of "The Ten Greatest Moments in History" and don't mention anything that happened before 2010.

For example, there was the press conference where Hegseth verbally attacked reporter Bertrand, then claimed Present Trump had "directed the most complex and secretive military operation in history.”

First off, Trump didn't direct anything. He gave the go-ahead to a plan made by experienced military officers. Second of all, Hegseth's claim was ridiculous. This mission was a hiccup compared with, say, D-Day. Yet Hegseth said it was a straight face, supporting those who say this man is an idiot and unfit for his job.

Karoline Leavitt makes similar assertions every time she opens her mouth, such as claiming Trump coined the phrase "peace through strength." It's a wonder any serious journalist attends her press briefings, although they certainly would benefit comedy writers, especially those employed by "Saturday Night Live."

Going back to Hegseth's claim about the bombing mission ... what I found interesting was something an angry Trump said during his tantrum after Iran and Israel exchanged attacks after Trump prematurely announced a ceasefire.

During this tantrum, Trump claimed Israel "dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I've never seen before. The biggest load that we've seen."

Forget that Trump frequently says "the likes of which" about something, and notice his apparent claim Israel's last-minute attack was even bigger and more surprising than Hegseth's choice as "the most complex and secretive operation in history."

In any event, I believe Trump was angry because those last-minute attacks made him look foolish because he had previously announced a ceasefire. I'm inclined to believe he was not yet authorized to do so by the other parties involved, but, like an overeager child, he couldn't wait because he wanted to be first so he could take credit.

It's unfortunate that we are stuck with Trump and his gang that can't think straight until early 2029. Life would be so much more pleasant if Trump stayed off Truth Social and if there were a 50-word limit to his speeches and remarks in general.

His insults aimed at legitimate news organizations and their reporters have become tiresome. When it comes to fake news, no one generates more of it than Donald Trump. He'd be pleasantly surprised if he began telling the truth. I know the rest of us would. Surprised? Hell, we'd be astonished.