Why are so many people confusing tactics and strategy?

I was listening to TV media talking about the Trump Doctrine.  For some reason, they all pretend such a doctrine exists, and that he’s not just making it up as he goes.

Why do we need one?  Well, because he started bombing things.  Trump dropped a mess of Tomahawk bombs on Syria, contradicting everything he’s ever said before, including all his campaign promises.  Today, he’s dropped a really huge bomb (a MOAB, the ‘Mother Of All Bombs’) on ISIS territory in Afghanistan. And he’s threatening to start a war with North Korea.

So much for isolationism and America First.

I wonder what that Trump’s doctrine might be?  (I mean, if such a thing were to exist?)  According to the evening news: “Show strength” (subtitle: “Bomb the shit out of them.”)  According to a talking head: “Use military force around the world to send a signal to the whole world.”  The idea of ‘sending messages’ was remained popular with the bloviating crowd even after Trump specifically said he wasn’t sending messages.

Eh, what does he know?

OK, all these are tactics.  Just a step.  Tactics are things you do to move your strategy forward.  Your strategy is how you try to achieve your doctrine.  Got the hierarchy?  Whether it’s a message a bombing, or act of war, it’s still just a tactic.  Maybe you have a strategy that uses a new war for your own advantage, say, in service of your larger doctrine.

And the newspeople who know that perfectly well were still falling all over themselves to ignore all that noise.  They loved themselves all that military footage of missiles, ships, and warplanes, and showed it on endless loops behind almost everything.  They even blurred all the wars together, conflating Afghanistan, Syria, ISIS, and now, North Korea.  Eh, what’s the difference?

We’re still being terribly served by NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and most of the rest.  There is no Trump Doctrine.  And they know that.  And the Democratic party.  They know perfectly well he’s just making it all up.  Are they planning on sitting on their hands until the midterms?

Finally, the Republican Party.  I haven’t heard much from them.  Did they decide they now have no position on these wars?  Hell, Trump has threatened to start another war in North Korea.  No feelings, one way or the other?  Guys?  Didn’t you try to sell yourselves as guardians of the Constitution?