The Dangerous Precedence Of The Hunt Against Flynn ... And Trump
Kicking Flynn out of his office has hurt Trump. His standing is diminished. The efforts against Flynn, mainly by the "deep state" in the intelligence agencies, were designed to change Trump's declared foreign policy aims. They worked. Yesterday the White House spokesperson said:
President Trump has made it very clear that he expects the Russian government to deescalate violence in the Ukraine and return Crimea.
Today Trump tweeted:
Donald J. Trump Verified account @realDonaldTrump
Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?
4:42 AM - 15 Feb 2017
That is a position Trump had not pre
Several writers along the political spectrum point out that this show of raw power by the "intelligence community" is a great danger.
Damon Linker in The Week:
The whole episode is evidence of the precipitous and ongoing collapse of America's democratic institutions — not a sign of their resiliency. Flynn's ouster was a soft coup (or political assassination) engineered by anonymous intelligence community bureaucrats. The results might be salutary, but this isn't the way a liberal democracy is supposed to function.
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In a liberal democracy, how things happen is often as important as what happens. Procedures matter. So do rules and public accountability. The chaotic, dysfunctional Trump White House is placing the entire system under enormous strain. That's bad. But the answer isn't to counter it with equally irregular acts of sabotage — or with a disinformation campaign waged by nameless civil servants toiling away in the surveillance state.
Robert Perry at Consortium News:
Flynn's real "offense" appears to be that he favors détente with Russia rather than escalation of a new and dangerous Cold War. Trump's idea of a rapprochement with Moscow – and a search for areas of cooperation and compromise – has been driving Official Washington's foreign policy establishment crazy for months and the neocons, in particular, have been determined to block it.
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The neocons and liberal hawks also hated Flynn because – as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency – he oversaw a prescient 2012 analysis that foresaw that their support for the Syrian insurgency would give rise to "a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in eastern Syria."
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Flynn's resignation and its acceptance by Trump also prove that these tactics work and that "tough-guy" Trump is not immune to them.
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The so-called permanent government of Washington and its complicit mainstream media – what some call the Deep State – have taught Trump a lesson and have learned a lesson, too. They now can be expected to redouble their march toward war and more war, ironically with progressives and leftists in tow.
Justin Raimondo at Antiwar:
Flynn was in the crosshairs of the War Party because he's the most prominent of those around Trump who advocated for détente with Russia. Also, his somewhat loopy belief that Islam, per se, is a pernicious political ideology rather than a religion, made him a natural enemy of the pro-Saudi faction within the intelligence community, which had long worked with Riyadh to, among other things, overthrow the government of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad.
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The Flynn resignation is just the beginning. As one Politico writer put it, it won't stop there. They'll move on to new targets, and they won't rest until they've bagged their real target: the President of the United States
Eli Lake for Bloomberg:
[F]or a White House that has such a casual and opportunistic relationship with the truth, it's strange that Flynn's "lie" to Pence would get him fired. It doesn't add up.
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A better explanation here is that Flynn was just thrown under the bus.
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Normally intercepts of U.S. officials and citizens are some of the most tightly held government secrets. This is for good reason. Selectively disclosing details of private conversations monitored by the FBI or NSA gives the permanent state the power to destroy reputations from the cloak of anonymity. This is what police states do.
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In the end, it was Trump's decision to cut Flynn loose. In doing this he caved in to his political and bureaucratic opposition. Nunes told me Monday night that this will not end well. "First it's Flynn, next it will be Kellyanne Conway, then it will be Steve Bannon, then it will be Reince Priebus," he said. Put another way, Flynn is only the appetizer. Trump is the entree.
Trump will now cave in on foreign policy: on Russia, on Syria and everywhere else the borg demands it. He has been put "on notice" and will either do as he is told to do or he will be the prey in an even bigger hunt.
It is alarming that the so-called left part of the U.S. policy is lauding the "deep state" for this open attack on the elected government. They are now justifying the methods that will one day be turned against themselves. Why do they fail to see this?
Posted by b on February 15, 2017 at 02:35 PM | Permalink
In answer to the last paragraph, because they're sore losers. Ever since they held the majority in both the Senate & the House, but didn't exercise that power, we end up with what we see today. As to Trump caving in on everything else, that old saying "you reap what you sow" might hold sway. Of course, we may all be surprised, so don't bet the ranch on the smoke & mirrors act in this KABUKI performance.
Posted by: Eugene | Feb 15, 2017 2:52:13 PM | 1
Returning Crimea to Ukraine as a US position is just a lot of blather. It's a talking point, to be removed later when a whole host of international issues gets addressed between Russia and the US. Trump can turn on a dime, as we have seen. Trump can't make any public unilateral decisions on foreign affairs. It's got to come about via back room deals vis a vis Tillerson and Lavrov. This is going to take time. Case in point - Trump isn't going to issue immediate orders to remove Nato troops from forward positions. Their deployment has a time stamp on it. As soon as this deployment ends, it gets folded back with nobody needing to make a fuss over it. The huge ship of state that is the US needs time to be turned around, but it will come
Posted by: Andy | Feb 15, 2017 2:52:15 PM | 2
If Potus has files showing 9/11 an 'inside job' now would be good time to release them to American people. Entire Deep State would collapse...
Posted by: Stephen | Feb 15, 2017 2:53:20 PM | 3
That is a position Trump had not pre
Totally false:
1. On 2/8/17 Trump's press secretary said precisely the same thing: Trump won't remove "Crimea-related" sanctions "until Russia leaves Crimea... those sanctions are a non-starter": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVXje5HbBv8
2. On 1/15/17 Trump blasted John Brennan on Twitter for not being more hawkish on Russia in regard to both Ukraine & Crimea:https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/820786730257285120https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/820789938887294977
3. On 8/1/16 Trump blasted Obama for not being hawkish enough on Crimea: "So with all of the Obama tough talk on Russia and the Ukraine, they have already taken Crimea and continue to push." https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/760098514319835136?lang=en
4. 1/10/17: Kremlin Says Russia Ready for Talks on Normalizing Ties with US Even Under Sanctions:
Moscow is ready for dialogue with Washington on normalizing bilateral relations even if sanctions are not lifted, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
Peskov answered a question on whether lifting anti-Russian restrictions is a necessary precondition for improving relations between Russia and the United States. The presidential spokesman said that bilateral relations now are "at their lowest point" and there were "completely different ways of normalizing them."
"Certainly, sanctions are an element that very negatively affect bilateral relations, but still even under the backdrop of sanctions, Moscow would, undoubtedly, welcome any prospect for dialogue and it is ready for that," he stressed.
Posted by: Mark | Feb 15, 2017 3:06:31 PM | 5
b, excellent post.
This piece contains some pertinent quotes
Posted by: ALberto | Feb 15, 2017 3:06:40 PM | 6
I believe that what the CIA/FBI/NSA etc., are doing could be labeled 'moderate treason.'
Posted by: ALberto | Feb 15, 2017 3:08:25 PM | 7
If détente is dead, then Trump as a politician is dead. The only reason he won the Presidency was his pledge to improve the plight of the "deplorables" (i.e., the US working class). That can't be done without confrontation with America's biggest trading partners, which, in turn, can't be done without the détente with Russia (otherwise, the US will be left completely alone).
Détente with Russia is a matter of life and death for America. Continuing on present course for much longer is simply impossible.
Posted by: telescope | Feb 15, 2017 3:08:57 PM | 8
Trump said today in his press conference with Netanyahu that Flynn is a wonderful man who was treated unfairly by the media. So why did he have to go?
Posted by: lysias | Feb 15, 2017 3:10:51 PM | 9
The big headline my local newspaper--Eugene's The Register Guard: "Trump campaign spoke to Russian intelligence." My reaction was to tell my wife that everything's being done to rekindle the Anti-Communist Crusade with Russia standing-in for USSR and to paint Trump treasonous--forget about all the treasonous acts undertaken by Bush and Obama: The Killer Queen must be avenged since it was those dirty Russians who upended her parade to the Oval Office, not her criminal corruption. And while the fledgling Trump admin's attacked, the Culture Wars are being escalated by the Republican congress, aided by the very Trump admin they're attacking.
Clearly, the Borg still act as if it will assimilate and subsume all, with Full Spectrum Dominance still its #1 goal using whatever means required. No multipolar world for them, relegated to an equal partner with all other nations. As every Trekkie knows, there's no appeasing the Borg--it makes the supposed Communist Threat pale in comparison, but few know or understand that Truth--yet that seems to be the exact thing Trump's doing.
IMO, the best thing Trump can do is enlist a Founder in his cause by citing Washington's Farewell Address on the upcoming President's Day, declaring the end of all "entangling alliances" military and economic, and vigorously institute an actual policy of Isolationism, not rhetorically, and everything that would entail--no more NSA, NAFTA, NATO, Empire of Bases, and all their support structures. In other words, use the Big Stick or become irrelevant.
Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 15, 2017 3:17:01 PM | 10
It is alarming that the so-called left part of the U.S. policy is lauding the "deep state" for this open attack on the elected government. They are now justifying the methods that will one day be turned against themselves. Why do they fail to see this?
Agree x 1million. It's totally frightening to witness the so-called left very actively cheering on Deep State, aka BigSpy, Inc, in the ousting of Trump. Why do they fail to see how this could EASILY be turned against them? I dunno. Because my fellow Americans are totally stupid, no matter how they vote?
Believe me, I've had quite a few conversations with so-called "leftyish" people who are AVID to see Trump impeached pronto, if not sooner. ANYTHING that can be done to turf Trump out of office is on the table for them. No matter what I say to point out how very wrong their attitudes are - with good sound reasons why - they might as well be standing there with their hands on their ears going: "La la la la la, can't heeeaaarr you!"
Otherwise smart people have been turned into totally flaming idiots by this election. I cannot explain it. They are totally satisfied that Obama walks on water but Trump is the coming of end times. At this point, they are so-called "left" version of Tea Baggers. Clueless idiots in an echo chamber in love with the sound of their own voices.
Yes, it's utterly absurd and quite scary.
I can't imagine what Trump is thinking, but I do agree with what Mark posted @5, above. Trump has spoken before about how Russia should return Crimea to Ukraine. This is not the first time he's said this. So go figure. Trump has been nothing if not utterly inconsistent. Stay tuned.
Posted by: RUKidding | Feb 15, 2017 3:17:34 PM | 11
Was there ever really a 'Left' & a 'Right' or just a Potemkin facade of the previous incarnations of the Dems & GOP ?
All politicians used to live in fear & dread of J Edgar Hoover (1895-1972) and his dirt files 60+ years ago ...
According to President Harry S. Truman, Hoover transformed the FBI into his private secret police force.Truman stated: "we want no Gestapo or secret police. The FBI is tending in that direction. They are dabbling in sex-life scandals and plain blackmail. J. Edgar Hoover would give his right eye to take over, and all congressmen and senators are afraid of him."
That was back in the '50's.
Created via secret treaty in '46, yet with the modern 1990's+ 5-Eyes supra-national & supra-legal entities we've moved way beyond the dirt G-men collected/manufactured in the past, given modern technology and dependence upon it for any and all forms of communication.
'Collect it all - Process it all'. And that's what they've been doing for political and economic dominance globally for decades. Flynn's political 'assassination' is a case study in the open illegal criminal abuse of those capabilities with the active support and co-operation of the suborned MSM.
In delicate or high risk situations NSA simply requests GCHQ/CSE/etc do the 'collection' as a foreign entity, to avoid any 'domestic' NSA restraints, and then simply disseminate back to NSA for 'processing' and abuse. And vice-versa.
Was not the investigation into CIA torture confirmed as under illegal domestic surveillance throughout, and nothing came of that ... congress critters warned off with a little blackmail ?
Trump faction seems to be pushing back re the criminal aspects(10 years prison) of the actual wire-taps/interceptions illegal misuse and dissemination direct to MSM by ~9+ 'unnamed' Intelligence officials, serving & non-serving at the time of the releases. Without intermediary cut-outs, there would be little likelihood of protection for such nor the media involved should a select DOJ/FBI taskforce/special-prosecutor be aggressively set upon them.
Flynn's a casualty, for now, yet this possible over-reach/abuse may actually serve the Trump factions supposed objective of cleaning up the IC, if they 'doubled-down', so wouldn't, necessarily, count 'em out just yet.
Posted by: Outraged | Feb 15, 2017 3:21:53 PM | 12
Trump will now cave in on foreign policy: on Russia, on Syria and everywhere else the borg demands it.
It looks that Donald J. Trump presents a walking Rorshasch test. The commentaries about him appear to speak more about the commentators than about the man.
Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?
4:42 AM - 15 Feb 2017
That is a position Trump had not preciously taken.
I'm 100% pro-Russian and might have used those same words, "Russia has taken" : especially on Twitter, and especially when I put the emphasis on the next part of the sentence.
Oh, yes, it may be subliminal something. Anything is possible. Like Trump staying his character and not giving up after the ... very first change of cabinet member. The driver on a four -year journey stopped after 25 days and changed a part of the car, calling it unreliable, while the crazy teens in the car jeered, they were right. That means he'll never go where claimed he would?
Today released Gallup shows above 50% of Americans see him positively.
"Return Crimea" is a no-no to any current and future Russian government. If Trump insists on this the prospective détente is already dead.
As anyone who knows anything about Trump the person will see, "return Crimea" is something to be expected. It's a starting palaver.
He has been put "on notice" and will either do as he is told to do or he will be the prey in an even bigger hunt.
How can someone who has been an alpha male for decades accept even the notion of being "put on notice"?
For the next four years, big media will lie about and oppose everything Trump does and will be just as effective as in the past 18 months.
It is alarming that the so-called left part of the U.S. policy is lauding the "deep state" for this open attack on the elected government. They are now justifying the methods that will one day be turned against themselves. Why do they fail to see this?
It's not clear what the word "left" means.
If it means people obsessed with "social justice" and "gender", then the answer is simple: they are not interested in Crimea at all.
Posted by: From The Hague | Feb 15, 2017 3:25:15 PM | 14
I actually saw a tweet today from "progressive" colleague that said he didn't think it was treason for Trump to get help from the Russians to get elected, but that Trump "cooperating" with Russia was grounds for treason. Under that logic, all presidents from Nixon on (if not before) should have been tried for treason, even the Russophobic Obama.
I don't worry too much about what Trump says--it's what he actually does that concerns me. On Russia, he hasn't really done anything yet other than talk out of both sides of his mouth (which is par for the course with Trump).
Last night, I watched "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and it's hard not to see the deep state as the embodiment of the character of James Taylor from that film--albeit in the form of a blob. The deep state blob believes it can and should force all politicians and bureaucrats to do its will, even if (and perhaps especially if) that will contravenes the needs and desires of the American people. The blob is obsessed with its own power and fears that any independence will destroy this selfsame power.
Posted by: WorldBLee | Feb 15, 2017 3:29:30 PM | 15
#13 Levantine
'How can someone who has been an alpha male for decades accept even the notion of being "put on notice"?'
They very much can, if hostages (usually children) are taken and successfully threatened, and if there is NO CLEAR POSSIBILITY OF RESCUE.
"The Don" has been tamed.
Posted by: Quadriad | Feb 15, 2017 3:32:57 PM | 16
Great post, i hope this will stop the pathetic attacks here on flynn and trump
Liberals and their warmongering, psyops msm is the biggest threat we are facing today.
I feel sad for Trump having to spend time on this BS.
Posted by: Anonymous | Feb 15, 2017 3:39:00 PM | 17
@ Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 15, 2017 3:17:01 PM | 10
IMO, the best thing Trump can do is enlist a Founder in his cause by citing Washington's Farewell Address on the upcoming President's Day, declaring the end of all "entangling alliances" military and economic, and vigorously institute an actual policy of Isolationism, not rhetorically, and everything that would entail--no more NSA, NAFTA, NATO, Empire of Bases, and all their support structures. In other words, use the Big Stick or become irrelevant.
Ideally, combine it with IKE's Farewell Address re the threat of the MICC. However, they need more time to complete their appointment's, establish some actual entrenched agency/departmental control even if only partial ... too thin and executive level superficial for now ... in the meantime there is no doubt whatsoever there will be further attempts to take 'em out one by one, given Flynn ...
@ Posted by: Mark | Feb 15, 2017 3:06:31 PM | 5
Talks re better relations compared to non-existant ? Sure. Discuss co-operation & lifting sanctions ? Sure.
Yet Russia will never surrender Crimea as the price for such, Lavrov et al have stated that unequivocally. For domestic political/cultural and geo-strategic reasons, not gonna happen.
Posted by: Outraged | Feb 15, 2017 3:44:21 PM | 18
Great post,
Posted by: Anonymous | Feb 15, 2017 3:39:00 PM | 17
Did you read it?
f.e.:
"Return Crimea" is a no-no to any current and future Russian government.
Posted by: From The Hague | Feb 15, 2017 3:46:32 PM | 19
Trump has the power to declassify the telephone transcripts and make them public -- however, they probably contain statements capable of various interpretations that would provide even more ammunition to Trump's eneemies.
Posted by: chet380 | Feb 15, 2017 3:48:47 PM | 20
I see that trump has resorted to his usual strategy of covering up the fallout from one shitstorm by creating a new bigger one. His joint press conference with fraudster and war criminal Netanyahoo is about doing that by insinuating the way forward is by creating a one state solution for israel.
Since neither said anything about the end of the "Jewish State" that can only mean that the intention is to ensure the indigenous people of the Jordan Valley have no political rights ie full on apartheid.
Posted by: Debsisdead | Feb 15, 2017 3:53:46 PM | 21
YOU CANNOT MAKE THIS STUFF UP February 15, 2017
Meanwhile in the 'Exceptional' Bolshevik Republic of San Francisco USSA
http://www.pbase.com/opinion/image/164922126
Posted by: ALberto | Feb 15, 2017 3:54:27 PM | 22
"Demanding" the return of Crimea is a perfectly reasonable opening negotiating position, although it is not likely that is where negotiations would end.
Posted by: Mike | Feb 15, 2017 3:56:10 PM | 23
19 from the hague
Read #5 post. These views are not really new nor should be any problem for peace.
Of course US/Russia will disagree on many things.
Posted by: Anonymous | Feb 15, 2017 3:56:58 PM | 24
@Outraged:
Talks re better relations compared to non-existant ? Sure. Discuss co-operation & lifting sanctions ? Sure.
Yet Russia will never surrender Crimea as the price for such, Lavrov et al have stated that unequivocally. For domestic political/cultural and geo-strategic reasons, not gonna happen.
According to the statements made by both WH & Kremlin, Crimea-related sanctions do not have to be lifted in order to pursue detente, so b's assertions are false.
Posted by: Mark | Feb 15, 2017 3:58:22 PM | 25
Levantine | Feb 15, 2017 3:23:18 PM | 13
"Russia has taken"
Russia has only corrected a stupid historical mistake done by Khruschev assigning a piece of a province from one to another federal unit in unified and a single state.
Strategically, Russia was unwillingly forced to do it by the West's action in creating Ukrainian coup/crisis/instability.
That question of returning or trading in that particular territory is about the same as insisting on a no-fly zone in Syria. It is not realistic, will never happen and forget about it.
Those issues when repeated, reopened and magnified by every possible Western media are sign that something else and more sinistar is in the cooking.
Or ...it could be that Putin tells Trump to say it so just to troll about. :)
Posted by: laserlurk | Feb 15, 2017 4:09:31 PM | 26
@ Posted by: Mark | Feb 15, 2017 3:58:22 PM | 25
"Return Crimea" is a no-no to any current and future Russian government. If Trump insists on this the prospective détente is already dead.- b
An awful lot has happened in a fast moving past 24 hours ... too much can be read into, attributed, to a tweet and a Spicer spokesman statement, etc, long long before the 'couple'(Putin/Trump) have yet to even walk onto the dance floor ... key phrase b used was 'If Trump insists ...'.
Russia is as likely to give up Crimea as the US is to return Alaska, IMV :)
All good ;) Peace
Posted by: Outraged | Feb 15, 2017 4:13:19 PM | 27
A former NSA analyst, John Schindler has tweeted the following:
"Now we go nuclear. IC war going to new levels. Just got an EM fm senior IC friend, it began: "He will die in jail"
@20committee
IC = Intelligence community if anyone just happens not to know.
Obama apparently has a role in this and there are many in the IC that are loyal to him. However the IC themselves must be divided because it was James Comey of the FBI who released the leaks about Hillary, which some say cost her the election.
However the general consensus is that the CIA is anti-Trump and pro-globalist. The NSA and others I don't know.
The military, the police and the militias are pro-Trump. Trump needs to organize mass public demonstrations of bikers and militia men in the main squares of towns across America and a huge rally in NY and Washington to basically intimidate the IC in to line. This may sound extreme but he needs to liaise with those governors of key red states e.g. Texas that if there is a de facto coup against him they will temporarily not recognise the authority of Washington.
The globalist faction - the nutcase warhungry one - is burning with anger and wants to kill (literally Trump) and Trump needs to do something fast. This is spiralling out of control.
Posted by: Muslim Dude | Feb 15, 2017 4:17:10 PM | 29
The Trump administration has shown itself to be possibly less dangerous but certainly more fickle than Obama's.
This issue over Crimea effectively puts any substantive rapproachment beyond the horizon. The best that can be hoped for in the short/mid term will be limited cooperation in fighting Daesh and a broader deconfliction scheme.
Russia probably regrets the latest turn of events, but will not miss a beat in pursuing its interests. We in the US will carry on like the Hatfields and McCoys, losing relevance by the day.
Posted by: woogs | Feb 15, 2017 4:23:09 PM | 30
Dennis Kucinich on the Deep State - on Fox News :-))
Reminding that Obama's administration tried to make peace in Syria in the end when someone somehow bombed the Syrian military in a strategic position.
Posted by: somebody | Feb 15, 2017 4:28:52 PM | 31
Sirs and or Madams,
Recent events have my head spinning ala the little girl in the Exorcist. Total insanity from the left, center and right. Time to reread "Animal Farm" as nonfiction.
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
Posted by: ALberto | Feb 15, 2017 4:41:13 PM | 32
BREAKING NEWS AGAIN...
U.S. may send combat troops into Syria!
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/15/politics/pentagon-considering-recommending-combat-troops-in-syria/
'Scuse me for asking, but don't they have to be invited in by the government of Syria? What about Syrian sovereignty??? Is this going to be part of the safe zones plan Trump asked mad dog Mattis to come up with?
So are they going to pretend they're going in with one excuse and then occupy Syria?
First Russia should hand over Crimea and now move over Russia we're sending in the U.S. cavalry, we'll take over now, so run along...Uncle Scam Trump is in charge.
Posted by: Circe | Feb 15, 2017 4:45:23 PM | 33
@ Posted by: Circe | Feb 15, 2017 4:45:23 PM | 33
From your 'link':
The Defense Department might propose ... one (unnamed) defense official told CNN.
The entirety of the 'article' is completely unsubstantiated speculation & supposition ... from CNN!
Yet more mis-characterized, breathless 'Breaking News' re sending combat troops to Syria, assertion/blah/blah/assertion, or just a sorceress breaking ever more, 'wind', hm ? (E5)
Posted by: Outraged | Feb 15, 2017 5:02:42 PM | 34
'It is alarming that the so-called left part of the U.S. policy is lauding the "deep state" for this open attack on the elected government. They are now justifying the methods that will one day be turned against themselves. Why do they fail to see this?'
dumb americanism.....check out Michael moores tweets: hes chortling, and would love to see Trump gone, replaced by his doomed love interest
Posted by: brian | Feb 15, 2017 5:18:47 PM | 35
The war party has absolutely doubled-down on "fake news" and no one is calling them on it ... even the "leaks" that got Flynn ousted are -- in reality -- only hearsay / rumors. The actual documents / voice recordings that people claim to have knowledge of have not been disseminated and most of those folks are "unnamed" and the leaks themselves can be conveniently blamed/attributed to any number of "actors" (Obama holdovers versus noble CIA types -- as if). Greenwald dropped the ball in factor of "purity signaling" because these leaks are not actually promoting "transparency" or giving the public actual verifiable important and necessary information" ... People who've heard tape/seen transcripts say it's not cut and dried. (But Flynn's ability to get a fair trial is about as bad as Bergdahl's)
The war party internet presence is also doubling down on the "threat to our democracy" posed by Putin and "Russian" interference in "our elections" and -- gasp -- upcoming European elections ... They are obviously trying to (again) manufacture consent, but I'm not sure what their end-game is The New Intercepted podcast has Elizabeth Holtzman talking realistically about impeachment and 25th ammendment (good reality check there) ... the democrats are hoping a "miracle" will save them ... even if it means destroying the village to save it.
Posted by: Susan Sunflower | Feb 15, 2017 5:20:46 PM | 36
Under Obama, the various factions of US power elites fought it out in Syria/Ukraine while Obama sat on the sidelines and watched - about the only thing he did was say no to really big messy actions.
Now that Trump is trying to assert centralized control at home, the knives have come out from all those that were given free reign and access to the money trough. He should have picked them off one at a time, beginning with the media (by making them libel for fake news) like he promised. But before he reigned them in, he stirred other pots and now they seem to have allied against him. Hard to see how this will work out well.
Posted by: les7 | Feb 15, 2017 5:24:31 PM | 37
b, I think you are mis-reading Trump's tweet.
The tweet was part of a series that pushed back on 'fake news' and leaks. Trump was contrasting press treatment wrt Russian relations of his Administration with that of the Obama Administration.
The McCarthy-esque attacks on the Trump Administration over Russia ties are part of the de-legitimization that has been going on for weeks. Trump is fighting back on these allegations and those who read anything more into Trump's efforts to do so are only playing into the hands of the anti-Trump forces.
Defending against allegations doesn't mean a change in policy. We can see this most clearly during the Spicer press conference where Spicer says:
"[Trump] expects Russia to de-escalate violence in the Ukraine and return Crimea, at the same time he fully expects to and wants to get along with Russia ...".Nobody that wants to "get along with Russia" expects Russia to return the Crimea! The Trump Administration surely understands this. Spicer is defending the Administration and re-stating Trump's policy goals at the same time.
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 15, 2017 5:26:01 PM | 38
I say leak all the emails found on the Weiner Laptop.
Posted by: linda amick | Feb 15, 2017 5:29:49 PM | 39
Oh, Outraged, by now I'd think we know that Circe is committed to spewing the dinosaur media propaganda line. He's very good at it.
To send troops under military command into Syria an authorization for war by congress would need to be achieved. Just ask good ole Tim Kaine about the subject. He tried to get congress to act under the Obama administration and got no where. Kaine explained all of this to the 2016 graduating class of the Virginia Military Institute - the entire speech is on YT.
The supposed legal authority for sending Special Ops into Syria is under Title, I believe 8, but could be wrong, but all Special Ops in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia etc fall under covert CIA command under Title ???
Saw this interview with Lt Col (ret) Anthony Schaffer who apparently followed Kucinich's interview on Fox. Someone in the thread below asked about naming names, well Schaffer doesn't hesitate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaYu-RXB4hU
Great post, b, thank you for staying on top of this continued unfolding national security crisis.
Colored revolution is under construction phase!karma is a pitch.
Posted by: Nur Adlina | Feb 15, 2017 5:31:03 PM | 41
Lionel Nation's take. _The Anti-Trump Deep State Color Revolution Coup Targets Flynn_ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv2IVtS0hjA Lots to chew on. "Trump doesn't seem to get it."
Posted by: ruralito | Feb 15, 2017 5:33:46 PM | 42
> U.S. may send combat troops into Syria!
Absolutely sickening and terrifying.
On the one hand, it is hilarious what a bunch of retards is anyone who is still clinging to the 'Trump is a Putin secret agent' damage control for their precious wackjob Hillary getting her ass kicked by a clown like Trump in the presidential election.
On the other hand, WW3.
Posted by: VaginaHat | Feb 15, 2017 5:34:54 PM | 43
Very scary article on the thinking of CIA officials. It's from Breitbart, which some people find unreliable, but, since this article reports what was said on publicly available CNN, it's presumably accurate in what it says about the thinking of former CIA official and presidential candidate Evan McMullin (who apparently maintains contact with people still in the CIA). Evan McMullin: President Donald Trump Is a 'Domestic Enemy'.
Posted by: lysias | Feb 15, 2017 5:38:55 PM | 44
I don't think we're anywhere near "color revolution" temperature ... except in some "legend in his own mind" wrt Moore. I was more upset by an essay on Moyer's site and yet another in the (endlessly anti-Putin) New York Review of Books ...
hating on Putin is one-thing, declaring him and Russia a threat -- a big old imminent threat -- to our national security is another ... tactically, aside from the "alarm fatigue" inherent in the old boy who cried wolf problem, since the Democrats really truly do not have the power or the numbers to effect change, I think they're going to end up looking feckless and time-wasting (like vigorously "opposing" cabinet nominations which few bothered with).
I think some of this is (still) intra-party wrangling for continued Perez/Shumer, Clintonian aligned continued domination ... they continue to "demonize Trump" rather than build the party and come up with some better real-world goals (and strategy) and campaigns ... still fighting the last election (now more than 2 months old and results no longer contested) ...
Color Revolution imho is some "what did you do in the war Daddy?" millenial fantasy land
Posted by: Susan Sunflower | Feb 15, 2017 5:42:55 PM | 45
IMO, the question of who is behind the anti-Trump effort is being lost. On its face, it is the Democratic Party, their big funders (e.g. Soros) and their useful idiots in the media. And then there is also Obama/Hillary loyalists in government - especially those in the intelligence community.
But at a deeper level, it is the Israeli-Saudi 'Assad must go!' Alliance that has a dislike of 'America First' because they want to manipulate America. A US that is friendly with Russia is not likely to fight fiercely against Iranian influence in the Middle-east.
The best way to fight against the allegations of Russian influence, is to shine a bright light on those that are opposed to better relations with Russia.
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 15, 2017 5:49:39 PM | 46
Lysias
Breitbart unreliable? Thats ridiculous and classic fakenews by liberal msm.
Posted by: Anonymous | Feb 15, 2017 5:50:55 PM | 47
Somebody who thinks like McMullin is capable of things like assassination (which the CIA has a history of doing). And even if he doesn't intend to do that, saying the things he did on CNN could easily inspire somebody else to do it.
Posted by: lysias | Feb 15, 2017 5:51:09 PM | 48
My comment to Escobar's essay about this event, which contains important info, echoes what I wrote @10. Sputnik has several items about this too,
https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201702151050696849-flynn-trump-administration-swamp/
As I assumed--Trump's poses a threat to the drive for Full Spectrum Dominance: The "unipolar moment" as Pepe calls it and Kissinger's strategy for its continuance. Trump will need more than the aid of whatever allies he may have within the Deep State. As I suggested at Moon of Alabama's article about this, he ought to invoke the immortal words of the #1 Founder--George Washington--regarding Entangling Alliances on the upcoming President's Day and initiate a truly Isolationist Policy that will cut the entire Deep State and its allies off at the knees using the Big Stick only the POTUS can wield. Is he wise enough to engage in such a Big Hit? If he wants to survive, he'll do something of the sort.
Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 15, 2017 5:55:40 PM | 49
yes, this is drastic, dramatic and melodramatic "by any means necessary" tuff-talk ... and it's even -- as leaking often is -- an condoning of vigilantism. It is very dangerous and it is being carelessly repeated by folks who apparently don't want to be out-done by the person standing next to them ...
Civil disobedience is respected when it is in the cause of the "greater good" or to right a wrong ... This leak was aimed at forcing Trump's hand and effecting the ouster of Flynn ... and apparently (I'm not sure) this has been followed by an avalanche of leaks about phone calls going back throughout the last year (and god knows what else) ...
As Obama normalized Bush's bad-act ... at this point, the Democratic party faithful are championing actions should be condemned ... much as some folks condone terrorism against folks they don't like -- iykwimaityd.
Posted by: Susan Sunflower | Feb 15, 2017 5:57:40 PM | 50
"It is alarming that the so-called left part of the U.S. policy is lauding the "deep state" for this open attack on the elected government. They are now justifying the methods that will one day be turned against themselves. Why do they fail to see this?"
Exactly what I was thinking this afternoon. The Dems are fucking insane, beyond any redemption, at this point. This will be used against them. They just delivered the remnants of the US democracy to the corrupt underground of moneyed power.
Besides, as others said, this is a perfect example of downright treason. If Trump had any sense, he would jail people by the dozens right now.
But, well, frankly, I don't even care that much. These fucking fools, now pretending to "send him to die in jail" are foolish. They don't even know where this road leads, though it should've been obvious since mid-2016 at the very least. And to put it bluntly, this road leads to civil war, no less. And by that I mean real civil war, not figures of speech; the likes of the first American one, or the current one in Syria. There's a lot of people who voted Trump who are armed, who won't back down, and who've stopped listening to MSM (or to the likes of McCain) since a long time.
Though that's always been the ultimate outcome when I pondered the US future, I never thought it could come that fast and that easily, over such minor causes. Let's still hope, for America's sake, that they're not that insane, and that Trump will come to his senses soon enough.
Posted by: Clueless Joe | Feb 15, 2017 5:58:57 PM | 51
thanks b.. excellent coverage in a fast changing environment where trump is receptive to the idea of 'all hell breaking lose' thanks his, personality as the king of tweets and any other parallel that implies a degree of vacuousness rarely seen in a position of high command... or is the preztel of the usa supposed to be so easily cracked?
@12 outraged... left/right... a poster at sst articulated something along the lines of your comment a few days ago and i 2nded it.. pat lang thought we were polisci majors or something.. to certain folks - these simple definitions are meaningful.. i find them completely meaningless.. it's like saying something and nothing at the same time.. at least b qualifies it - "so-called left".. get rid of these terms left and right.. they're useless at this point..
as i see it, it's over.. trump has shown himself to be so easily persuaded by caving in here.. he's a real flake on the political front, even if he's a shark in business deal situations.. he appears like a minnow at this point given all this...
Posted by: james | Feb 15, 2017 6:00:44 PM | 52
james: "as i see it, it's over.. trump has shown himself to be so easily persuaded by caving in here.. he's a real flake on the political front, even if he's a shark in business deal situations.. he appears like a minnow at this point given all this..."
Unless I've missed something, all I've seen Trump do is whine on Twitter.
It is tedious to always having to preface with this disclaimer but I don't like Trump and would have loved to have an opportunity to have voted for even a conservative Democrat or even for once in my life a moderate Republican over wackjob Hillary.
But one thing I looked forward to with Trump was having someone who when a direct attack on the Presidency like what is going on right now that he would get in his car and drive directly over to the various intelligence agencies and fire EVERYONE and ANYONE involved in this plot. And that we would all be watching live TV coverage of these coup plotters being escorted out of the various intelligence buildings carrying their shit in the standard "just got fired boxes" as they walked to their vehicles.
It is hard to picture Trump as doing anything but cowering under his Oval Office desk right now.
Posted by: VaginaHat | Feb 15, 2017 6:16:16 PM | 53
Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 15, 2017 5:55:40 PM | 49
Thanks for the Escobar / Sputnik link ... yes, it's likely that loose-cannon Flynn was the most obviously hanging-by-a-thread already expendable ... It sounds from various stories that Pense was genuinely angered/embarrassed to have been kept out of the loop (or by Trump doing nothing) and Flynn's conspicuous close proximity always to the "big-guy" ...
I still think that they also needed something to deflect from the Caddyshack hijinks in Florida which featured Flynn front and center as a participant rather than someone trying to strong arm Trump into a secure location.
Trump has a long record of bumping a scandal out of the way by creating a new "better" scandal ... and he seems to have succeeded with dumping Flynn (except for some die-hard Flynn fans -- not a big contingent)
Posted by: Susan Sunflower | Feb 15, 2017 6:19:08 PM | 54
If there is a civil war, I don't think there's much doubt about how it would turn out. An overwhelming majority of police and members of the military voted for Trump.
I'm a retired naval officer, and I voted for Jill Stein, but I think I'm very much in a minority there. And even I, if it came to civil war, would have to support the Trump side. He would represent constitutionalism and the rule of law. And it would be a chance to finally break the power of the intelligence agencies.
Posted by: lysias | Feb 15, 2017 6:33:03 PM | 55
It was reported that Trump had given the Pentagon 30 days to come up with various scenarios to expedite the fight against ISIS. The deployment of US troops to eastern Syria was but one of the plans put forward for consideration. It reminds me of one my posts a few weeks ago where I said he might do exactly that. And keep the oil for services rendered. No more Shia Crescent. No more arms supply for Hezbollah ex Iran. Bibi so happy he can't shit.
Before everybody goes apeshit about CNN reporting this and immediately labeling it fake news there are some considerations.
In spite of all the anguish on here about the MSM taking every opportunity to torpedo Trump there was one very yuuuge exception. The Drudge Report gets more fucking hits than the rest of the big boys combined and it was firmly in Trump's corner from day one. It's contribution to his victory can't be discounted or minimized.
In fact Matt Drudge has already indicated he means to extract his pound of flesh. He chastised the administration a few days ago for their lack of progress on abolishing Obamacare and announcing his promised tax cuts. He got a response, the administration pleaded for patience. So this shit works both ways.
Five will get you ten Trump gives this Syrian suggestion a hard look. He's being vilified for his Russian connections. Evidently there was a lot more canoodling going on than just Mike Flynn. It would explain his seeming change of course vis a vis sanctions, the Ukraine and Crimea. Maybe Putin doesn't have a piss tape after all.
If there's a deep state and they want Trump gone they should arrange to have his tax returns leaked. If he owes the Russians money he's done like dinner.
Posted by: peter | Feb 15, 2017 6:37:05 PM | 56
SS @54:
I don't believe that Trump was just trying to create a distraction. This is not just Public Relations. I think the effort to de-legitimize and ultimately remove Trump is very serious. Whether Flynn had broken laws or not, his continued presence posed a big political risk to Trump.
Keeping Flynn on board would have given those opposed to restoring ties with Russia a VETO on Russian policy as any move by Trump that is not sufficiently anti-Russian would be met by calls for impeachment or invoking the 25th Amendment (incapacity).
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Feb 15, 2017 6:40:26 PM | 57
Outraged @18--
Yes, combining the two speeches into a new hybrid could produce something Big. BUT, does Trump have the historical knowledge and intestinal fortitude needed to pull it off? Would it be prudent to wait? Well, depends on what's really desired by him policy-wise. A Fortress America protected by the two oceans and navy would be a rehash of Mahan without Imperialism and could be sold to the public while simultaneously repudiating the National Security Act as a failed experiment gone apeshit. But something so pragmatic yet drastic would need to be developed in the darkest of closets as it goes far beyond what JFK/RFK/MLK ever advocated.
Yeah, all probably a pipedream/wishful thinking, but I wonder how much populist backing for such thinking exists.
Susan Sunflower @54--
You're welcome for that. I noted that Pepe said nyet to The Saker's take on events, although he does give advantage to the swamp. I thought the Garrie article good up to a point as I commented. The Duran's stable of writers offers a different angle that's welcome.
And so we watch as events unfold, events somewhat similar to those between 1856 and 1861, yet vastly different in.
Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 15, 2017 6:50:46 PM | 58
"fake news" is more a matter of spin that actual lies. A good example was an article outraged that Trump's First Veterans Affairs confab did not include Veterans groups ... what did this mean??? they weren't invited!!! outrage. But in fact it was a apparently a meeting of provider groups, healthcare management types (probably to discuss restructuring) ... and "no veterans" was no slight ...
We see this regularly wrt "contingency planning" being confused with actual in-the-work top-three-options plans ...
See also all the assertions that "Flynn lied" ... depending on the nature of the conversation, who initiated any mention of sanctions and where it was left (we'll talk about it after 01/20/2017) ... it may have been genuinely foregettable, or simply "not actually discussed" ... if he actually deliberately lied, that's loose cannon reckless (and stupid) ...
The Eli Lake article said that Flynn was not allowed to "defend himself" in the press and had not been given access to the transcripts ...
and then we learn that the FBI interviewed him about these calls "days after taking office" ... gotta wonder if Comey and the FBI are disagreeing with the CIA (again) ...
Posted by: Susan Sunflower | Feb 15, 2017 6:54:29 PM | 59
The National Security Act was at least sold as a response to the Communist threat. That threat is gone. The National Security Act, like NATO, is obsolete.
Posted by: lysias | Feb 15, 2017 6:55:27 PM | 60
by some reports, Flynn resigned and fell-on-his-sword to protect the chief and Trump did not want him to leave and does not -- to this day -- believe he lied to anyone ... alternatively Trump "took action" ... what I was referring to was the question of "why now" given that apparently Trump had been sitting on allegations that Flynn had lied (and deceived and fucked-over Pence who was not happy, or not) ... I questioned the exact timing wrt Mar-a-lago (which I think should have been a barnburner of an embarassment but has been -- so far -- effectively ecclipsed.
They discussed the crisis with Korea in the open wiht the Japanese Prime Minister who just happened to be there -- ferchrissakes -- the cell phones, the photos and selfies, the using phones as flashlights and there's more (and where was Flynn -- right in the middle) ... godawful.
Posted by: Susan Sunflower | Feb 15, 2017 7:23:23 PM | 61
lysias @60--
How to cut loose bureaucratic institutions who've outlived their usefulness despite those with a vested interest in keeping them operational seems to be the operative question. Too bad Truman invented the 1948 War Scare to keep the aircraft manufacturers alive and ensure his reelection as that was the moment to prune them, him and elect Wallace; hell, Dewey might have provided a completely different direction, but we'll never know.
Perhaps the biggest revelation of this entire episode is how despicable the Democrat Party has become and its total betrayal of the Common Wo/man it once said it championed.
Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 15, 2017 7:36:06 PM | 62
@ Peter 56
Peter, your theory on the Drudge Report vs. fake news is a good try but it doesn't hold up. You have yet to make the connection on the difference btw active searchers of information and passive consumers. One seeks myriad examples on a given topic to develop a rounded idea of a thing, the other ingests misinformation as if at a trough, a somnambulist of perfect use to add to the echo chamber the hollow tropes of TPTB. If one can't differentiate btw a passion for understanding and the desire to "fit-in," then I'm afraid one might come to the same conclusion as you, never mind that 95% of msm garbage was copied and pasted anyway, which would explain more hits on drudge than CNN, if only due to needless redundancy.
And, indeed, lets all face the facts, conservatives are in the right this time around. Like b mentions, the left is making a pact with the devil in condoning the actions of the IC. They are better used towards a true, populist revolt against the globalists, but they are too butthurt to climb aboard.
Donald Kagan (Peloppenesian War historian, don't necessarily agree with his politics) said during a recorded lecture that the war was started, and wars are continually started, by nothing more than ego. He related this to his college audience by likening it to "he dissed me!" Sad that egos in power never change and always come back to fuck the populace.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Feb 15, 2017 7:38:05 PM | 63
Meanwhile another domino is attacked...Kellyanne Conway endorsed Trumps daughters clothing line in an interview. Office of Government Ethics [OGE] director Walter Shaub called Conway's action a "clear violation" of ethics rules, saying "there is strong reason to believe (she) violated the Standards of Conduct Act…"
He requested the White House to investigate the matter, then send its findings and any proposed disciplinary action to OGE by end of February.
Whoever put Shaub up to this wants Conway either ousted or heavily tarnished to harm Trump. Lots more dominos may fall.
Taking them out or damaging their reputations enough weakens their ability to serve effectively.
If this dirty game continues relentlessly, the last domino to fall may be Trump. That's what it's all about. http://sjlendman.blogspot.co.uk/
Posted by: harrylaw | Feb 15, 2017 8:05:06 PM | 64
Just stumbled across this article that provides background evidence for the rationale behind the rise of Fake News, which has actually been ongoing for decades, and centers on arch Neocon John McCain and the reign of puppets as POTUS prior to Trump's election--I think we can all agree that Trump's nobody's puppet, http://www.unz.com/runz/american-pravda-when-tokyo-rose-ran-for-president/
Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 15, 2017 8:05:28 PM | 65
The climate of fear is palpable.
What has effectively happened: 'Don, you, your people, cannot talk freely to anyone.'
Trump needs to get back on the front foot here while the election is still fresh. There is a MASSIVE opportunity to kill two birds with one stone here in the prosecution of the IC/MSM for the leak and an attack on the epic mission creep of the IC.
He won't rue the day he lost Flynn near as much as the day he went soft on Hellary right after winning the election.
Posted by: MadMax2 | Feb 15, 2017 8:14:02 PM | 66
@62 karlof, 'How to cut loose bureaucratic institutions who've outlived their usefulness despite those with a vested interest in keeping them operational seems to be the operative question.'
wasn't the cia created by executive order? can't it be killed by executive order? tee-rump has missed his chance. he seems just a bounder, in way over his head.
Posted by: jfl | Feb 15, 2017 8:28:56 PM | 67
@53 v-hat... yeah - last line of yours is how i see it too, lol... this is a little bit reminiscent of the lion in the wizard of oz... king of tweets with his tail between his tweets, lol..
Posted by: james | Feb 15, 2017 8:31:29 PM | 68
Nah...Trump said Russia had TAKEN Crimea BUT he didnt say whether that was TAKEN BACK or whether he meant TAKEN AWAY.
Ok.?
Posted by: Izaates bar Monobazues | Feb 15, 2017 8:35:19 PM | 69
Countdown to armed Trump supporters converging on DC to protect the administration in 3..2..1
I don't read or user Twitter, but having just browsed a few major media figures and people with connections to the US intelligence organizations, I don't see how anyone can call what is happening right now anything other than an active coup. It is obvious what we are seeing right now is nothing and just the start. They are on twitter gleefully and openly bragging about taking down this administration by any means.
Surreal to be sitting here realizing open civil war in the US is getting dangerously close.
Posted by: VaginaHat | Feb 15, 2017 8:43:02 PM | 70
Bernhard is correct *if* the firing of Flynn is what it appears to be -- that Flynn was too cozy with Russia.
But ..... Pepe Escobar's source says the firing of Flynn is *not* what it appears to be, rather, Flynn was fired because he was working against a Syrian peace deal that involved Flynn's nemesis, Iran.
"Flynn was removed not because of his Russian calls but for other reasons ... he was disrupting a peace deal in the Middle East relating to Russia, Iran and Turkey in Syria. So he had to go."
https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201702151050696849-flynn-trump-administration-swamp>The Swamp Strikes Back
But the White House fued with the neocons is still real.
Posted by: Dan Lynch | Feb 15, 2017 8:53:23 PM | 71
@18 or
i think that you and karlof are living in a different realm than the one occupied by donald te-rump. he's never thought about anything but his own rump, and isn't now, either. speechifying his way out of his mess is not his shtick. his mode of 'action' is reaction, to say the most outrageous thing that comes to mind and see what that brings about, to try to jump from stone to stone until he reaches dry land. his idea is survival is purely personal, it has nothing to do with the survival of anyone or anything else. the government is in the hands of his underlings and his enemies, not his. he's running from the exercise of power, not toward it.
Posted by: jfl | Feb 15, 2017 8:53:52 PM | 72
@34
No-oh, they're not the only ones reporting on this story. You're in denial trying to shoot the messenger.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-usa-idUSKBN15U2N4
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4229122/Pentagon-propose-sending-combat-troops-Syria.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/pentagon-mulls-troops-ground-syria-article-1.2973765
Want more? Every news outlet is reporting on this. Why do you think Trump hired so many generals and is about to replace Flynn with another one? Are they just window-dressing? The MIC wants war and Trump's gonna oblige 'cause he needs a grand distraction right about now.
I wonder why he invited that Neocon tool Rubio to dinner at the White House today while King Netanyahu is in town?
Rubio was seriously considering voting against confirming Tillerson because he felt Tillerson was too pro-Russia. What's Trump up to?
Posted by: Circe | Feb 15, 2017 8:57:06 PM | 73
I am not concerned about what hat Flynn wears and what/where his pay comes from. Nor do I believe he will be convicted of anything. He is a pawn in a war of control within the US government.
What we are seeing seems to be a government proxy war between factions of the elite. As one of the pond scum I am not sure who I should root for when what I really want is their tool of private finance to go away.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Feb 15, 2017 9:07:51 PM | 74
Nemesis @63
So your thirst for knowledge has brought you to the "true populist revolt against the globalists". I, on the other hand, just take in my info any way it's dished up and will never see the light.
About the Drudge, it's the headlines baby. Is it black, blue, red or, holy shit, red with a flashing light? How big is the font, 2x, 3x? After any announcement about jobs then it's MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. The administration did grovel when Matt Drudge gave them shit.
Successive governments have contributed to the magnitude and power of the IC. If the Democrats are taking advantage they're just making hay while the sun shines. As you say, it's a double-edged sword and cuts both ways.
Back to the war on globalists. As a Canadian I was very relieved to see Trudeau get out of Washington with his hide intact. If he'd ended up on Trump's shit list our economy would have taken a major hit. The fact that 35 states rely on Canadian trade for their economic well-being surely made a difference. So you'll have to start your revolution without me.
Maybe Trump's losing his revolutionary fervor as well. He did a complete flip-flop on his one China policy. What's that about if not trade? Only other thing it could be would be a disinclination to try China militarily.
And on the American home front. I think that more citizens worry about having their healthcare yanked and finding themselves uninsureable because of a preexisting condition than worry about the current state of the Trump-Putin relationship. They worry if their Latino neighbors or maybe significant other are going to disappear overnight and end up in a detention centre awaiting deportation to a country that has said they are not welcome back. There's plenty of Teabaggers who would cheer all this but I think that even you might find them a little extreme for filling the ranks of the revolution. Who knows how far they would go if they got the bit in their teeth.
..
Posted by: peter | Feb 15, 2017 9:10:18 PM | 75
The NSA was created by executive order. The CIA was created by Act of Congress, the National Security Act.
Posted by: lysias | Feb 15, 2017 9:21:12 PM | 76
The NSA was created by executive order. The CIA was created by Act of Congress, the National Security Act.
Posted by: lysias | Feb 15, 2017 9:21:12 PM | 77
Does Trump have the historical knowledge and intestinal fortitude to pull off a killer speech? Well, it wouldn't surprise me if Bannon is a reader of this forum.
Posted by: lysias | Feb 15, 2017 9:36:31 PM | 78
Levantine@13
"How can someone who has been an alpha male for decades accept even the notion of being "put on notice"?
For the next four years, big media will lie about and oppose everything Trump does and will be just as effective as in the past 18 months."
I'm no so sure Trump can survive the incessant barrage, and if he does, woe to us all.
Either way, we're all f**ked. Democrats and people like Cenk have gone totally loopy now. Myself and others have been screaming about for years, the Democrats have now channeled the Tea Baggers of 2009. Except their spectre is now Russia infiltration and domination while the Tea Party rambled on about Obama's birth certificate.
As it's said, evil cannot see it's reflection in a mirror.
Posted by: P Walker | Feb 15, 2017 10:04:28 PM | 79
@75 Peter
Word up. Sorry about being patronizing. Drudge isn't the institution though. That was my point. You won't see any story on CNN about prosecuting the leakers for espionage. In my mind, it is rather easy to see who to root for.
You don't need to be an isolationist to fight globalism. Canada and US would have a great trading relationship once NAFTA is toast.
On revolting teabaggers...it's funny you should mention that, because just today I was thinking about who'd I'd like to see marching next to me. Without a doubt, anyone but the entitled urban left. I am laborer by profession, so actually, I might just fit in with them deplorables, even though I originated from the liberal school of thought. They are mostly nice people who have more of an interest in civic duty than the ironically-detached urbanite/snowflake Utopianist.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Feb 15, 2017 10:09:27 PM | 80
I'm still waiting for Mr. Trump to actually DO something to reflect his love of the middle and working classes.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/02/03/trumps-populist-deceit/
Mr. Trump could change my mind tomorrow, by actually doing something to help the "little people".
Posted by: ben | Feb 15, 2017 10:18:01 PM | 81
5
Donald Trumpanov knows fully well what happens to those who stand in the way of the Chosensheviks, as we're coming up on the 100-year Jubilee of the murder of the Romanovs, and subsequent slaughter of 30 million Orthodox Christians, the so-called неудобный холокост.
So it's no wonder Trumpanov is kissing Netanyahsky on both cheeks, and giving the Goldmanist Regime in NYC, London and Tel Aviv license to loot the savings of 135,000,000 American Christian pensioners, and drop their bombs on 8-year old American school children, anywhere on Earth.
What's troubling, though, is how the Trumpanov family remains aloof from their base, hidden behind gold lame towers and chic golf resorts, never once going to church. The Romanov daughters lived simply and cared for Russian soldiers in the hospitals, while the Trumpanov children jet around the world, shooting endangered animals, buying Uruguayan property next to the Buschen's, and pimping a Made in China line of clothing. Poor little Barron may end up like his historical doppleganger Alexei, and no one of The Base will care.
Trumpanov abandoned them to the Chosensheviks!
He has never learned, the Chosensheviks expect him to grovel! They view it with mirth, as a sign of his abject weakness, that he would betray 12,000,000 sick, senile and uninsureable American Christians to the re-financing hyenas, just to curry some small token favor.
Well, July 2018 will come soon enough, as will the New Money Chosenevik pogroms against the 95,000,000 jobless and homeless American Christians: the detention camps, the work farms, organ harvesting and child grooming.
If you can make a profit from it, it's just good business, get over it!! On to Damascus for the Luciferians Glory!
Murderous Administration Gains Acceleration
MAGA!
#TRD
Posted by: The Real Donald | Feb 15, 2017 10:28:36 PM | 83
And while I'm thinking of Mr. Trump. He reminds me of Obama, crying big tears about his detractors being so unfair. Boo-hoo.
You're the damn president, call a press conference, and take your wishes to the American people for Christs sake. Quit hiding and whining. If you think the best course of action is detente with Russia, then damn well say it. Many many people will support you. Me, for one.
Quit hiding behind your mouthpieces, and take your case to the American people.
But, he won't, because IMO he's OWNED by the same forces as OBAMA, CLINTON & the rest.
Posted by: ben | Feb 15, 2017 10:34:59 PM | 84
@ Lysias & karlof1
The election/s was/were won.
The Trump faction won the Presidency, the House & the Senate, a clean sweep. Refusing to accept that outcome by utilizing alternate means is illegitimate & constitutes a rejection of the constitution & any pretense of Rule of Law.
Former & current office holders openly manipulating TS(SCI) material in active connivance with the owned MSM purely for domestic political advantage against the above, is not the very definition of treasonous conduct against the legitimate State ?
These events only feed into what I've referred to before as an impossible to sustain 'narrative' that schizophrenically conflicts with all the ingrained myths generations have been indoctrinated with re 'Truth, Justice, Liberty', et al.
Can't stand Trump, abhor Bannon, didn't vote for any of 'em. Yet the Law stands. Abuse process, the Law & manipulate the endlessly abused trope of 'National Security' for partisan gain whether corrupt Dems or the Globalists/MICC via IC means leads only to anarchy, as the resulting Pandora's Box can't be closed down the road, once opened, even if the factions in control were to change.
Some talk of potential civil war ... the ignored & invisible 'Deplorables', well and truly fired up, awoken, before the 20th and have been following events closely. Given social media indications, they aren't likely to take a continuation of these extra-constitutional actions lightly & the Trump faction has strong support within the militarized police forces let alone the actual military.
If push came to shove, that is all that would count, regardless of the billions upon billions invested in the Five-Eyes, nor the extra-ordinary wealth of a cabal of individuals ... the MICC since '46/'47 dominates through subordination & manipulation merely via key leadership appointments/positions controlling/influencing the Agencies/Departments, not by raw numbers ... not by any means. Their actual physical human numbers totally committed at risk of self are ludicrously small. The overwhelming majority of actual humans serving the MICC are merely, 'good germans', following perceived lawful directions/authority.
A ruthless lawful purge would gut it and put the committed remaining embedded idealogues on 'notice', as you propose karlof1, with a return to isolationism, which is to put it simplistically, what the MICC actually fears the most. Yet the Trumpster doesn't likely have the character, the gravitas, of an FDR type figure to carry it off, IMV ... only to be a possible enabler or precursor to another in the future as a result of, events.
Yet, Trump as an individual, nor his advisers do not seem to have the wherewithal to see or comprehend it ... if indeed that is their intent.
That the Trump faction didn't come the 20th means they are not congnizant of what they face, dare not or don't intend to. This all is very reminiscent of the chaotic destabilizing events leading up to and through '89-'91.
Cannot see how we can return to the past status quo, regardless, for good or worse.
@ Posted by: Circe | Feb 15, 2017 8:57:06 PM | 73
Extremely reluctant to feed you, however, your 73 post merely proves the original beyond doubt.
Every single link you provided merely reports, on the report, by CNN ... the one about '... might propose ... by one (unnamed) source'. Other MSM outlets repeating the shit CNN fabricated/vomited up is common practice, especially when it supports the known 'narrative'.
Simply regurgitating a baseless falsehood/fabrication does not create even an iota of substantiation or corroboration, quite the opposite actually ... and then there are all the repetitive unsupported assertions tacked on the ass end as usual.
You're clearly intelligent & literate, so to go to the effort to provide further worthless links that are simply steno-graphing the first from CNN, only compounds the original posts obvious intent, something you would be clearly aware of as you were doing it. Can't recall which poster ascribed idée fixe, yet your transparent manipulations go beyond merely that. C'est la vie
Posted by: Outraged | Feb 15, 2017 10:51:16 PM | 85
according to various reports, it's not just the democrats who are furious with Trump, but the hard-right (and alt-right) are also loudly disappointed.
Matt Taibbi on John Batchelor says that there may be some difficulty in translating "what worked on the campaign trail" (extemporaneous bobbing, weaving, loud and frequent contradictions) with the Oval ... particularly with 99% of the press enshrined as "enemy" ... The blow-back from his first week's executive actions are still catching up with him and his record of "walk backs" is part of what his most fervent supporters are angry about ...
If being unpredictable and flying by the seat of his pants (dazzle them with your footwork) is his "style" then something as stodgy as a formal speech (no matter how good) could simply create a public record immediately and continuously used to his detriment (like the "odious practice" of the press keeping track of hastily made campaign promises, kept and not.so.much.)
The press appears to not know what to make of today's Netanyahu confab, because it was so unexpectedly both precedent shattering and nebulous ... he's for "whatever everyone wants" doesn't care one-state, two state ... whatever .... Jesus.
Posted by: Susan Sunflower | Feb 15, 2017 10:53:21 PM | 86
I've bitched about Trump on these pages after the Yemen raid and the bellicose provocation of Iran, however he is not nearly as dangerous as the shadowy collection of power-crazed apocalypse cultists and American Exceptionalists trying to unseat his administration so they can get down to business "punishing" Russia, killing more people in Syria and the Middle East and continuing the global neoliberal project. The only thing worse than Trump, is Trump being taken down and President Mike Pence becoming a reality. Then it's time to dig that fallout shelter or pack up and head for the hills.
Posted by: Temporarily Sane | Feb 15, 2017 11:02:17 PM | 87
@84 ben
Here, here....well said. Trump keeps talking himself up like he's a tough guy but when shit starts getting serious and one of his main guys gets taken down he suddenly can't find his balls and his dick shrivels up. I have a very bad feeling about this. Trump is not a young man and he's not a politician...and he is under immense pressure and the ghouls are no doubt working behind the scenes trying to turn his people against him. Pence, for sure, is a massive liability. I bet Trump will be very well acquainted with justified paranoia before his political career is over.
I can see him eventually cracking under pressure, handing the keys to Pence and resigning. I hope I am wrong.
Posted by: Temporarily Sane | Feb 15, 2017 11:15:47 PM | 88
80
"They are mostly nice people who (lynch negros, and tie gays to their pickup trucks with barbed wire, and beat their women if they so much as smile at another man) have more of an interest in civic duty than the ironically-detached urbanite/snowflake Utopianist (who are actively and intellectually engaged in politics of every kind every single day)."
Fixed it for you.
I was mostly engaged in urban and university and politics until my 30s, then gave that up for far away rural laboring in the trades. So I have 10 adult years of the most intense 'urbanite Utopianist' real change as in Civil Rights Act/ Environmental Policy Act/ Paris Peace Accords to compare against your 'nice people' living in swamp shacks after a day laboring over a misfiring diesel engine, or fixing the drive system on a grain combine, or welding up a tube bender, or rodbusting and pouring 100 yards of concrete in 110 degrees ... for another 20 adult years.
Then I wised up and crawled back.
Those 'nice people' only became interested in politics when Boss Hogg shreiks There's a 'gay n'gger' in the WH and we need another lynching! Rest of the time all they're interested in is: trucks, dirt-bikes, a half-rack and hot wings, and finding a Saturday nite sheila to pound. You know I'm right.
Somewhere in the haze of American history are the real 'old-time people' you're talking about. Myra's fresh-baked pies at the little roadhouse store, and Jean with the horses you'd buck bales for in the fall, and Walt with the orchard on the edge of town you drag a 20-foot ladder around bringing the heavy pears down, or Bill and his big alfalfa fields, you'd sling irrigation pipe for summers, and Jerod with the shake mill you'd chunk cedar bolts for winters. Never once in my years heard them talk politics, ...not once. Them days are gone, Christmas.
Tea Baggers and Exceptionalists and Rabbinicals today have breath as hard as kerosene. Their minds are filled with racism, misogyny, envy, lust, hate, pride and covetedness. That's their 'politics', their code and creed. Disruption, obstruction, perversion. Just look at at what we got now! They are most definitely not 'nice people'.
Posted by: The Real Donald | Feb 15, 2017 11:18:41 PM | 89
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