US Politics Thread 2016-2020

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by vienna

An ancient world version of "TLDR"?...




<O>

Even the expression "there is nothing new under the sun" is not a new expression. Nihil sub sole novum

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by Platapus

In the category of congressional hypocrisy...

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/politi...ump/index.html

Top Republicans who opposed Syria attack under Obama are now praising Trump's strike



They were against it when a democrat proposed it, but are now in favor when a republican proposed it.

I am finding it harder and harder to take the GOP seriously these days.

I think even Trump tweeted on several occasions he too was against hitting Syria.

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

I think even Trump tweeted on several occasions he too was against hitting Syria.

Yep!

18 Times Donald Trump Said the U.S. Shouldn't Bomb Syria

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Even the expression "there is nothing new under the sun" is not a new expression. Nihil sub sole novum

Thanks a lot, now I'll have nightmares about the Latin I was taught back in Catholic school...

The grand irony of learning all that now pretty much forgotten Latin is the very last year I was in Catholic school was the year the Vatican dropped Latin as the language of the Mass; I still feel somewhat betrayed by it all and having to learn all those Gregorian chants didn't help matters any; it kind of reminds me of the old joke about Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling; one day, after laboring for several years and nearing completion, Michelangelo was atop the scaffolding and the Pope came into the chapel and called out:

Pope: Michelangelo!!
Michelangelo (calling down): What do you want?
Pope: Stop your work and come down at once!!
Michelangelo: Why!?
Pope: We decided to go with the wallpaper!!

I have been making a list and I added the Latin language betrayal to it long ago; if there is an after life and there is a Divine Being, I intend to use the list to discuss with him (or her or it) the rather disappointing state of quality control in the Creation...

In keeping with the political nature of the thread, a quote from Seneca I learned a long time ago, but seems to apply to the current situation, particularly with Trump in the White House:

"Periere mores, jus, decus, pietas, fides, et qui redire nescit cum perit, pudor"...




<O>

[vienna]

It appears the US has had Spain arrest and detain for extradition a notorious Russian hacker who may be linked to the 2016 Presidential campaign hacks:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...der-us-warrant

https://www.usnews.com/news/technolo...-at-us-request

Pytor has an extensive resume as a hacker:

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/04/...shov-arrested/


Curiouser and curiouser...




<O>

[MaDef]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Assad's attention expressed itself in having combat strikes sorting out of the airbase just hours after the US strike.

And what exactly is it that should have been taught here for half a billion of bucks? "If you want to kill another 70 people, please bomb them over a period of three days or use a barrel bomb, or shell them for one week, killing ten per day? Just do not kill 70 in one strike again!"...?

Thats a costly lesson taught. Not for Assad - for the US tax payer.

The only "lesson" taught here is that while the U.S. doesn't want to get involved in Syria beyond fighting ISIS, the Syrian government needs to think twice before it uses chemical weapons again.

[Bilge_Rat]

all the statements on Trump flip-flopping ignore the fact that up until last week, we had been assured that Assad had no more chemical weapons which turned out to be a lie.

There was an interesting interview with Kissinger in the Atlantic last November. One point he made was that other powers would try to test POTUS to see how he would react:

JG: So no short-term chance that Russia takes advantage of this situation?

HK: It’s more likely that Putin will wait to see how the situation evolves. Russia and the United States interact in areas in which neither of us controls all the elements, such as Ukraine and Syria. It’s possible that some participants in those conflicts may feel freer to take certain actions. Putin, then, will wait to see what his options are.

JG: So there is some chance of more instability.

HK: I would make a general statement: I think most of the world’s foreign policy has been in suspense for six to nine months, waiting for the outcome of our election. They have just watched us undergo a domestic revolution. They will want to study it for some period. But at some point, events will necessitate decision making once more. The only exception to this rule may be nonstate groups; they may have an incentive to provoke an American reaction that undermines our global position.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine...singer/505868/

One question we all have is why would Assad use chemical weapons now? and would he use them without a green light from Putin?

What if the attack was in part a test to see how Trump would react and whether Putin/Assad would have a freer hand in dealing with the civil war?

How exactly should the Trump WH have acted? do nothing and see even more atrocities down the road? or do something and send a message certain things will not be tolerated?

One thing that should be clear is that the strike was a message not just to Assad, but to Putin, the fat north Korean kid and Xi Jinping. I don't think it is a coincidence that the strike occurred on the same night that Trump hosted the Chinese president.

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

all the statements on Trump flip-flopping ignore the fact that up until last week, we had been assured that Assad had no more chemical weapons which turned out to be a lie.

No, they just understand that the strike wasn't about chemical weapons in the first place, there's a difference.
I mean what next?
Trump striked because of the "beautiful babies" being killed?

Please...

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

Trump striked because of the "beautiful babies" being killed?

you actually believe that?

interesting...

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

you actually believe that?

interesting...

No, but many of his supporters believe this, just as all his other blatant and obvious lies.
Interesting indeed.

[Bilge_Rat]

not surprisingly...

Poll: Majority support missile strikes against Syria

A majority of Americans support President Donald Trump’s decision to launch missile strikes last week against the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, a new CBS News poll released Monday morning shows.

That same poll showed an uptick in Trump’s approval rating, which climbed to 43 percent in the survey released Monday, since last week’s missile strikes. Forty-nine percent of those polled said they disapprove of the president’s job performance.

On the question of Trump’s order to launch Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian military air base, 57 percent of respondents said they support the move.

(...)

Almost 80 percent of Republicans expressed confidence in Trump’s ability to successfully handle the ongoing situation in Syria, while 84 percent of Democrats did not express confidence in the president’s ability moving forward.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/0...strikes-237067

...the U.S. public approves the strike.

[ikalugin]

we had been assured that Assad had no more chemical weapons which turned out to be a lie.

But did it?

Was the investigation into the matter complete?

[Bilge_Rat]

Originally Posted by ikalugin

But did it?

Was the investigation into the matter complete?

you tell me?

wasn't it the Russians who were overseeing it and assured the world all the chemical stockpiles had been destroyed?

As Nikki Haley asked: are the Russians incompetent, fools or complicit in the attack?

[ikalugin]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

you tell me?

wasn't it the Russians who were overseeing it and assured the world all the chemical stockpiles had been destroyed?

As Nikki Haley asked: are the Russians incompetent, fools or complicit in the attack?

I was refering to the investigation into who used the chemical weapons. Who determined that it was Assad that used said chemical weapons?

The destruction of Assad's chemical arsenals was done by the specialist UN agency. We promised that Assad would let said agency do their work and we delivered on that promise. Thus US is more complicit than Russia, because either US failed to ensure than the relevant UN agency destroyed Assad's arsenal or conducted an unjustified act of agression against Syria, as it wasnt Assad who used the weapons.
But I guess if one could buy one republical waving a test tube in UN as a reason to commit acts of agression he would buy another republican claiming all sorts of things to do the same.

[Platapus]

[quote]A majority of Americans support President Donald Trump’s decision to launch missile strikes last week against the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, a new CBS News poll released Monday morning shows. [\quote]

That's great....if the majority of Americans really understand what happened and are not just basing their opinions from reading only US viewpoints.