JUST the Stolen Documents/Mar-A-Lago/"Judge" Cannon Trial

[old salt]

Sure, that is possible. I just don’t think Trump gave any serious thought to the consequences. Just my opinion.

After all we have seen from Trump for years now, it is just really hard to believe much he says. Or to believe his actions are ever motivated by anything other than what Trump thinks is good for Donald Trump.

So when situations like this arise, it is a serious problem that POTUS has zero credibility with most of America and most of the western world. That just was never a problem with any prior president I can think of -- D or R. Most think W and Colin Powell were wrong, not lying or stupid or wagging the dog.

So when reports like this come out, most people think yeah -- I could totally see Trump doing that. And can also easily imagine the Pentagon guys kicking themselves: What moron put the crazy option on Trump's list? Who thought crazy Trump wouldn't pick the crazy option? What the heck!!!

In the chaotic days leading to the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran’s most powerful commander, top American military officials put the option of killing him — which they viewed as the most extreme response to recent Iranian-led violence in Iraq — on the menu they presented to President Trump. They didn’t think he would take it. In the wars waged since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Pentagon officials have often offered improbable options to presidents to make other possibilities appear more palatable.

Pentagon officials reportedly offered US President Donald Trump a list of other, less-severe options for dealing with escalating tensions with Iran.
He was given the option to strike Iranian ships, missile facilities, or Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq, according to The Times. The officials offered the possibility of killing Soleimani mainly to make the other options seem more appealing, which The Times said is a common tactic US officials take with presidents.

Trump initially elected to strike against militia groups. On Sunday, the US military struck three locations in Iraq and two in Syria that were controlled by an Iranian-backed militia, The Times also reported. But, after protesters supporting an Iranian-backed militia stormed Iraq's US Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, Trump went for the "most extreme" option of targeting Soleimani, the publication reported. By late Thursday, the president had gone for the extreme option.

Top Pentagon officials were stunned.

I mean his own departed guys are the ones who call him an eff-ing moron

That is such BS. You don't include options of that significance & import, hoping that they are not selected.
Anyone in the chop chain who did not realize that such an option would appeal to Trump, is not smart enough to be in such a position.
They may have been surprised that Trump chose it, but you don't put an option like that on the table unless you want it done.
Gen Milley left it on the list. How many soldiers do you think he lost to Iranian EFP's in Iraq ?

[a fan]

Tell you what, though. This isn't the old forum, so we can wager. If you're right, and I'm such an idiot, how'd you like to make an easy $10K off of "a fan"? I'm wagering we'll still have bases and troops all over the Middle East next year. You in? Should be the easiest money you ever made, right? Trump is...how did you put it.....covering a retreat, right?
Wow. Looking ahead 1 year. That's a gutsy bet. More Instant Gratification for Mr Tactical Impatience.

Nope. More "old salt doesn't know how Presidential terms work". You're telling us that Trump is leaving the ME, and making fun of me for not reading the tea leaves. He's got 12 months left in his term to pull it off.

Want a longer timeline? No problem. If Trump wins reelection, let's move the bet to $20,0000, and Trump has until the day he leaves office to get every last troop out of he ME.

Deal?

And if that ain't long enough? Let's do $30,000, and America has ten years from today to close every last base, and get every last soldier and military contractor out of every single country in the ME. That's two barrels of my 10yo whiskey. Easiest bet I'll ever make. It won't even be a close call.

How's that for patience? It's escaped your attention, but we've been there for three decades. And nothing anyone has said or done will make me believe we're leaving in 100 years.

We're selling billions in arms to our Arab allies & training them to employ them, so they can defend themselves from Iraq & it's proxies.

Been doing that for 20 years in Afghanistan. Have we left yet?

At what point do you catch on?

[a fan]

That is such BS. You don't include options of that significance & import, hoping that they are not selected.
Anyone in the chop chain who did not realize that such an option would appeal to Trump, is not smart enough to be in such a position.
They may have been surprised that Trump chose it, but you don't put an option like that on the table unless you want it done.
Gen Milley left it on the list. How many soldiers do you think he lost to Iranian EFP's in Iraq ?

He keeps firing the competent guys, remember? Elections have consequences...

[Typical Lax Dad]

That is such BS. You don't include options of that significance & import, hoping that they are not selected.
Anyone in the chop chain who did not realize that such an option would appeal to Trump, is not smart enough to be in such a position.
They may have been surprised that Trump chose it, but you don't put an option like that on the table unless you want it done.
Gen Milley left it on the list. How many soldiers do you think he lost to Iranian EFP's in Iraq ?

He keeps firing the competent guys, remember? Elections have consequences...

He is duly elected so he can fire whoever he wants. It's not illegal.

[a fan]

We'll be happy to leave (again). Here's the bill for services rendered in saving your country from ISIS.
We'll even give you a special rate on spare parts & munitions for your F-16's. You're gonna need 'em for the ISIS comeback.

Ask Powell who thinks should pay that tab, and what the two words "Pottery Barn" means.

Iraq didn't invite us to come in and take out Saddam, permanently opening the door to ISIS. That was our brilliant idea.

[old salt]

We'll be happy to leave (again). Here's the bill for services rendered in saving your country from ISIS.
We'll even give you a special rate on spare parts & munitions for your F-16's. You're gonna need 'em for the ISIS comeback.

Ask Powell who thinks should pay that tab, and what the two words "Pottery Barn" means.

Iraq didn't invite us to come in and take out Saddam, permanently opening the door to ISIS. That was our brilliant idea.

They voided the warranty when they asked us to leave in 2011.
Had we stayed, ISIS would have been aborted in Syria.

[old salt]

Tell you what, though. This isn't the old forum, so we can wager. If you're right, and I'm such an idiot, how'd you like to make an easy $10K off of "a fan"? I'm wagering we'll still have bases and troops all over the Middle East next year. You in? Should be the easiest money you ever made, right? Trump is...how did you put it.....covering a retreat, right?
Wow. Looking ahead 1 year. That's a gutsy bet. More Instant Gratification for Mr Tactical Impatience.

Nope. More "old salt doesn't know how Presidential terms work". You're telling us that Trump is leaving the ME, and making fun of me for not reading the tea leaves. He's got 12 months left in his term to pull it off.

Want a longer timeline? No problem. If Trump wins reelection, let's move the bet to $20,0000, and Trump has until the day he leaves office to get every last troop out of he ME.

Deal?

And if that ain't long enough? Let's do $30,000, and America has ten years from today to close every last base, and get every last soldier and military contractor out of every single country in the ME. That's two barrels of my 10yo whiskey. Easiest bet I'll ever make. It won't even be a close call.

How's that for patience? It's escaped your attention, but we've been there for three decades. And nothing anyone has said or done will make me believe we're leaving in 100 years.

We're selling billions in arms to our Arab allies & training them to employ them, so they can defend themselves from Iraq & it's proxies.

Been doing that for 20 years in Afghanistan. Have we left yet?

At what point do you catch on?

Comparing the Gulf States of Arabia to Afghanistan -- at what point do you catch on ?

So long as we have 1 soldier there, you'll complain that we haven't left yet.
Compare our casualties in the ME, by year, since 2003 if you want a metric that really matters.
obtw -- Afghanistan is not in the ME.

[old salt]

Sure, that is possible. I just don’t think Trump gave any serious thought to the consequences. Just my opinion.

After all we have seen from Trump for years now, it is just really hard to believe much he says. Or to believe his actions are ever motivated by anything other than what Trump thinks is good for Donald Trump.

So when situations like this arise, it is a serious problem that POTUS has zero credibility with most of America and most of the western world. That just was never a problem with any prior president I can think of -- D or R. Most think W and Colin Powell were wrong, not lying or stupid or wagging the dog.

So when reports like this come out, most people think yeah -- I could totally see Trump doing that. And can also easily imagine the Pentagon guys kicking themselves: What moron put the crazy option on Trump's list? Who thought crazy Trump wouldn't pick the crazy option? What the heck!!!

In the chaotic days leading to the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran’s most powerful commander, top American military officials put the option of killing him — which they viewed as the most extreme response to recent Iranian-led violence in Iraq — on the menu they presented to President Trump. They didn’t think he would take it. In the wars waged since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Pentagon officials have often offered improbable options to presidents to make other possibilities appear more palatable.

Pentagon officials reportedly offered US President Donald Trump a list of other, less-severe options for dealing with escalating tensions with Iran.
He was given the option to strike Iranian ships, missile facilities, or Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq, according to The Times. The officials offered the possibility of killing Soleimani mainly to make the other options seem more appealing, which The Times said is a common tactic US officials take with presidents.

Trump initially elected to strike against militia groups. On Sunday, the US military struck three locations in Iraq and two in Syria that were controlled by an Iranian-backed militia, The Times also reported. But, after protesters supporting an Iranian-backed militia stormed Iraq's US Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, Trump went for the "most extreme" option of targeting Soleimani, the publication reported. By late Thursday, the president had gone for the extreme option.

Top Pentagon officials were stunned.

I mean his own departed guys are the ones who call him an eff-ing moron

That is such BS. You don't include options of that significance & import, hoping that they are not selected.
Anyone in the chop chain who did not realize that such an option would appeal to Trump, is not smart enough to be in such a position.
They may have been surprised that Trump chose it, but you don't put an option like that on the table unless you want it done.
Gen Milley left it on the list. How many soldiers do you think he lost to Iranian EFP's in Iraq ?

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/soleima ... d=68056126

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told a small group of reporters on Friday that within the last 90 days Kata'ib Hezbollah, aka KH, an Iranian-backed militia, organized a sophisticated campaign against U.S. and coalition forces that increased in intensity, culminating with the Dec. 27 attack on the Iraqi base near Kirkuk that killed a U.S. civilian contractor and wounded several U.S. and Iraqi forces.

Milley said that the trigger for the drone strike that killed Soleimani was "clear, unambiguous intelligence indicating a significant campaign of violence against the United States in the days, weeks, and months," and that the administration would have been "culpably negligent" if it didn't act.

The senior official said the U.S. military had the authority before Thursday's strike to "take that action" against Soleimani with a separate U.S. official saying the authority was given last Saturday by the president during a meeting with his national security team at his Mar-a-Lago Resort in Florida.

Milley said the administration fully comprehends the strategic risks and consequences of killing Soleimani but "risks of inaction exceeded risks of action."
"Is there risk? Damn right, there is risk, but we're mitigating it," Milley said later.

Earlier on Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the decision to strike Soleimani in a TV interview, saying that the commander was "working actively" on an "imminent attack" "that would have put hundreds of live at risk."

According to a senior State Department official, Soleimani had recently visited and was planning attacks against U.S. interests in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.

Asked what made these threats "imminent," as Pompeo described, Milley replied that it was the "size, scale and scope" of the planned attacks. But, despite Soleimani's death, the general warned attacks on American personnel and facilities could still take place.

Still, the senior defense official expressed optimism that the death of Soleimani "is going to be a significant disruption to ongoing plotting and planning."

[old salt]

That is such BS. You don't include options of that significance & import, hoping that they are not selected.
Anyone in the chop chain who did not realize that such an option would appeal to Trump, is not smart enough to be in such a position.
They may have been surprised that Trump chose it, but you don't put an option like that on the table unless you want it done.
Gen Milley left it on the list. How many soldiers do you think he lost to Iranian EFP's in Iraq ?

He keeps firing the competent guys, remember? Elections have consequences...

He is duly elected so he can fire whoever he wants. It's not illegal.

Pompeo, Esper, Milley & O'brien are doing a great job.
All in step. No personal agendas, no back biting, no leaks from them.
Trump's finally got a national security team, all pulling in the same direction
to implement the policies that got the President elected, rather than their own.
They might be smarter than Trump, but they don't feel the need to show him up to prove it.

Wag the Dog ? How dare the President respond to Americans getting attacked & killed & our Embassy being attacked, just to distract us from Nancy's non-impeachment ? Joy Reid told us this is would be Trump's Benghazi.

[Typical Lax Dad]

That is such BS. You don't include options of that significance & import, hoping that they are not selected.
Anyone in the chop chain who did not realize that such an option would appeal to Trump, is not smart enough to be in such a position.
They may have been surprised that Trump chose it, but you don't put an option like that on the table unless you want it done.
Gen Milley left it on the list. How many soldiers do you think he lost to Iranian EFP's in Iraq ?

He keeps firing the competent guys, remember? Elections have consequences...

He is duly elected so he can fire whoever he wants. It's not illegal.

Pompeo, Esper, Milley & O'brien are doing a great job.
All in step. No personal agendas, no back biting, no leaks from them.
Trump's finally got a national security team, all pulling in the same direction
to implement the policies that got the President elected, rather than their own.
They might be smarter than Trump, but they don't feel the need to show him up to prove it.

Wag the Dog ? How dare the President respond to Americans getting attacked & killed & our Embassy being attacked, just to distract us from Nancy's non-impeachment ? Joy Reid told us this is would be Trump's Benghazi.

I never typed the words “wag the dog”. You are lying. Who said the POTUS isn’t allowed to “respond”. No bottom.

[Kismet]

That is such BS. You don't include options of that significance & import, hoping that they are not selected.
Anyone in the chop chain who did not realize that such an option would appeal to Trump, is not smart enough to be in such a position.
They may have been surprised that Trump chose it, but you don't put an option like that on the table unless you want it done.
Gen Milley left it on the list. How many soldiers do you think he lost to Iranian EFP's in Iraq ?

He keeps firing the competent guys, remember? Elections have consequences...

He is duly elected so he can fire whoever he wants. It's not illegal.

Pompeo, Esper, Milley & O'brien are doing a great job.
All in step. No personal agendas, no back biting, no leaks from them.
Trump's finally got a national security team, all pulling in the same direction
to implement the policies that got the President elected, rather than their own.
They might be smarter than Trump, but they don't feel the need to show him up to prove it.

Total delusion on your part. They take their orders from the IMPOTUS which explains why they are there and all the others have left. In the past few weeks, 5 senior DoD staffers quit because they could not keep doing this BS for the Dope in charge.

If the plan is really to withdraw why is IMPOTUS trying to intimidate the Iraqis into letting us remain by threatening sanctions and sending them a bill for our costs to build infrastructure to support operations?

Right now all our people are doing is self-defense and force protection. No training, no anti-ISIS operations. We don't have enough assets to monitor all locations across the region.

"No amount of evidence will EVER persuade an IDIOT" - Mark Twain

[seacoaster]

Another view:

https://twitter.com/rezamarashi

THREAD: Over the past few days, I've spoken extensively with career U.S. government officials as they've worked around the clock to try and mitigate the damage from Trump's ineptitude on Iran. With their permission, I'm sharing a small taste from our lengthy conversations. Enjoy.

"We have no functional national security decision-making process in place. We have no plan for what comes next. They are woefully unprepared for what's about to pop off, and they're too stupid to realize it. People here are freaking out, and rightfully so."

"We're still trying to dig out from underneath the last war of choice, and now they're trying to start a new one. I finally cracked open the bottle of scotch you gave me that I've been keeping stashed away in my desk drawer."

"I'm gonna call you later tonight to talk through this so I can go into meetings tomorrow armed with some sane talking points to insert into this clusterf*ck."

"When did most of us find out about killing Soleimani? After it already happened. Since then, we've been trying to cobble together contingency planning on the fly, but these charlatans ignore most of it, and then Trump does more stupid sh*t that puts us back at square one."

"All Trump cares about is sh*tting on Obama's legacy, sucking up to donors, and distracting from impeachment. None of this is about American interests or security. He's surrounded by ideological lunatic sycophants like Pence and Pompeo. But they're far from the only ones."

So many of Trump's top advisors on Iran are military vets who served multiple tours of duty in our wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. They believe to their core that Iran is the reason why they lost those wars, and they're dead set on payback - no matter what it takes."

"They've been pushing to kill Soleimani for years, and they finally baited Trump into it. They think war with Iran is long overdue, so for them, this was a means to an end. When Iran responds, they'll tell Trump to hit the Iranians harder. You see where this could go."

"They know the Iraqis are gonna kick them out now, so they're gonna try to kill as many as possible on their way out. Iranians, Iraqis, whoever. Some of them are advising Trump to tell the Iraqi government to heck off and dare them to make us leave. I turd you not. Insanity."

"When I used your points about Soleimani's murder being a catalyst for Iranians to rally around the flag, they said that was 'Obama apologist nonsense,' and the Soviet Union forced people against their will into public displays of support. So apparently Iran is a superpower now."

"Trump is threatening war crimes against Iran, and none of his top advisors have the courage to publicly oppose it. Instead, they act like cowards and go on background with journalists to express their opposition. They should all resign. They don't deserve to serve this country."

"We have friends that are getting deployed into war zones, but for what? Trump has deployed 14,000 troops over the past 6 months, and it didn't prevent the current crisis. At what point do we start asking whether deploying troops is part of the problem rather than the solution?"

"The scariest part is that they're just making turd up to justify their preferred course of action. When we point out inaccuracies or question logic, we're at best yelled at or at worst cut out of the process. Most of the political appointees are paranoid, unqualified, or both."

"Last year, if you would've asked me whether American institutions are durable enough to prevent a Trump-led war with Iran, I would've said absolutely. Today, I'm not so sure. For as bad as it looks to you all on the outside, it's even worse when you see it from the inside."

"One of Trump's top Iran advisors got suckered into a honey trap, had their laptop/iPhone stolen and hacked before they woke up, and the White House refused to take precautionary measures regarding their security clearance. Ladies and gents, I give you the Trump administration."

[Typical Lax Dad]

Another view:

https://twitter.com/rezamarashi

THREAD: Over the past few days, I've spoken extensively with career U.S. government officials as they've worked around the clock to try and mitigate the damage from Trump's ineptitude on Iran. With their permission, I'm sharing a small taste from our lengthy conversations. Enjoy.

"We have no functional national security decision-making process in place. We have no plan for what comes next. They are woefully unprepared for what's about to pop off, and they're too stupid to realize it. People here are freaking out, and rightfully so."

"We're still trying to dig out from underneath the last war of choice, and now they're trying to start a new one. I finally cracked open the bottle of scotch you gave me that I've been keeping stashed away in my desk drawer."

"I'm gonna call you later tonight to talk through this so I can go into meetings tomorrow armed with some sane talking points to insert into this clusterf*ck."

"When did most of us find out about killing Soleimani? After it already happened. Since then, we've been trying to cobble together contingency planning on the fly, but these charlatans ignore most of it, and then Trump does more stupid sh*t that puts us back at square one."

"All Trump cares about is sh*tting on Obama's legacy, sucking up to donors, and distracting from impeachment. None of this is about American interests or security. He's surrounded by ideological lunatic sycophants like Pence and Pompeo. But they're far from the only ones."

So many of Trump's top advisors on Iran are military vets who served multiple tours of duty in our wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. They believe to their core that Iran is the reason why they lost those wars, and they're dead set on payback - no matter what it takes."

"They've been pushing to kill Soleimani for years, and they finally baited Trump into it. They think war with Iran is long overdue, so for them, this was a means to an end. When Iran responds, they'll tell Trump to hit the Iranians harder. You see where this could go."

"They know the Iraqis are gonna kick them out now, so they're gonna try to kill as many as possible on their way out. Iranians, Iraqis, whoever. Some of them are advising Trump to tell the Iraqi government to heck off and dare them to make us leave. I turd you not. Insanity."

"When I used your points about Soleimani's murder being a catalyst for Iranians to rally around the flag, they said that was 'Obama apologist nonsense,' and the Soviet Union forced people against their will into public displays of support. So apparently Iran is a superpower now."

"Trump is threatening war crimes against Iran, and none of his top advisors have the courage to publicly oppose it. Instead, they act like cowards and go on background with journalists to express their opposition. They should all resign. They don't deserve to serve this country."

"We have friends that are getting deployed into war zones, but for what? Trump has deployed 14,000 troops over the past 6 months, and it didn't prevent the current crisis. At what point do we start asking whether deploying troops is part of the problem rather than the solution?"

"The scariest part is that they're just making turd up to justify their preferred course of action. When we point out inaccuracies or question logic, we're at best yelled at or at worst cut out of the process. Most of the political appointees are paranoid, unqualified, or both."

"Last year, if you would've asked me whether American institutions are durable enough to prevent a Trump-led war with Iran, I would've said absolutely. Today, I'm not so sure. For as bad as it looks to you all on the outside, it's even worse when you see it from the inside."

"One of Trump's top Iran advisors got suckered into a honey trap, had their laptop/iPhone stolen and hacked before they woke up, and the White House refused to take precautionary measures regarding their security clearance. Ladies and gents, I give you the Trump administration."

He is not politically correct, so that’s good enough for his supporters here.

[CU88]

The Imperial President:

“If they do ask us to leave, if we don’t do it in a very friendly basis. We will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever,” Trump said.
Trump said the costs of maintaining an American troop presence in the country over the past years should be repaid by Iraq if the country chooses to rescind an agreement allowing them to stay.

“We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build. Long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it,” Trump said.

Lastly, Trump said he would not rule out releasing some of the intelligence that led to the US killing Soleimani.

Yep, Donald Trump threatened sanctions if Iraq tried to kick the U.S. out of Iraq.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump threatened to impose deep sanctions on Iraq if it moves to expel U.S. troops and said Sunday he would not withdraw entirely unless the military is compensated for the "extraordinarily expensive air base" there.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/pol ... 821255001/

Great.

First, this shows once again just how stupid Trump (and his supporters) are. Just plain moronic.

Second, Trump has fundamentally changed the U.S. relationship with Iraq. Two presidents worked hard to change the relationship between Iraq and the United States from an invasion and occupation force to one of alliance and mutual interest. Trump just made the United States an occupation force again ... making the target Trump put on their backs even more prominent.

Anyone who continues to support our imbecile president doesn’t really care for our troops under his command.

DocBarrister

So long as Trump appeals to their dream of getting the USA demographics back to 1950's levels, they will follow him to the end of the world. It's that simple.

There's been 13 attacks on US forces in Iraq (which saved the country from ISIS) in the past 4 mos (since the ISIS threat abated) by PMF militias supposedly under the command of the Iraqi govt. The Iraqi PM resigned in the wake of anti-Iranian & anti- corruption protests, in which Iranian consulates in the Shia holy cities of Najaf & Karbala were burned.

You are a Mission Accomplished guy.

[CU88]

The Imperial President:

“If they do ask us to leave, if we don’t do it in a very friendly basis. We will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever,” Trump said.
Trump said the costs of maintaining an American troop presence in the country over the past years should be repaid by Iraq if the country chooses to rescind an agreement allowing them to stay.

“We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build. Long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it,” Trump said.

Lastly, Trump said he would not rule out releasing some of the intelligence that led to the US killing Soleimani.

Mexico will pay for those bases!

China will pay Tariffs for those bases!

All of this r bluster on military finances just means more american bodies and blood on the ground in ME.

DEPLORABLE

[CU88]

That is such BS. You don't include options of that significance & import, hoping that they are not selected.
Anyone in the chop chain who did not realize that such an option would appeal to Trump, is not smart enough to be in such a position.
They may have been surprised that Trump chose it, but you don't put an option like that on the table unless you want it done.
Gen Milley left it on the list. How many soldiers do you think he lost to Iranian EFP's in Iraq ?

He keeps firing the competent guys, remember? Elections have consequences...

He is duly elected so he can fire whoever he wants. It's not illegal.

Pompeo, Esper, Milley & O'brien are doing a great job.
All in step. No personal agendas, no back biting, no leaks from them.
Trump's finally got a national security team, all pulling in the same direction
to implement the policies that got the President elected, rather than their own.
They might be smarter than Trump, but they don't feel the need to show him up to prove it.

Wag the Dog ? How dare the President respond to Americans getting attacked & killed & our Embassy being attacked, just to distract us from Nancy's non-impeachment ? Joy Reid told us this is would be Trump's Benghazi.

Dude you have issues, but at least you didn't sex shame these women this time. Or did you?

"All in step"???? You must have missed Pomepo on the talk shows yesterday...

[CU88]

Get ready for Hearings...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... iran-mess/

[CU88]

Now Trump's a bad CinC because he believed his intel community & acted upon their findings.

Trump believed and acted upon the immediate intelligence
as to Soleimani’s location. My point, which I think you understand, is that I suspect he didn’t even ask for input on the possible short and long-term consequences of the killing. He drove his Trump Truck into the kindergarten school yard without checking to see whether the kids were out at recess or it was Sunday afternoon.

So in your mind, there is no way that Trump's advisors had already determined and weighed the long and short-term consequences and were just waiting for the most opportune time to strike? There certainly was time to determine the consequences of taking S out, since the drone shoot down (6/19) and attack on Aramco in SA (9/19). Seems the attack on US Embassy was the "red line"... and with the latest intel (if accurate) all that was needed was Trump's affirmative nod.

Which o d advisor or Pentagon war monger added the destruction of Iranian Cultural sites to the target list?

MAGA!

[Typical Lax Dad]

Now Trump's a bad CinC because he believed his intel community & acted upon their findings.

Trump believed and acted upon the immediate intelligence
as to Soleimani’s location. My point, which I think you understand, is that I suspect he didn’t even ask for input on the possible short and long-term consequences of the killing. He drove his Trump Truck into the kindergarten school yard without checking to see whether the kids were out at recess or it was Sunday afternoon.

So in your mind, there is no way that Trump's advisors had already determined and weighed the long and short-term consequences and were just waiting for the most opportune time to strike? There certainly was time to determine the consequences of taking S out, since the drone shoot down (6/19) and attack on Aramco in SA (9/19). Seems the attack on US Embassy was the "red line"... and with the latest intel (if accurate) all that was needed was Trump's affirmative nod.

Which o d advisor or Pentagon war monger added the destruction of Iranian Cultural sites to the target list?

MAGA!

[old salt]

That is such BS. You don't include options of that significance & import, hoping that they are not selected.
Anyone in the chop chain who did not realize that such an option would appeal to Trump, is not smart enough to be in such a position.
They may have been surprised that Trump chose it, but you don't put an option like that on the table unless you want it done.
Gen Milley left it on the list. How many soldiers do you think he lost to Iranian EFP's in Iraq ?

He keeps firing the competent guys, remember? Elections have consequences...

He is duly elected so he can fire whoever he wants. It's not illegal.

Pompeo, Esper, Milley & O'brien are doing a great job.
All in step. No personal agendas, no back biting, no leaks from them.
Trump's finally got a national security team, all pulling in the same direction
to implement the policies that got the President elected, rather than their own.
They might be smarter than Trump, but they don't feel the need to show him up to prove it.

Wag the Dog ? How dare the President respond to Americans getting attacked & killed & our Embassy being attacked, just to distract us from Nancy's non-impeachment ? Joy Reid told us this is would be Trump's Benghazi.

I never typed the words “wag the dog”. You are lying. Who said the POTUS isn’t allowed to “respond”. No bottom.

Never said you did. Crybaby.
I was responding to your trollsnark about firing advisers who resist or undermine his policies.
Didn't feel like doing 2 posts.