April 30, 2018

Trump is "just asking."

"Numerous countries are being considered for the MEETING, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the Border of North & South Korea, be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!"

Tweeted here. Just after this:
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is DEAD as we know it. This was a total disaster and an embarrassment to our great Country and all that it stands for. FAKE NEWS is alive and well and beautifully represented on Saturday night!
I like how he's in "just asking" mode about a decision he's involved in making, and in stark pronouncement mode about something he has no control over. He's not just asking, he's blatantly asserting "The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is DEAD"... which, of course, isn't true, so his critics have a perfectly easy riposte: He's complaining about "FAKE NEWS" even as he emits fake news. 

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner might be dying. To use a Trump phrase: We'll see what happens. It could be revived, with last Saturday's low point showing the way to a new, better politicians-and-journalists-gala-love/hate fest.

But he did add the phrase "as we know it" — "DEAD as we know it." Those are some first-class weasel words. I'm surprised to see him indulging in that sort of candy-ass verbosity. Dead is dead. Don't dabble in zombieism.

183 comments:

Limited blogger said...

WHCD is dead.

Peace on Korean pennisula is alive!

Just sayin'

Drago said...

On the border would be symbolically important.

I do not wish for the WHCD to go away. There is no reason that the democrat/lefty MSM should not get together with the democrat/lefty/LLR partisans whom are their natural allies, their best buddies, their "insider leak" sources, their vacation partners, to trash everything that is not like them.

I think it is very, very healthy for the nation to witness that in real time.

In fact, I wish there were one every week.

dreams said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ann Althouse said...

The tweet before those in the post was: "Headline: “Kim Prepared to Cede Nuclear Weapons if U.S. Pledges Not to Invade” - from the Failing New York Times. Also, will shut down Nuclear Test Site in May."

I'd just blogged about Kim Kardashian, so I was thinking about her as I read "Kim Prepared to Cede..."

Michael K said...

Close the Press Room. It used to be the White House swimming pool.

Nobody from the White House go to the dinner next year,

Nonapod said...

Quibbling about semantics in a Trump Tweet is weird, but I'll bite. Let's be pedants together.

Is The White House Correspondents’ Dinner DEAD? (Obviously) Technically no. Barring some decision by whomever is in charge of the thing, I expect it will happen again next year.

But that isn't what Trump means, also obviously.

So does Trump declaring that the Correspondents’ Dinner is DEAD qualify as FAKE NEWS? I wasn't aware that Trump was a journalist. Can a non journalist report FAKE NEWS? I guess that depends on what you think FAKE NEWS is.

JPS said...

Some decades from now, I'm going to be very interested to read about what went on behind the scenes to produce this diplomatic moment.

Here's hoping I'll look back and say, Still can't believe it was real.

rhhardin said...

By whoever is in charge

traditionalguy said...

That French peace tree can be replanted at the DMZ while he's at it.

The magnificent Bastard is tweeting this out to the entire world that they are asked to be a part of the PEACE celebration. And that is way more important than a Scandivavian Prize. (Remember, the Deal they are celebrating has been in place since last December.)

Sebastian said...

"with last Saturday's low point showing the way to a new, better politicians-and-journalists-gala-love/hate fest"

It's perfect as is: progs displaying their hate when a GOPer is in power, TDS in full flower with a nice dose of prog sexism. The hybrid love Dems/hate Trump precedent under O was messy.

traditionalguy said...

That Correspondent's could make a come back if the Deep State owned media will just have it catered by Comet Pizza. Obama will donate $65,000 for the hotdogs.

Curious George said...

"But he did add the phrase "as we know it" — "DEAD as we know it." Those are some first-class weasel words. I'm surprised to see him indulging in that sort of candy-ass verbosity. Dead is dead. Don't dabble in zombieism."

Nothing weaselly about it. Trump knows the event will go on. But it's original intent and rewsulting style is and has been dead for a while.

Nonapod said...

You win. I guess if I'm gonna be a pedant, I should at least use whoever/whomever correctly.

rhhardin said...

FAKE NEWS is about the newsreader voice while spinning.

Birkel said...

If a dead tree paper falls in the woods, would anybody hear the reporters scream?
Asking for a friend at The Denver Post.

The WHCD is dead if Republicans ignore it.
As another partisan affair it will have no influence.

BarrySanders20 said...

It's the End of the World As We Know It -REM

Team by team, reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped
. . .

World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed
Tell me with the Rapture and the reverent in the right, right
You vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light
Feeling pretty psyched

It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"Leave them to it" is often the best, and most effective, strategy. The timing is learned in childhood.

Chuck said...

Unclear, noncommittal, weasel-worded candy-ass verbosity is a way of life for Trump.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

But if, like the Left, you can't leave others alone, then you can always be made to wriggle on the hook.

AllenS said...

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is DEAD as we know it

Let me explain that to you. The WHCD is DEAD for the next two years and hopefully for six years. If a Democrat is elected, then the WHCD will take off again bashing Conservatives and Republicans.

Curious George said...

"dead as we know it" is so common an expression used as trump used it, that it produces almost 87 million google returns.

Hagar said...

Trump may suggest to Kim that: We have so much to discuss, and it is going to take a while. Why don't you start with opening your border a little meanwhile, and we can see how you get along with your relatives in South Korea before we make any big decisions among us two?

Achilles said...

Substitute Democrat Party for WHCD and the tweet would also be accurate.

They will stumble and fumble around a bit before the recriminations begin. But the night of the long knives approaches. The only ones not going to jail are the narcs and we know how popular they are.

Drago said...

"Brian Stelter Republican" Chuck: "Unclear, noncommittal, weasel-worded candy-ass verbosity is a way of life for Trump."

LOL

That is just perfect.

Michele Wolf could not have said it better. Well, perhaps Maddow.

Drago said...

If you think that "Jen Rubin republican" Chuck is going to let criticism of lefties/dems at the WHCD go by without a strong attempt to deflect back to Trump, well, then you haven't been paying much attention to the "performance" of "Bowe Bergdahl republican" Chuck for the past several years.

robother said...

Trump's right about location (always trust a real estate developer when it comes to location). I can't imagine visiting Appomattox Courthouse in another country.

robother said...

As for dead as we know it, Nerd Prom without the Hollywood/Left Comedian Headliner isn't even Zombie Prom.

walter said...

Altparse in overdrive...

Limited blogger said...

In the 'Korean Great Hall of Peace', will Trump's bust be slightly higher than Kim and Moon's?

Drago said...

You know, thinking back to before the election, one is struck by the good humor and fun and laughter that always seemed to emanate from LLR Chuck's postings.

That is, when it was "clear" that "Hillary could not lose" AND it was likely the dems were going to take the Senate and there was a chance that dems could challenge for the House, #StrongDurbinDefender Chuck was in the best of moods at all times.

However, once the Dems got shellacked and Trump won the White House LLR Chuck's behavior, tone and language has become indistinguishable from your common antifa leftist.

You should feel free to draw obvious and inescapable conclusions.

readering said...

1st WHCA dinner 1921. Safe bet 2021 dinner will be attended by POTUS.

Drago said...

Limited blogger: "In the 'Korean Great Hall of Peace', will Trump's bust be slightly higher than Kim and Moon's?"

Bust?

How about a 100' statue of Trump straddling the border with his arms reaching out to both North and South.

Of course, in about 100 years groups of long-ago reunited Korea citizens who identify as leftist and Korean LLR's will gather to demand this symbol of cultural imperialism be torn down!!

But for 100 years the Trump statue will have a good run.

Drago said...

readering: "Safe bet 2021 dinner will be attended by POTUS"

LOL

2016 never happened.

wwww said...


Don't bring in comedians until after the Trump era unless they can find a family-friendly brand comic.

Yeah, they should have done more research. Apparently she's harshly gone after Clinton, so maybe they thought she'd do more of a bipartisan roast. But they could have better gauged her family-friendly quotient.

Comedians will cater to their audience. Their audience is not the people at this dinner. He's won't care if he offends or bombs in that room unless his brand is "family friendly." He will care about his netfik audience or the # of clicks/ circulation on twitter.

n.n said...

The lack of decency, viability, and a measure of objectivity, suggests that WHCD should be Planned.

Howard said...

Another example how Trump works in non-conventional ways in this recent Freakonomics Podcast, Trump's chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, explains the thinking behind the controversial new Republican tax package — and why its critics are wrong.

Hassett also describes how Trump works, using the wisdom of crowds by asking everybody what they think, changing his mind a lot, etc.

Drago, you gotta listen, you will love it.

walter said...

n.n.,
What? That abortion joke she did was just for you. She went through allll her abortion jokes to select the best one.

Drago said...

BTW, anyone else paying attention to the strike last night in Syria that no doubt whacked a few of the Iranian IRGC members in Syria?

On top of the Russian mercenaries that went "poof" when they dared to approach US forces under a Commander in Chief very different from LLR Chuck's "magnificent" obama?

On top of the Saudi Prince's statements regarding the Arabs?

Pompeo and Kushner have certainly been very busy yet very quiet little beavers haven't they?

Interesting times.

The fun part will be seeing how LLR Chuck spins these changes in policy and outcomes to the dems advantage.

We'll be paying close attention to that.

walter said...

She thought calling it a "baby" would please you..

buwaya said...

Zombies are a good analogy.
Great numbers of zombies about lately, and they are indeed eating brains.

Jupiter said...

There was a time -- I remember it -- when the WHCD was an affair in which reporters who covered the White House met with its occupant for an evening of frivolity. The humor could be sharp because there was mutual respect and also a sense of "We're the Big Kids". We're the insiders, and we know a lot of what goes on in DC is just for show. The MSM has always been utterly corrupt, but it used to be utterly corrupt in the service of the President, hiding Roosevelt's physical debility and Kennedy's moral incapacity. That corruption is now deployed in the service of the criminal Left. There is no reason for an honest President to dignify it with his presence. Maybe they should invite Chuck.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Leftwinger nerd prom lives! It lives! Run for your lives.

Drago said...

Jupiter: "Maybe they should invite Chuck"

Never gonna happen. LLR Chuck's anti-Trump bias would cause the lefties to blush.

Jupiter said...

Drago said...

"2016 never happened."

Heh. And never will!

gspencer said...

Because the Kims have always feared air travel - because they might get shot down - doesn't that pretty much limit where this thing can be held. Though Japan is close, it's a non-starter because the way the Japanese have treated the Koreans. Nearby locations in Russia or China are possibilities, as would be Alaska (though the Alaska thing might be unrealistic as Kim would have to travel by boat and he'd probably think he might be torpedoed).

bleh said...

Although I've softened quite a bit on Trump, I still find myself doubting his abilities. Mostly because of his idiotic tweeting, etc. So whenever something interesting like Korean peace talks happen, I tend to have two competing reactions: (1) Trump is going to screw this up somehow and probably get distracted, and (2) without Trump's strangeness this wouldn't even be possible. I also felt this way about the DACA talks, which appeared promising at first and then fell apart.

He's maddeningly effective and ineffective. It would be amazing if he could follow through on Korea and then, maybe, address the Israel-Palestinian issue (assuming Saudi will help him). No matter what happens otherwise, he would be remembered as a great president. A brash, lewd, arrogant jackass who has few principles but thinks he knows everything ... a palpably ignorant billionaire reality TV star ... and yet, he may end up accomplishing things as president that no one else could accomplish.

Drago said...

Howard: "Drago, you gotta listen, you will love it"

Looking at this now. Looks like I have to carve out an hour or so.

Are you talking about the Part 1 from 11Apr, or the Part 1 from 26Apr?

Achilles said...

Where are the anti-war protesters? Two large Syrian bases full of Iranian missiles got absolutely leveled last night. One of the warehouses full of missiles registered 2.6 when it exploded.

The left knows if the mullahs in Iran fall the Middle East will take huge strides towards peace. They can’t let that go without a fight. The mullahs have outlawed dollars by the way. Their economy is going the way of Venezuela. If Obama hadn’t treasonously shipped them pallets of cash they probably would have fallen by now rather than shipping missiles all over the place.

But that is the pattern lately. Trump cleaning up Obama’s messes.

YoungHegelian said...

gspencer,

Because the Kims have always feared air travel - because they might get shot down -

I think they see the fate of Lin Biao as indicative of just how badly things can go wrong on an airplane.

n.n said...

walter:

"What" what? She did abortion jokes, too? The acts, facilities, and the operators? Perhaps clinical cannibalism and recycling of the remains to advance medical science? Did she use props?

Achilles said...

Drago said...
Howard: "Drago, you gotta listen, you will love it"

Looking at this now. Looks like I have to carve out an hour or so.

Turn the speed on playback up. They limited it to 2x but it vastly improves the YouTube experience.

Howard said...

Drago: Are you talking about the Part 1 from 11Apr, or the Part 1 from 26Apr?

Sorry, I don't know. We listened to it last Friday on the way home from Tucson.

narciso said...

she isn't worth the bother

https://www.city-journal.org/html/long-nothing-changes-15870.html

meanwhile the Pakistani doctor who was jailed for helping us find bin laden, may be released,

robother said...

"Kim [Kardashian] prepared to cede...What?

Concede that her "reality" show is fake? That in reality, the Kardashians are a cultured middlebrow family that enjoys classical lite, a good book and badminton? That Bruce is (and always has been) Bruce, a straight as an arrow aging male athlete who was persuaded to allow his daughters to dress and make him up as a Halloween gag that got out of control, as often happens in sitcoms.

Drago said...

Achilles: "The left knows if the mullahs in Iran fall the Middle East will take huge strides towards peace."

Always be sure to include the LLR's along with the left as they are completely in thrall to each other these days.

The Max Boots and LLR Chuck's will not rest until all Trump foreign policy efforts are sabotaged and the dems are returned to their rightful places in power.

Drago said...

Howard: "Sorry, I don't know. We listened to it last Friday on the way home from Tucson"

Tucson to Minnesota? Or do I have that wrong?

JPS said...

BDNYC:

"Although I've softened quite a bit on Trump, I still find myself doubting his abilities."

Right there with you.

"Mostly because of his idiotic tweeting, etc."

I'm liking the advice to ignore what he says and watch what he does.

"So whenever something interesting like Korean peace talks happen, I tend to have two competing reactions: (1) Trump is going to screw this up somehow and probably get distracted, and (2) without Trump's strangeness this wouldn't even be possible."

I think he combines amazing instincts, sometimes good and sometimes bad, with ADD. I can see the combination working out amazingly or disastrously here. Here's hoping.

Michael K said...

It would be amazing if he could follow through on Korea and then, maybe, address the Israel-Palestinian issue (assuming Saudi will help him).

Are you aware of MBS telling the Palestinians that the party is over ?

"In the last several decades the Palestinian leadership has missed one opportunity after the other and rejected all the peace proposals it was given. It is about time the Palestinians take the proposals and agree to come to the negotiations table or shut up and stop complaining."
— MBS


The Palestinians have had no friends in he Middle East for decades. Their friends are all in Europe and the American left.

stevew said...

WHCD has jumped the shark would have been better, and more accurate. Perhaps he was concerned about the twitter character limit.

-sw

Howard said...

Tucson to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Mom's family were Norge's from Minnesota

Michael K said...

The Max Boots and LLR Chuck's will not rest until all Trump foreign policy efforts are sabotaged

I'm listening to Max Boot's biography of Lansdale and it is pretty good. Too bad he has a bad case of TDS.

Howard said...

Had a great day in Tubac AZ learning the history of the Pimas, Conquistadors, Padres, Miners, Farmers, Comanches raiders, the discovery of a land route to California, the migration to and settling of San Francisco, Gringos, etc.

narciso said...

yes, the anecdote about Ellsberg, and his run in with the Corsican caid, because he was sleeping with his moll, and conein and co, had to get him out of the country,

Drago said...

Howard: "Tucson to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Mom's family were Norge's from Minnesota"

Santa Cruz. Nice. Played a rugby match at UC Santa Cruz some time back. I was part of a military graduate school club from Monterey. I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the slurs and insults coming from the clearly professorial crew that was there cheering for their Santa Cruz club.

It goes without saying that we kicked their rears as the red diaper babies called us war criminals and baby killers. (not kidding)

They could not have been more of a caricature of what lunatic lefty professors are all about.

Achilles said...

Drago said...
Achilles: "The left knows if the mullahs in Iran fall the Middle East will take huge strides towards peace."

Always be sure to include the LLR's along with the left as they are completely in thrall to each other these days.

The Max Boots and LLR Chuck's will not rest until all Trump foreign policy efforts are sabotaged and the dems are returned to their rightful places in power.



The greatest thing Trump did was kick the neocons out of the party. They have been democrats for a while but now it is official.

Now when we want something done we use the full capabilities of our armed forces to make it happen. ISIS was a bunch of losers riding around in trucks with AKs. They are dead now because we got serious. No more COIN. God that was stupid.

narciso said...

Landsdale also hired fletcher prouty, who turned out had three scoops of crazy, in him, stone used him as his 'deep throat' expositor in jfk, and he picked Donald Sutherland who was sympatico with the panthers, along with jane fonda and the late peter boyle,

YoungHegelian said...

@MK,

The Palestinians have had no friends in he Middle East for decades.

What killed the Palestinian cause among the Arabs was the split between Fatah & Hamas. Hamas developed as a reaction against the uselessness & corruption of the Fatah leadership. Hamas soon discovered they had no backing among the Sunni Arab states who were not going to ditch Fatah over something as "trivial" as systematic corruption. So, Hamas went looking for backers, & they found Iran.

It was at this point that the Sunni states shat a brick. It was Hamas' introduction of Iran into the mix as a major player in the Palestinian Question that doomed the Palestinian cause.

narciso said...

I don't recall how much of mark moyar's victory forsaken he used, because that was the ur text, that showed the flaw in the kennedy policy expounded on by harriman hilsman, and forrestal jr, that led to the diem coup,

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Numerous countries are being considered for the MEETING, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the Border of North & South Korea, be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!

Ballsy, if he is serious. Not sure the Secret Service would be too thrilled about having him in a fixed location on the border of a potentially hostile country.

DavidD said...

“It’s life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it.”

Michael K said...

It was Hamas' introduction of Iran into the mix as a major player in the Palestinian Question that doomed the Palestinian cause.

Their eager support for Saddam in 1991 didn't help. Palestinian workers were expelled from most of the Arab countries where they had been working.

narciso said...

in other news:

http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/260862/m-project-franklin-delano-roosevelt-jews

Michael K said...


Blogger Howard said...
Had a great day in Tubac AZ learning the history of the Pimas,


I assume you must have visited a few of the 1,000 art galleries there. There is a gallery for ever ten residents.

A lot of the "art" is not high art but it is a fun place to visit.

I have an 1860 map of the southwest and it has Tucson on it. Nothing around Phoenix. Tubac probably too small although it was the first Spanish settlement north of Mexico.

JohnAnnArbor said...

Hagar said...
Trump may suggest to Kim that: We have so much to discuss, and it is going to take a while. Why don't you start with opening your border a little meanwhile, and we can see how you get along with your relatives in South Korea before we make any big decisions among us two?


I can't find it online now, but I've seen a South Korean railway station list sign that names the stations on the route, ignoring the fact that the ones north of a certain point are inaccessible as the line was cut in 1950.

It's kind of cute. Future stops on the line. Shows hope.

Scott said...

She declares it "fake news." She does not explain why it's "fake."

It's a fake controversy.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

That photo opp has already been done, and even though President Trump wishes he had been in it, he needs to top that. He should go Eisenhower one better. “I shall go to North Korea.” Offer Kim the olive branch in his own capital on his own turf.

jaydub said...

"Unclear, noncommittal, weasel-worded candy-ass verbosity is a way of life for Trump."

Chuck, you're such a fool. Trump doesn't have the power (or the inclination) to cancel the WHCD, but he can sure make it is dead as we have known it simply by ensuring that no one from the WH participates. Who are the roasters going to roast face-to-face if the WH ignores the dinner. Or, more directly, how would the dinner be different from the usual WH correspondents' daily Trump bashing spectacle in the WH briefing room? In fact, he would find a way to help them stage it were they to pull the plug on their own. Have you checked the reviews from last night? If so, even you could likely explain who won and why keeping it going would not be a good strategy for Trump? Even you, that is, if you were not such a fool.

narayanan said...

"Ballsy, if he is serious. Not sure the Secret Service would be too thrilled about having him in a fixed location on the border of a potentially hostile country."

compare to Obama 'huddling' in situation room??!!

Yancey Ward said...

I think the meeting is likely to take place in the DMZ, and should. The only other option I see is for it to take place in China, which would also be appropriate.

Nonapod said...

Somehow I suspect Trump would be pretty safe even if he were to physically go into North Korea (not that I think he should or needs to). A US president being assassinated or held hostage would be Very Bad for North Korea.

Drago said...

Howard, just finished listening to the 1st part.

Very interesting. Particularly how Trump interacts with his staff, their data, his intuition and the outcomes.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Nonapod said...

Somehow I suspect Trump would be pretty safe even if he were to physically go into North Korea (not that I think he should or needs to). A US president being assassinated or held hostage would be Very Bad for North Korea.

True. On the other hand, Kim's reasoning might go like this:

If I make peace with South Korea, I stand a pretty good chance of winning a Nobel Peace Prize.
If I manage to take out Trump, a Nobel Peace Prize is guaranteed.

He would not be wrong.

langford peel said...

The God Emperor would be much safer in North Korea than he would be in a room full of Democrats and journalists.

In fact if there is an attempt on his life I am convinced it will be with the help of a journalist. They will give the person attempting the hit a press pass or something. Then claim they had no idea.

Kim is an adversary of the United States who seems to finally want peace.

The press is the enemy of the American People and a deadly corrupt enemy of the God Emperor.

Bruce Hayden said...

“The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is DEAD as we know it.”

Jumping the shark - apparently four CNN “reporters” got an award there for breaking the Steele Dossier story. Of course, everyone ignored that it was political opposition research paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, that the scurrilous portions in it are still uncorroborated, while certain portions have been proven to be false, and that the disclosure was a complete setup. Because it was so scurrilous and uncorroborated, none of the media outlets would run it. They needed a “hook”. The answer to that was that DNI Clapper asked Comey to brief PE Trump, and when he reported that he had done that, Clapper called up his contact at CNN, and told them that Trump had been briefed in the Dossier by the FBI. With their (Clapper supplied) “hook” (that PE Trump had been briefed on the Dossier), CNN ran the story, then later hired Clapper as an analyst. And, for that, CNN “reporters” were given an award at the dinner.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“The greatest thing Trump did was kick the neocons out of the party. They have been democrats for a while but now it is official.”

LOL. NSA, John Bolton.

Drago said...

Inga: "NSA, John Bolton."

LOL

Inga actually thinks Bolton is aligned with the dems.

Astonishing take...or perhaps not. Given that it is her.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu presents the evidence of the massive lie obama/kerry/clinton sold to the US all just to get $150Billion transferred to Iran and allow the Iranians to accelerate their nuke program.

Well, apparently, after last nights attack in Syria against a major IRGC base, there is clearly a new "sheriff in town" who isn't about to go coddling the Mad Mullahs like obama the "Lightbringer" did.

Finally.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Inga actually thinks Bolton is aligned with the dems.”

Um...no. Bolton is a neocon. Thst was my point. What’s astonishing is that you think I consider him to be aligned with Democrats.

Drago said...

Bruce Hayden: "Jumping the shark - apparently four CNN “reporters” got an award there for breaking the Steele Dossier story. Of course, everyone ignored that it was political opposition research paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, that the scurrilous portions in it are still uncorroborated, while certain portions have been proven to be false, and that the disclosure was a complete setup."

Indeed.

In summary (h/t Sean Davis):

Clapper leaks to CNN.
Clapper tells Comey to brief Trump.
Comey briefs Trump on dossier b/c "CNN wants a news hook."
Clapper tells CNN about briefing.
CNN reports on briefing to validate unverified dossier.
BuzzFeed publishes dossier.

Earlier, under oath Clapper testimony to congress:

MR. ROONEY: Did you discuss the dossier or any other intelligence related to Russia hacking of the 2016 election with journalists?

MR. CLAPPER: No.


And now CNN hires Clapper. And Clapper, the dossier leaker, appears on Tappers show (whom Clapper leaked to) and where Tapper then allows Clapper to state on the air that he (Clapper) never leaked to the media, even though he was saying this on air to the very person he had leaked to (Tapper).

Tell us CNN, is that a banana, or an apple?

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“They have been democrats for a while but now it is official.”

This is a quote from your buddy Achilles, not me.

Drago said...

Inga: "Um...no. Bolton is a neocon."

LOL

Well, it certainly doesn't look like he's pursuing any neocon-ish policies now, does he?

Get back with us when a neocon-ish policy is put forward.

Looks like the Bolton is full speed ahead on the Trump Not-neocon policy.

.......And another Lefty talking point bites the dust.

And in record time.

Not bad really.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Well, it certainly doesn't look like he's pursuing any neocon-ish policies now, does he?”

Give him time.

Ken B said...

Who thinks just asking is a rhetorical flourish? Just asking.
Who thinks Chuck is a life long Republican? Just asking.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

Drago, I see you’re excitable again today. Slow down and take a breath.

Drago said...

And now that Netanyahu and Pompeo and the rest of our newly resurgent allies in the Middle East have blown the lid of obama/kerry/clinton's big Iran deal lie, the Iranians themselves, now that obama has already coughed up all the money and all the other goodies to the Iranian mad mullahs (naturally), have publicly announced that whether or not Trump withdraws from the Democrats "Lets Pay the Iranians to Accelerate their production of a nuke missile" "Deal", the Iranians are OUT.

Out baby!

The iranians were given all the goodies and now the jig is up, exposed, so no point sticking around now that the lie has been laid bare.

heckuva job Barry.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

Drago, 16 comments already.

Drago said...

Inga: "Give him time"

More than happy to.

It was the dems that didn't want to give him time.

Oh well. If at first you don't succeed, knit a p****-hat.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

17.

Ken B said...

Folks, Inga clearly cited Bolton to refute the claim the neocons all left the GOP.

Drago said...

Why don't you give us a count of TTR's posts from last night.

We'll wait........

langford peel said...

For once Inga is right.

Bolton is indeed a neocon. But he is also a rank opportunist and he will be a good doggie. He has seen what happened to McMasters and Cohen and Rex the Wonder Dog so he will tailor his views to the President in much the way that Kissinger did. He is the right guy for the job now because he wants to be tough on Korea, Iran and the Palestinians. That is not to say he will be the right guy in a year. Because when he is not the God Emperor will cut him loose.

He knows how his bread is buttered and he loves him some butter.

Drago said...

Ken B: "Folks, Inga clearly cited Bolton to refute the claim the neocons all left the GOP."

It was a powerfully constructed rebuttal and all but unassailable.

LOL

Drago said...

"He knows how his bread is buttered and he loves him some butter."

I understand he keeps a stash in his "stache".

langford peel said...

That's why Trump likes him.

His stache looks like 70's era pubes. Sort of reminds him of Ivana when they were first dating.

So when he wants something he can just grab him by the stashe. And he will let him.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“It was a powerfully constructed rebuttal and all but unassailable.

LOL”

“...Inga is right. Bolton is indeed a neocon.”

LOL @ Drago.

Drago said...

Inga forgot the rest of the quote: "But he is also a rank opportunist and he will be a good doggie. He has seen what happened to McMasters and Cohen and Rex the Wonder Dog so he will tailor his views to the
President in much the way that Kissinger did."

In Ingas defense, that is alot of words for ger to read and digest.


Usually, leftists are limited to slogans that fit on bumper stickers.

The important thing is for Inga to ignore what is happening on the Korean peninsula and the Middle East.

That way she and her ally LLR Chuck can pretend nothing is happening.

Jim at said...

A brash, lewd, arrogant jackass who has few principles but thinks he knows everything

As opposed to the 'smooth-talking, arrogant jackass who had few principles but thought he knew everything' who preceded him?

I'll take brash and lewd, thank you.

langford peel said...

Holy cow. Inga is quoting a guy she claims is a Nazi.

Now that's funny.

Drago said...

It seems like only yesterday that Trump was a colluding traitor and was going to blow us up in a war in NK.

Such were the fevered imaginings of the lefties and their LLR pals.

More sad than humorous really.

dreams said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Two-eyed Jack said...

Do people understand what a Roast is? If the WHCD is dead, it is because it no longer serves the purpose of a Roast.
A Roast is a bonding ritual, which, like many such rituals creates an emotional journey intended to create feelings of affection and union.
The emotional journey is created by carefully crossing a social line of safety. By repeatedly crossing the normal line of acceptable behavior, but holding back from outright personal attacks, the Roasters create anxiety for the Roastee, but ultimately show the Roastee that they can be trusted not to go too far and that, ultimately, they are trustworthy. The end of the Roast relieves the Roastee of fear and the Roastee will often feel a rush of affection for the Roasters, because they held back when they could have caused real hurt. The point of the Roast is to show that the Roasters respect social limits.
Note the difference between a Roast and a Burning at the Stake.

Drago said...

Two-eyed Jack, recall that the motto of the members of the Friars Club in NY, home of the Roast, is "We only roast the ones we love", which is true. Thats why that works.

langford peel said...

They could have easily got the guy who made his whole career about roasting and would have been a perfect pick.

Jeff Ross.

There has been a trend that is several years long of roast battles in Comedy Clubs. There is one that Jeff Ross runs in the Comedy Store in LA and a very good one I have been to in NYC at the Stand run by Luis J Gomez. If you go to Youtube you can see videos of these roast battles. There are tons of good young comics who would have done a far better job. Even politically correct ultra libs would have at least been funny.

The journalist turned this to shit just as they do everything they touch. This is prima fasce evidence why they should be destroyed root and branch.

buwaya said...

"that Trump was a colluding traitor and was going to blow us up in a war in NK"

They are still on the "colluding traitor".

The NK panic did its part.

What everyone misses here is that propaganda is forever. You cannot untwist brains once they have been tortured into in a certain state, there really is no such thing as a retraction or a change of mind.

The population, its collective mind, is a battlefield, permanently disfigured by barbed wire, trenches, shell craters, inundations and pockets of poison gas. So what if the armies have advanced and retreated and their positions shifted. The damage is done.

John Pickering said...

Ann writes, regarding the President:

Those are some first-class weasel words. I'm surprised to see him indulging in that sort of candy-ass verbosity.

Great Scott, can it be that at last Ann has noticed that President Trump's remarks often can't be relied upon?! What a promising development, one that I hope Ann will pursue with as much rigor as she does her copy-editing. (I note the affect/effect error in the "white people sweetie" post this morning.)

Of course, some of Ann's readers say that the President can't be accused of spreading fake news because he's not a journalist! Gosh, it makes one wonder where those readers think the news comes from.

Anyway, big kudos to Ann, hope it's a harbinger.

buwaya said...

Michael Oren, whom I like to cite on this, because he is one of the very few to even casually study it, has a lot to say on the lingering effects of propaganda. It is never simply said and done, even if it is a lie, and proven to be a lie, it still leaves a mark that persists over generations.

Achilles said...

dreams said...
"DEAD as we know it."

And so is our country unless Trump can do you know what.

Trump is clearly on the knifes edge. He has already made it farther than I thought he would.

It is at the point where I am starting to hope he might actually pull this off.

If there is peace in North Korea and Palestine he is untouchable which is why the neocons/democrats are going to sabotage it. The question for them at this point is how.

buwaya said...

"If there is peace in North Korea and Palestine he is untouchable"

GHW Bush (and James Baker) managed the "soft landing" of the Cold War, a far more substantial achievement than fixing Korea and the Middle East, and he got no credit (that mattered) for it. But he was a truly poor politician.

bleh said...

As opposed to the 'smooth-talking, arrogant jackass who had few principles but thought he knew everything' who preceded him?

I'll take brash and lewd, thank you.


Hey, me too. I'm merely expressing my amazement at how effective Trump's strangeness can be. He's a disgusting and ludicrous creature. But I'll gladly give him credit and argue for a Nobel if he succeeds in Korea. If he makes real progress in the Middle East and solves DACA, he should be a shoo-in for reelection. Heck, I want him to succeed, if only to protect the Supreme Court from the lefties.

Obama had terrible instincts and he surrounded himself with really bad foreign policy advisers. Obama was more knowledgeable than Trump, but his policies were just plain bad, and he surrendered America's leverage at every turn. That was his administration's foreign policy, in essence.

Nonapod said...

Great Scott, can it be that at last Ann has noticed that President Trump's remarks often can't be relied upon?!

No human being can consistently make remarks that can be 100% relied upon. Subsets of the "human being" categorization include US presidents, politicians, journalists, and garbage collectors. Some may even suggest that certain of those subsets may more frequently make unreliable declarations.

buwaya said...

"Obama was more knowledgeable than Trump"

Was he? I see no evidence of that. He has a knack of sounding like he knows what he is talking about, but that's not the same thing at all. Its a common mistake in all sorts of areas.

"Obama had terrible instincts and he surrounded himself with really bad foreign policy advisers."

This is so, if you assume that his objectives were the same. You may however just be seeing a difference in desiderata.

Jim at said...

They could have easily got the guy who made his whole career about roasting and would have been a perfect pick.

Jeff Ross.


Indeed.

My handle over at Ace's place is the punch-line of his greatest hit.

Jupiter said...

buwaya said...
"propaganda ... is never simply said and done, even if it is a lie, and proven to be a lie, it still leaves a mark that persists over generations."

The modern Democrat coalition is essentially the festering remains of a collection of Soviet disinformation campaigns.

Jupiter said...

I think it's a little early to be handing out Nobel Peace Prizes, although I guess that has become something of a tradition. North Korea is still a totalitarian fascist gulag death camp. Exchanging a couple bouquets isn't going to change that.

Drago said...

Jupiter:"I think it's a little early to be handing out Nobel Peace Prizes..."

Not in the age of Obama "The Lightbringer".

bleh said...

This is so, if you assume that his objectives were the same. You may however just be seeing a difference in desiderata.

Look, I thought Obama was a disaster. But I do think he sincerely, but naively, believed his foreign and defense policies would benefit America. His principal aim in the Middle East was to reduce both our presence and power -- basically to retire from the region. To facilitate Iran's rise as a regional power. To reduce Israel's reliance on the U.S. To "lead from behind" and support Islamic militants fighting secular dictators. Much of this was defensible as being in America's interest, I just disagreed and thought it was wrong. Obama may have had more "globalist" ideas about his and America's role in the world, but I think he genuinely wanted to do right by the United States.

Drago said...

BDNYC: "Look, I thought Obama was a disaster. But I do think he sincerely, but naively, believed his foreign and defense policies would benefit America."

I could not disagree more.

obama was out to weaken the US and pump up America's foes. Obama, like all leftists, believes deeply that the US is a force for wrong and needed to be brought down a number of pegs.

And every single policy of his and his administration is in complete accord with that assessment.

That is not a policy that comes about by accident or by naivete. It requires a conscious, dedicated and purposeful intent.

PackerBronco said...

Obama was more knowledgeable than Trump

Unfortunately much of what he knew was wrong.

Jim at said...

but I think he genuinely wanted to do right by the United States.

I appreciate your perspective, but I just can't agree with that.

If Obama truly wanted to do real, legitimate harm to America's foreign interests (which is my position) just what would he have done differently than what he did?

Drago said...

PackerBronco: "Unfortunately much of what he knew was wrong."

Never too early for a Reagan callback.

Jupiter said...

BDNYC said...

"Obama may have had more "globalist" ideas about his and America's role in the world, but I think he genuinely wanted to do right by the United States."

How do you define "the United States"? Obama had contempt for the Constitution, and I am fairly sure he was in entire agreement with Hillary's "deplorables" assessment of a substantial portion of the American people. Obama clearly believed that reducing America's influence in foreign affairs would be a good thing, and I don't think he meant "good for America". The dumb bunny may actually believe he is descended from Kenyans. It's a wise child ...

Achilles said...

buwaya said...
"If there is peace in North Korea and Palestine he is untouchable"

GHW Bush (and James Baker) managed the "soft landing" of the Cold War, a far more substantial achievement than fixing Korea and the Middle East, and he got no credit (that mattered) for it. But he was a truly poor politician.

Au contraire mon frere.

GHW Bush inherited this achievement from Reagan but did everything he could to botch up the world and our economy from that point on. He was just the kind of loser republican the globalists support.

GHW Bush made me a Perot supporter. He was the first of a line of lying douches the GOPe foisted on us.

GHW Bush was truly the first step that brought us to Trump. I guess we should thank him for that.

Achilles said...

BDNYC said...

Look, I thought Obama was a disaster. But I do think he sincerely, but naively, believed his foreign and defense policies would benefit America. His principal aim in the Middle East was to reduce both our presence and power -- basically to retire from the region. To facilitate Iran's rise as a regional power. To reduce Israel's reliance on the U.S. To "lead from behind" and support Islamic militants fighting secular dictators. Much of this was defensible as being in America's interest, I just disagreed and thought it was wrong. Obama may have had more "globalist" ideas about his and America's role in the world, but I think he genuinely wanted to do right by the United States.


He was caught spying on the Israelis during the Iran talks.

He literally shipped Iran pallets of money without the consent of congress.

He interfered in Israeli elections by trying to get Netanyahu defeated. He used US taxpayer money to try to throw an allies election.

After he got done spying on the Israelis he spied on his domestic opponents.

Yeah he was trying to do right.

Sure. He had a lot more flexibility after the election.

Drago said...

There can no longer be any substantive argument that obama/kerry/clinton did not know the iranians were cheating, with full knowledge of the obama colluders, with the intent to develop and deploy full capable nuclear tipped ballistic missiles.

It can also no longer be denied that the hostility, the pure unadulterated hostility, to Israel by obama and kerry led directly to the deal that was hidden from our Congress, US Citizens but okayed by obama/kerry and their UN henchmen to create a nuclear balance between Iran and Israel.

This entire ploy was designed to put Israel and other gulf states under a terrorist nuclear umbrella from Iran.

And the dems knew it all from the very beginning.

Achilles said...

BDNYC said...

Obama was more knowledgeable than Trump,

Where on god's green earth is the evidence for this?

Seriously Obama could not have been more of a mediocrity when you took his teleprompter away. He was in no way smarter or more knowledgeable than Trump is.

Saying this is just wrong.

Kevin said...

Isn't it clear that one of Macron's asks of Trump while in the US was to have NK/SK peace talks in Paris?

That would continue to affirm France as the diplomatic capital of the world.

I don't think Trump's down for that, putting Macron literally at the table with the Koreans and their Asian neighbors.

And as there is nowhere in Asia with (a) enough gravitas, and (b) not directly impacted by the talks, the logical place to have the talks would be on the NK/SK border.

After all, China, Japan, and Hawaii are out.

Angela Merkel would be next to ask that they be held in Berlin, near the site of the old Berlin Wall.

Trump is simply preempting all of that.

Kevin said...

Obama was more knowledgeable than Trump,

So the argument is that Obama was both smarter AND less capable?

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Saying this is just wrong.”

Maybe he’s a Stalinist...

Drago said...

I keep thinking about obama ordering $1.8 billion in actual cash, easily distributed for terrorist purposes, loaded onto pallets to ship over to the biggest terrorist supporting nation on earth.

Just keep that in mind.

And how did that conversation go when kerry was over there being the cuck holster for the mad mullahs?

Mullahs: By the way, we would like several billion in hard currency. Dollars preferably. Of course, that is on top of the $150 Billion to be transferred to us electronically while we continue, without hesitation or delay, to build our nuclear program.

Kerry: Sure, why not?

langford peel said...

What the chances that some of that money stuck to American hands?

Is that a better matter for an FBI investigation than a phony pee pee tape? Just asking?

Comanche Voter said...

When I think about the White House correspondent's dinner--and Trump's comments about it being "dead" I have to say that there is a certain stench emanating from the event. Lyrics from Loudwon Wainwright III's song "Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road" come to mind.

You got your dead skunk in the middle of the road
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
Stinking to high heaven

Take a whiff on me, that ain't no rose
Roll up your window and hold your nose
You don't have to look and you don't have to see
'Cause you can feel it in your olfactory

Achilles said...

Inga said...
“Saying this is just wrong.”

Maybe he’s a Stalinist...

Just Obama supporters.

Speaking of Obama and his traitorous supporters.

Illegally shipping Iran pallets of cash was treason.

Period.

langford peel said...

The was a crooked deal in there somewhere. Obama and his people got some money. It was Chicago style like those real estate deals that enriched him.

Of course the corrupt press and the FBI would never look into that. Never look at how Obama became so rich when all he ever did was community organizing, teaching and being a politician.

Drago said...


Barack Obama ✔
@BarackObama
Under the #IranDeal, Iran can't build a secret nuclear weapon. Learn more: http://ofa.bo/e52X

3:41 PM - Sep 3, 2015

And if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, period.

And there was not a smidgen of corruption during my administration.

narayanan said...

not a smidgen in weasel speak could actually mean whole lot of

narayanan said...

"no corruption" is non-weasel speak.

Howard said...

What I'm trying to figure out is what happened on Kim Jong-un's trip to China that turned him around? I gotta think we had someone like Henry Kissinger there on the QT. Was he bribed, Strong-armed or a bit of both? What/who caused the collapse at Nork Nuke Mountain?

heyboom said...

Chuck said...

Unclear, noncommittal, weasel-worded candy-ass verbosity is a way of life for Trump.

That "Unclear, noncommittal, weasel-worded candy-ass verbosity" is getting results no other president has gotten since Reagan. You used to be a Reagan guy didn't you?

Drago said...

Howard: "What I'm trying to figure out is what happened on Kim Jong-un's trip to China that turned him around?"

You are asking the right questions.

Whatever it was/is, one thing is clear: for the first time in 60 years the Chinese leadership now views the NK leadership as more a problem than an asset to be used to poke the west.

If I had to guess, I would guess it's a combination of these 5 things:
1) The Trump economic team crushing it in the NAFTA negotiations (massive China manipulation of the NAFTA agreement to route Chinese goods through Mexico and Canada to take advantage of "North American" free trade zone) which is cutting off the Chinese "work around"
2) The direct China/US economic talks where the US is driving a very, very hard line on the trade deficit and Chinese govt tariff and currency manipulation
3) Large US military build up
4) Increased US crackdown on Chinese hacking of US military/business secrets & technology
5) **Most important: They believe Trump really, really means it.

And we'll add this one and for this one we have to thank our lunatic lefties: the fear on the part of the Chinese, North Koreans, everyone else that all the over the top rhetoric by the left that Trump is a madman who could start WWIII is actually helping.

So, thanks lunatic lefties! Trump's growing success in the foreign policy/military arena is partially due to you!

Kudos!

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“What I'm trying to figure out is what happened on Kim Jong-un's trip to China that turned him around? I gotta think we had someone like Henry Kissinger there on the QT. Was he bribed, Strong-armed or a bit of both? What/who caused the collapse at Nork Nuke Mountain?”

I could see Jinping grab Kim Jong Un by the jacket and shake him saying, “You idiot, you blew up your mountain, now the radiation is coming our way. Now you’re going to do as we say, or else”.

Achilles said...

Howard said...
What I'm trying to figure out is what happened on Kim Jong-un's trip to China that turned him around? I gotta think we had someone like Henry Kissinger there on the QT. Was he bribed, Strong-armed or a bit of both? What/who caused the collapse at Nork Nuke Mountain?

Everyone knows Hydrogen Bombs are more powerful than standard fission bombs. They also produces a much "slower" higher pressure explosion.

People never really understand geometric math until it collapses a mountain.

China now has a nuclear Volcano on it's border easily within wind blown radiation range of Beijing. That is reason enough to start removing body parts from Un's fat little ass.

The Norks nuke program will take years to restart and their hope of having a nuke they could fit on a missile capable of reaching the continental US is done for years. Without a useful sabre to rattle Trump called their bluff and the Norks were well on their way to collapse. This makes them useless as a Chinese stalking horse.

Couple a radioactive nightmare with a humanitarian catastrophe ready to pop the Chinese made the rational decision to allow the peninsula to reunify so South Korea can clean up their mess.

Achilles said...

Also once it became clear Trump wasn't going to ship North Korea a bunch of money and Oil the cost benefit ratio for China crossed the threshold.

They had every reason to believe given Obama's treachery and Clinton and Bush perfidy that the US would continue to give the Norks stuff. Iran didn't have to try all that hard to get over a hundred billion dollars out of Obama.

It was worth a try but Trump called them out.

Howard said...

Blogger Achilles said...

Everyone knows Hydrogen Bombs are more powerful than standard fission bombs. They also produces a much "slower" higher pressure explosion.

People never really understand geometric math until it collapses a mountain.

China now has a nuclear Volcano on it's border easily within wind blown radiation range of Beijing. That is reason enough to start removing body parts from Un's fat little ass.

The Norks nuke program will take years to restart and their hope of having a nuke they could fit on a missile capable of reaching the continental US is done for years. Without a useful sabre to rattle Trump called their bluff and the Norks were well on their way to collapse. This makes them useless as a Chinese stalking horse.

Couple a radioactive nightmare with a humanitarian catastrophe ready to pop the Chinese made the rational decision to allow the peninsula to reunify so South Korea can clean up their mess.


Excellent, Thanks. Kim and the military and political elites must have been promised a golden parachute and assurances that he wouldn't be given the Muammar Gaddafi treatment.

Howard said...

So nice to see Achilles and Inga on the same page.

Howard said...

Drago: Great points about the NAFTA squeeze. Also, your and Achilles points also demonstrate that the globalists have been selling the USA short for 30+ years and Trump is betting on the come.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“So nice to see Achilles and Inga on the same page.”

Achilles is a closet Stalinist.

Achilles said...

Howard said...

Excellent, Thanks. Kim and the military and political elites must have been promised a golden parachute and assurances that he wouldn't be given the Muammar Gaddafi treatment.

I don't think they have any good options. They have to know that is inevitable at this point. No matter what Trump a Xi say it is still possible if not inevitable that a democrat will be elected president again. They just have a history of betrayal going back to South Vietnam and the killing fields.

Taking out Gaddafi like that had to be one of the dumbest things ever done in the history of diplomacy.

There many things that Obama and Clinton deserve to be executed for. But I am not sure if any of those things did more damage to the credibility of the United States than betraying Muammar Gaddafi.

Drago said...

Howard: "Kim and the military and political elites must have been promised a golden parachute and assurances that he wouldn't be given the Muammar Gaddafi treatment."

That cannot be emphasized enough.

Obambi and hillary getting Gaddafi whacked AFTER he had agreed to and followed thru on all our demands (which was amazing) was so supremely moronic its hard to put into words.

Achilles said...

Howard said...
Drago: Great points about the NAFTA squeeze. Also, your and Achilles points also demonstrate that the globalists have been selling the USA short for 30+ years and Trump is betting on the come.

It really is impossible to lose a trade war with someone you have a 500 Billion dollar trade deficit with.

tcrosse said...

Obambi and hillary getting Gaddafi whacked AFTER he had agreed to and followed thru on all our demands (which was amazing) was so supremely moronic its hard to put into words.

Which is why it would be hard to imagine any of this taking place if Hillary had won the election.

walter said...

Kerry continues to fight the enemy

John Kerry
‏Verified account @JohnKerry
Apr 23

John Kerry Retweeted Our Daily Planet

Thank you @ourdailyplanet & @MonicaMedinaDC for the great questions & for all you do to highlight the enormous impact that climate change is inflicting on our planet every day.

buwaya said...

"What I'm trying to figure out is what happened on Kim Jong-un's trip to China "

A meeting like Kim and Xi's is done for PR reasons. Xi probably wanted to demonstrate that he was calling the shots, and had Kim over to kowtow. Very ancient Chinese ritual, especially with rulers of its its Korean client-states.

A famous incident - Injo of Joeson kowtows to the Quing Emperor

Kowtow

Whatever was to be done was done before the meeting was arranged.

Bruce Hayden said...

“Obambi and hillary getting Gaddafi whacked AFTER he had agreed to and followed thru on all our demands (which was amazing) was so supremely moronic its hard to put into words.”

Two words: Sidney Blumenthal.

Howard said...

Blogger Achilles said...
It really is impossible to lose a trade war with someone you have a 500 Billion dollar trade deficit with.


Exactly. Also, the China threat is a bit empty. They don't have real allies of substance and they can't make anything of value without help and supervision.

Howard said...

Blogger buwaya said...
A meeting like Kim and Xi's is done for PR reasons. Xi probably wanted to demonstrate that he was calling the shots, and had Kim over to kowtow. Very ancient Chinese ritual, especially with rulers of its its Korean client-states.

A famous incident - Injo of Joeson kowtows to the Quing Emperor

Kowtow

Whatever was to be done was done before the meeting was arranged.

Thanks for the history, now tell us what you think was prearranged that flipped Kim

buwaya said...

"now tell us what you think was prearranged that flipped Kim"

I think the Chinese told the NK's that their subsidies (which have obviously been ongoing, though not too generous) would be cut off unless the NK policy radically changed.

buwaya said...

The point of public gestures is to make public what has been arranged in private.

Like the Olympic thing.

These things are effects, not causes. Thunder not lightning.

Howard said...

Yes, but the medium is the message... or is it the other way 'round?

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Uh, neither comedy nor humor are not dead, much less political satire. Trump was just born without a sense of it.

Michael K said...


Blogger Bruce Hayden said...
“Obambi and hillary getting Gaddafi whacked AFTER he had agreed to and followed thru on all our demands (which was amazing) was so supremely moronic its hard to put into words.”

Two words: Sidney Blumenthal.


It kind of epitomizes the Obama foreign policy,

Benghazi was more obvious.

Jupiter said...

Inga said...

"I could see Jinping grab Kim Jong Un by the jacket and shake him saying, “You idiot, you blew up your mountain, now the radiation is coming our way. Now you’re going to do as we say, or else”."

Whoa Fat has always done exactly as the Chi-Coms say. The question is why the Chi-Coms decided they don't want him jabbing pins into the Tiger any more. My guess is that he is the victim of his own success. When he didn't really have a deliverable bomb, the US could credibly deter his useless little ass. But when he showed signs of actually being able to strike a US city, the Japs and ROKs started thinking about getting their own deterrent. The Chi-Coms don't much care for that idea, so it's time for Whoa Fat to sing small.

Jupiter said...

Of course, Igna supposes that the Chi-Coms have been trying to get the Norks to stop building bombs for decades now, just out of the natural peacefulness and amiability all Communists and Muslims are known for. In Igna's world, the only bad actors are her fellow citizens. How does she fit that much stupid into one little pussyhat?

Michael K said...



Whereas Inga is open about it.

Come on, Inga. You have to up your game,

I know its tough with all this winning around you, but at least you could try.

Lewis Wetzel said...

A few years ago I read an essay by a Polish historian and old-time dissdent. His essay (IIRC it was the text of a lecture) was about how the premise of the Soviet system was that they had mastered history. Unlike previous civilizations, and especially the capitalists in the West, they knew how history worked. The future was no mystery to them.
Yet time and again they were caught by surprise by large historical developments. The great depression, Hitler's betrayal and WW2, Western prosperity after WW2, all required the Soviets to revise the future that they had predicted. Their Winston Smiths were kept working overtime. And then the Soviet Union, not the United States, collapsed, brought down by its internal contradictions. Which they did not see coming.
I suppose our progressives in the West will one, day, like the Soviets, experience the disorientation of seeing the future arrive and pass them by without noticing that they were there.

Lewis Wetzel said...

One wonders why Obama would stiff arm Sydney Blumenthal and yet embrace Ben Rhodes.

brian said...

As it turns out he was ask Dear Leader

John henry said...

Did anyone notice that north korea reset their clocks today?

Moved them ahead or behind 30 minutes to be in the same time zone.

Seems to me that after 60 years of bluster, this is kind oc of a huge step.

John Henry

John henry said...

Same time zone as soko.

John Henry

walter said...

Drago said...
readering: "Safe bet 2021 dinner will be attended by POTUS"
LOL
2016 never happened.
--
Hey..that chapsticquiddic Kennedy kid will be READY.

Michael K said...

eadering said...
1st WHCA dinner 1921. Safe bet 2021 dinner will be attended by POTUS.


Poor kid. Dreams die hard.

walter said...

(Kennedy might have to lop his dick off and go Dolezal)

Bruce Hayden said...

“One wonders why Obama would stiff arm Sydney Blumenthal and yet embrace Ben Rhodes.”

Likely, it was personal. Apparently, Blumenthal is the one who got the Birther thing going against Obama.

Interestingly, it is still going strong - saw a birth certificate yesterday that looked more authentic than the one that his campaign came out with in, I believe the 2012 campaign (which was many believe has been well debunked and discredited). The problem is that this new one is Nigerian. We shall see. Maybe.

gadfly said...

All these important details that find there way into the emptiness of Trump's mind! I shudder when I consider that the possibility of turning off the nuclear threat on the Korean peninsula is somehow being left to the bright and shiny brilliance of Donald Trump (he is really smart, just ask him!) and the killer he really respects, "Little Rocket Man."

And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no, no, no! I'm a rocket man
Rocket man! Burning out his fuse up here alone

Clyde said...

The WHCD may not be dead, but it certainly looks like it's pining for the fjords.