So people hear him talk as if he thinks he is the great and powerful Oz and still maintain that this guy is not suffering from some mental disorder or condition.
I know it has been said thousands of times before, but this is not going to end well.
Given that the "great and powerful Oz" was literally a questionably competent scam artist who casually denied the value of the people who would actually know what they're talking about? Trump may as well be that guy.
What is especially disgusting about this tweet is that after stabbing the Kurds in the back, he wants to take credit for what was largely accomplished by the Kurds.
I posted earlier that the US will never be trusted again until Trump is gone, I read an analysis that paints an even more disturbing and depressing picture: Trumps behavior will be used by anti-democracy forces around the world to argue that democracy is inherently corrupt, that its principles are hypocritical propaganda, that it leads to chaos, and that democratic governments cannot be trusted. In other words, Trump being gone is not enough; he must be held accountable for his corruption, or our nation and democracy itself will suffer for a very long time.
Not really an or, there. Firmly holding him AND those that aided him accountable will reduce the damage, but it won't stop it. He's something of a case in point on how to break a democracy. They have the methods to do it now, in other words. WE are the ones who seem to be lacking adequate countermeasures, albeit in fair part because of other anti-democracy forces (Kochs, Mercers, I'm looking at you) that have been working hard to corrupt the system for the benefit of the tiny minority via many routes.
This whole hearsay business is bizarre. Trump's own words incriminate him.
It's honestly not bizarre, though? It's actually standard right-wing propaganda tactics. Seize upon a minor detail, play it up, and use a twisted version of that to argue something that's literally the exact opposite of the obvious larger picture.
Anyways, in other random news...
Watch Out, Seniors: Trump Just Launched a Stealth Attack on Medicare, By Diane Archer
Really short version? Medicare Advantage plans have frequently been used by insurers to commit brazen fraud and the Republicans are trying to use them to push more of the burdens onto the more vulnerable elderly.
Moving on...
Journalist Says Customs Officer Held His Passport Until He Answered 'Yes' To 'You Write Propaganda, Right?'
Looks like this kind of crap is getting more and more frequent. **** Trump and the Republicans as they aid and abet this.
Looks like we have
a lead on what led to Trump's attempt to scapegoat Perry.
A group of President Trump's associates pressed Ukraine to install new management at the top of the country's massive state gas company last spring in order to benefit some of their allies, The Associated Press reported Sunday.
The businessmen and Republican donors touted connections to Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani while trying to funnel lucrative contracts to companies controlled by Trump allies, two people with knowledge of the plans told the outlet.
The plan was derailed by former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's loss in the 2019 election to Volodymyr Zelensky, whose conversation with Trump about former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden is now at the center of the House impeachment inquiry launched last month.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry took up efforts to install a new management team at the helm of the gas company after Zelensky's win, according to the AP.
Trump, casting light on other bad behavior as he thrashes about, trying to free himself from tripping himself up. Speaking of that, though...
Trump Orders Cut to National Security Staff After Whistle-Blower
Fewer people there means less chance of his frequent criminal behavior leaking, of course. Stuff like how Erdogan might have got Trump to withdraw from the Kurds with one Trump-crushing phone call. Speaking of the Kurds, well... It's already begun.
Turkey Strikes Kurdish Targets in Northeastern Syria, Report Says
Alleged attack comes after Trump decides to withdraw troops from northern Syria ■ Iran's Zarif calls against military action in phone call with Turkish counterpart
It's sad when friggin' IRAN is being more of an ally to the Kurds than Trump and the Kurd's official US allies are right now.
Also, well...
A top Democrat is sounding the alarm that the Trump administration is considering pulling out of a vital treaty with Russia
The Open Skies Treaty, this time.
In a letter sent to National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, Rep. Eliot Engel of New York on Monday said he was "deeply concerned" by reports that the White House was considering withdrawing from the Open Skies Treaty.
"I request your personal engagement on this matter to ensure that the United States does not unwisely and rashly withdraw from [the treaty], which continues to serve American national security interests and is particularly important as a check against further Russian aggression against Ukraine," Engel wrote.
Much like the missile treaty, there's really not much benefit for us to be had by withdrawing from it, even if the Russians are not always honoring it completely. There is benefit for the Russians, of course.