The Most Dishonest Administration in U.S. History

[bodysong]

"...the most dishonest administration in U.S. history,"

Secretary of State (Mike) Pompeo, who is a primary advocate for
a get-tough-on Iran strategy, then claimed that Trump had to act
to stop an “imminent attack.”

But the administration refuses to provide any public evidence

and members of Congress and Defense Department officials who have
seen the intelligence are skeptical. Indeed, it’s hard to see how killing
Soleimani would stop an attack that was already in motion.

It is impossible to take on faith anything we are told by the most dishonest
administration in U.S. history, and Pompeo’s smugness and truculence do
not help its cause.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...ther-war-with-lots-arrogance-little-strategy/

What is missing from the "the most dishonest administration in U.S. history" ?

Every American public servant that might refuse to join Trump's Confederation of Liars

Before Christmas, five senior Pentagon officials resigned their posts.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper's chief of staff, former Army intelligence
officer Eric Chewning, has delivered his own resignation.

Eric Chewning will be leaving at the end of the month.

Trump's Fuckery Involving The Military

Trump needed to create some cult figures to bolster and support his
subversive minions and conspiracy obsessed gremlins living in their
"own private Idaho "version of Trump's Alternative Universe.

Trump gave them -
Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher the sociopath that enjoyed murdering,
and a supporting cast - Lt. Cmdr. Robert Breisch,
Lt. Jacob Portier and Lt. Thomas MacNeil

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...retarys-attempt-make-private-deal-with-trump/

"Everything that Trump touches, dies"

(Making a deal with Trump, is a trap- you are fucked, even if you make one.)

November 25, 2019

Esper said that without his knowledge, Spencer promised the White House
that the SEAL could retire as a member of the elite force if President Trump
stayed out of the case. That outcome aligned with Trump’s wishes, but Esper
said that he and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
felt “blindsided” by Spencer’s back-channel conversations.

Spencer said that he would take responsibility for making the offer
to the White House without the defense chief’s knowledge
but that Esper’s chief of staff, Eric Chewning, was informed.

In Trump's Alternative Universe, Nothing is Sacred, Everything Can Be Subverted

Divide and Conquer-

Because Lies Beat the Living Shit Out of the Truth If Power Supports Them

I will never forget that Walter Cronkite lied to the public.

I have not forgotten that the military lied to the citizens of the USA.

Everyone knows Dan Rather told the truth.

He lost everything, despite that fact.

Dan Rather got in the way of some ugly ambitions.

 

[bodysong]

Yes, Trump is telling lies

The actual amount spent on military equipment since he became
president is much less, closer to $420 billion, according to Todd
Harrison, a defense budget expert and senior fellow at the Center
for Strategic and International Studies.

The rest was spent on things like personnel, operations and maintenance,
and research and development.

Trump made similar exaggerations on Christmas Eve, during
a phone call with Lt. Col. Daniel Wassmuth, the commander
of the 20th Attack Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base in
Missouri. Trump told Wassmuth that as of three years ago
“you didn’t have brand new airplanes. You were not doing well."
"And now you have all brand new.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-p...ding-readiness-potential-iran-conflict-looms/

The most revealing false claim: Military planes

Trump makes false claims not only when trying to deceive
low-information voters but when talking to people who
are experts in the subject he is being inaccurate about.
During a Christmas Eve teleconference with members
of the military, Trump told them that three years ago,
before he was President, they had to use old planes,
but that "now you have all brand new.
"
Members of the military are well aware of how wrong this is.
As of late 2017, the average age of an Air Force plane was 28.3
years. Trump's administration has continued to order new planes
since then, but "all brand new" remains false.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/04/politics/trump-90-false-claims-final-two-weeks-2019/index.html

 

[KeithD]

Yep, the Trump administration is the most corrupt one in history. Impeachment in Trump's first term, which is now a done deal, will provide a catchy index in the history books where all of the illegal activities and Russian-directed attempts to destroy the American system will be provided and assessed to Donald Trump. He's screwed in history and there isn't a damn thing the board Trumpettes can do about that.

 

[jomar]

Give him a Sharpie so he can explain himself with a diagram.

 

[bodysong]

"Had we had to do it [the invasion of Iraq] over again,
we would look at the consequences of catastrophic success -
being so successful so fast
that an enemy that should have surrendered
or been done in
escaped and lived to fight another day."

(George W. Bush, August 29, 2004.)

- (The George W. Bush banners claiming "Mission Accomplished" )

Who is Trump's Karl Rove ?

The campaign calendar indeed drove the timing of the Iraq War vote.

"The election was the anvil and the president was the hammer,"
said the official, who declined to be identified publicly talking
about internal matters.

After the March 2003 invasion, Rove continued to shape the White House
spinning of news about Iraq—a role that was ultimately pivotal in the
events that led to a criminal investigation of the White House. When
Iraq War critic and former ambassador Joe Wilson went public with
his claims that the White House had "twisted" prewar intelligence
about Iraq, Rove was incensed, and he plotted ways to discredit
and marginalize Wilson.

In a recent, little-noticed deposition, Susan Ralston, Rove's
former executive assistant, testified that Rove talked often
that summer with the vice president's chief of staff, Lewis
"Scooter" Libby, about Wilson and the role his wife may
have played in sending him on a CIA mission to Africa to
investigate allegations, later discredited, that Saddam's
regime was trying to procure uranium yellowcake for
its nuclear weapons program.

When columnist Robert Novak called Rove about an upcoming
column he was planning to write disclosing Valerie Wilson's
identity as a CIA officer, Rove confirmed this piece of classified
intelligence to his old friend. "I heard that too," he reportedly
said. More importantly, he volunteered the same information
about Wilson's wife and her work for the CIA a few days later
to Matt Cooper, then a reporter for Time magazine whom he
barely knew.

https://www.newsweek.com/karl-roves-iraq-war-role-98969

Fallout- the yellowcake uranium story was attached to one conman-
A liar. (All they needed was one to point to...)

Just heard this from politcal analyst-

"If the idea does not come from Trump, it is bad (in Trump's opnion)"
"If the idea comes from him (even if it comes from someone else),
it is good (in Trump's opinion)"

 

[bodysong]

Republicans have balked at the suggestion that President Trump’s
decision to eliminate the the powerful Iranian military commander
Qassem Soleimani had anything to do with the 2020 election.

It may, then, be quite difficult for them to explain this.

Trump’s 2020 campaign sent out an email hit Sunday
all about Soleimani’s killing.

"Written from Trump’s first-person point-of-view"

"... urges (Trump ?) (assasination ?) supporters to click through
to a link to share their thoughts on the assassination, as well as
their contact details."

bodysong comment- What us the purpose of this mass mailing ?

...Please take the Official Trump Military Survey before 11:59...

For the small price of your contact details, supporters can praise the
president for the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

- Jamie Ross

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-boasts-of-soleimani-killing-in-2020-campaign-email

 

[bodysong]

Cognitive Dissonance of Presiderp Twerp

“After Trump’s allies and members of Congress spent all night
issuing somber statements and dire warnings, Trump starts with
‘All is well!’ and ‘So far, so good!'” noted Politico’s Kyle Cheney.
“It’s the completely discordant tone from just about everyone else
in Washington, Democrat or Republican, that is most jarring about
this.”

https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/so...ts-out-baffling-message-after-iranian-attack/

 

[JackLuis]

For the small price of your contact details, supporters can praise the
president for the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

- Jamie Ross

The real threat is, the only way to avoid Big Data, is to disconnect!

 

[bodysong]

After the drugged- up (sedatives) photo- op with canned speech

4.10pm EST 16:10
Rockets falling in Baghdad, Iraq

Latest report, with details just trickling in so far, is of three
Katyusha rockets, commonly used my militias, have fallen
inside Baghdad’s heavily-fortified Green Zone and have
started a fire, police sources report, via Reuters.

The US embassy may have been the intended target.

Feras Kilani فراس كيلاني (@FerasKilaniBBC)

Confirmed the US Ambassy was the target but was not
hit directly. Two to three missiles were fired from the
east south of #Baghdad

 

[bodysong]

The speech- January 8, 2020

The top military brass surround the Presiderp, for post assassination photo-op

They looked exhausted, burned out, sleep deprived, and appear to hate Presiderp

(Presiderp is sniffing, again. His breath is labored. Behaves as if sedated.)

our adderall-addict-in-chief is sniffing up a storm at that lectern

— Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) January 8, 2020

And after his "speech" Adderall started trending on Twitter.

You may recall the bombshell interview by ex-Apprentice staffer
Noel Casler in which he spoke out about Trump's Adderall snorting
on the set of NBC's The Apprentice.

Trump is on drugs, whether we want to face it or not, he is
an Adderall addict and has been addicted to speed for decades.
Benzo’s figure in as well as the UK Sudafed he takes to control
those sniffles and for the buzz. This was NO secret in TV Production.

— NoelCaslerComedy (@CaslerNoel) January 8, 2020

Trump sure did sniff a lot during his appearance this morning.

As a person with ADHD who takes Adderall, I'd just like to say
that I don't slur my words and would never have toilerayted any
drug that made me do so.

— Kendally Brown (@kendallybrown) January 8, 2020

Trump's appearance was shocking: barely cognizant, slurring words,
tongue protruding, leaning on podium for support, clearly drugged-out
with massively dilated pupils from his years of Adderall and ephedrine
addiction

— Risky Liberal (@RiskyLiberal) January 8, 2020

Are his dentures loose? What’s with the sniffing? Is he still an adderall junkie?
Why can’t he pronounce words properly? What’s with his tongue thing?
Is he fiending?

— Angela Melini (@angelamelini) January 8, 2020

https://crooksandliars.com/2020/01/why-adderall-trending-twitter

 

[bodysong]

4.39pm EST 16:39
No casualties in Green Zone - initial reports

Still very few details about the latest incident in Baghdad. But here are a few more fragments, via Reuters.

Sirens were sounding inside the Green Zone. Police sources told Reuters at least one of the rockets fell 100 metres from the US Embassy.
“Two Katyusha rockets fall inside the Green Zone without causing casualties. Details to follow,” the military said.

Two loud blasts followed by sirens had been heard in Baghdad, Reuters witnesses said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...today-live-latest-updates-attack-us-base-iraq

 

[bodysong]

No matter how stupid, or how evil, you must follow orders of
the top commander...

Presiderp Twerp is the Commander in Chief of the U.S.
Army, Navy, and Air Force.

December 8, 2018

Washington (CNN)

President Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Army Chief of Staff

Gen. Mark Milley to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"I am pleased to announce my nomination of four-star General
Mark Milley, Chief of Staff of the United States Army --
as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing General
Joe Dunford, who will be retiring," Trump posted on Twitter
Saturday morning. "I am thankful to both of these incredible
men for their service to our Country!"

Trump said the date of transition is still to be determined.
Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, who took on the role
in 2015, is expected to serve out his term, which expires
later next year.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/08/politics/trump-announces-joint-chiefs-milley-nomination/index.html

President Donald Trump wrongly dismissed the continuing threat
of the Islamic State group and spread a false tale of the U.S. paying
out billions of dollars to Iran as part of the multinational deal freezing
its nuclear program in an address Wednesday that fell short on facts.

A look at some of the president's claims in his remarks on Iran's
missile strike on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops:

TRUMP: “Three months ago, after destroying 100% of ISIS and its territorial caliphate ..."

THE FACTS: His claim of a 100% defeat is misleading as the Islamic State still poses a threat.

IS was defeated in Iraq in 2017, then lost the last of its land holdings
in Syria in March, marking the end of the extremists' self-declared
caliphate.

Extremist sleeper cells have continued to launch attacks in Iraq
and Syria and are believed to be responsible for targeted killings
against local officials and members of the Syrian Democratic Forces.

As recently as this week, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said
the fight against ISIS in Syria was continuing.

IS controlled large swaths of northern and eastern Syria, where it
declared a caliphate in 2014, along with large parts of neighboring
Iraq.

U.N. experts warned in August that IS leaders are aiming to consolidate
and create conditions for an “eventual resurgence in its Iraqi and Syrian
heartlands.”

TRUMP: “Iran’s hostility substantially increased after the foolish
Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2013. And they were given $150
billion, not to mention $1.8 billion in cash.”

THE FACTS: There was no $150 billion payout from the U.S. treasury
or other countries.

Presiderp's Fairy Tale is Not Real

When Iran signed the multinational deal to restrain its nuclear development
in return for being freed from sanctions, it regained access to its own assets,
which had been frozen abroad. Iran was allowed to get its money back.
The deal actually was signed in 2015, after a 2013 preliminary agreement.
Trump has taken the U.S. out of it.

The $1.8 billion is a separate matter.

A payout of roughly that amount did come from the U.S. treasury.
It was to pay an old IOU.

In the 1970s, Iran paid the U.S. $400 million for military equipment
that was never delivered because the government was overthrown
and diplomatic relations ruptured. After the nuclear deal, the U.S.
and Iran announced they had settled the matter, with the U.S.
agreeing to pay the $400 million principal along with about
$1.3 billion in interest.

The $400 million was paid in cash and flown to Tehran
on a cargo plane, which gave rise to Trump's previous
dramatic accounts of money stuffed in barrels or boxes
and delivered in the dead of night.

The arrangement provided for the interest to be paid later,
not crammed into containers.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/01/08/nation/fact-checking-trumps-address-iran/

 

[bodysong]

Igor Bobic - HuffPost UK
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk › author › igor-bobic
Igor Bobic is a reporter who helps oversee The Huffington Post's
coverage of politics and policy in Washington, D.C

Igor Bobic ✓
Twitter › igorbobic

Mike Lee calls Iran briefing “probably the worst briefing at least
on a military issue I’ve seen,” adding that it was “insulting”
to be told by administration officials not to debate merits
of taking military action

2 hours ago

Booker says the administration’s rationale for the Iran strike
is “wholly unsatisfactory.” “I was presented with no evidence
about this threshold of imminence,” he adds after attending
classified briefing in the Senate

2 hours ago

2020ers spotted walking into all-senators classified briefing
on Iran: Warren, Booker

4 hours ago

Igor Bobic on Twitter: "Lee echoing Dem complaints about length of Iran briefing

1 hour ago

“They had to leave after 75 minutes while they’re in the process
of telling us that we need to be good little boys and girls and run
along and not debate this in public,” Lee said of the briefers,
which included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
Defense Secretary Mark Esper and CIA Director Gina Haspel.

“I find that absolutely insane.”

Lee fumed that the officials warned against even debating legislation
to restrict President Donald Trump’s authority to strike Iran —
blasting their comments as “un-American” and “unconstitutional,”
not to mention way too short.

“The worst briefing I’ve had in my nine years” in the Senate,
said the Utah Republican.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/08/republican-hawks-trump-iran-conflict-096233

“I went into this briefing looking for something specific to backup
the claim that there was an impending threat against Americans
or American interests. Speaking for myself, I’m nowhere close
to convinced that this is a real thing,” said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA).

“I didn't learn anything new. And that's too bad because they had
an opportunity to really educate us,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL),
an intelligence committee member.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/lawma...k-of-iran-explanation?source=articles&via=rss

 

[bodysong]

Presiderp dragged up the Obama payment to Iran, so
they could blame Obama for the missiles that Iran
launched, after he ordered a killing by drone-
(it is a good thing Presiderp's sycophants did not put
nuclear hit on Iran on the menu...)

https://forum.literotica.com/showpost.php?p=91773364&postcount=12

Trump attempts to pin some blame for missile attacks on Obama, outraging Democrats

January 8, 2020

“The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid
for with the funds made available by the last administration,”
Trump said in a claim deemed both misleading and far-fetched
by The Washington Post’s Fact Checker.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...e4af26-323a-11ea-91fd-82d4e04a3fac_story.html

 

[Rightguide]

Presiderp dragged up the Obama payment to Iran, so
they could blame Obama for the missiles that Iran
launched, after he ordered a killing by drone-
(it is a good thing Presiderp's sycophants did not put
nuclear hit on Iran on the menu...)

https://forum.literotica.com/showpost.php?p=91773364&postcount=12

Trump attempts to pin some blame for missile attacks on Obama, outraging Democrats

January 8, 2020

“The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid
for with the funds made available by the last administration,”
Trump said in a claim deemed both misleading and far-fetched
by The Washington Post’s Fact Checker.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...e4af26-323a-11ea-91fd-82d4e04a3fac_story.html

Cuz it's true. Obama sent them the money they used to build the weapons they used against us. What do you think the did with 1.5 billion, it went to the Revolutionary Guard, military, and Hezbollah. Obama helped to fund Iran's terror campaigns.

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/yes-obama-helped-fund-the-iranian-regime/

 

[YDB95]

Cuz it's true. Obama sent them the money they used to build the weapons they used against us. What do you think the did with 1.5 billion, it went to the Revolutionary Guard, military, and Hezbollah. Obama helped to fund Iran's terror campaigns.

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/yes-obama-helped-fund-the-iranian-regime/

Not true.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-...ama-funded-iran-s-attack-20200109-p53pyw.html

The US$150 billion is a false claim Trump has repeatedly made; it actually refers to funds already belonging to Iran that were unfrozen as part of the nuclear deal signed in 2015 after a preliminary agreement in 2013, and it's on the high end of estimates. Others suggest it's closer to US$25 billion or US$50 billion.

As for the $1.8 billion, despite Trump's repeated suggestions that it was some kind of gift to Iran, the money was actually owed to Iran thanks to a years-old settlement in an international court.

In the 1970s, Iran paid US$400 million for military equipment from the US that was never delivered because its government was overthrown and diplomatic relations ruptured. After the nuclear deal, the US and Iran announced they had settled the matter, with the US agreeing to pay the US$400 million principal along with about US$1.3 billion in interest.

And even your source says "we don't really know" what the money paid for. What we do know is Obama simply unfroze assets that were already their money, and he paid a debt in accordance with international law. Of course, we all know what Trump's fans think of international law.

 

[phrodeau]

$1.3 billion interest on $400 million? Why, that’s better than a 409K.

 

[YDB95]

$1.3 billion interest on $400 million? Why, that’s better than a 409K.

Trump wouldn't know. After all, if he'd just put away the money his father gave him, he'd be a lot richer than he is now.

 

[bodysong]

January 10, 2020

Trump Can't Believe His 'Wag The Dog' Attack
Didn't Make Everyone Love Him

He thought the country would unite behind him.

"Maggie, the president, we hear, is angry."

"Was he surprised that the House took that (war powers) vote?"
Alysin Camerota said to Maggie Haberman.

"He actually was surprised this was not more of a unifying event
for the country, which is what he expected it was going to be.
Something like what you saw around the Iraq war lead-up.
However, that lead-up came after a massive attack on U.S. soil.
It's not remotely the same," Haberman said.

Alysin Camerota (CNN) said-
advisers are saying that Trump doesn't understand
that his actions have long-term consequences.

"He's been very focused on the current time frame,"
said the access reporter.

Susie Madrak, author of the article, expresses herself about how
feels-

That's Maggie's way of saying he didn't know what the hell
he was doing, advisers are terrified by the long-term consequences,
but it's more important for the New York Times to impose some
sort of thoughtful and coherent narrative on his actions than it is
for the nation's top newspaper to tell the American people there's
a madman at the wheel.

(bodysong comment - wow

Presiderp had a fantasy about America having a positive reaction
as a united whole, to his (sudden ? *) decision to kill a man ?

Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani represented half of his country,
and had strong influence in the neighboring country of Iraq.

Did Presiderp have a fantasy of cutting off the heads of a dragon,
and getting applause for accomplishing such a venture ? Or, was
this fantasy fed to him, just as a list of actions to be taken in the
Middle East- including the choice to assassinate Qasem Soleimani,
was presented to Trump...

*Now, that the facts are coming to light, the move had more to it,
than just tracking General Qasem Soleimani, and making the call
to pull the trigger-

U.S. Targeted Iranian Official in Yemen in Failed Strike

The Pentagon declined comment on the failed strike in Yemen

https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/01/10/world/middleeast/10reuters-iraq-security-usa-yemen.html

The strike targeting Abdul Reza Shahlai, a financier and key commander
in Iran’s elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen, did not result
in his death, according to four U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...f86dbc-3245-11ea-898f-eb846b7e9feb_story.html

About the death of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis- was that some kind of
surprise bonus kill for Trump ?

Besides the fact, that Presiderp has continued to hew a divide
into the fabric of the American nation by his ceaseless attacks
on anyone that speaks against his horrible actions and ideas-

How could Presiderp possibly expect all of America to unite
behind the act of launching a drone at another country's leaders ?
Did Trump's advisors tell him about the possible consequences ?


(America, United- That train started leaving the station,
when Republicans made a pledge to block and oppose Obama,
on everything- Mitch Mconnell tossing President Obama's
reasonable, diplomatic pick of Merrick Garland, was the
last straw. 11 Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee
signed a letter saying they had no intention of consenting to
any nominee from Obama. No proceedings of any kind were
held on Garland's appointment.)

https://www.npr.org/2018/06/29/6244...errick-garland-in-2016-and-why-it-matters-now

 

[YDB95]

Trump Can't Believe His 'Wag The Dog' Attack
Didn't Make Everyone Love Him

I doubt he can ever imagine why everyone doesn't love him as much as he loves himself.

 

[bodysong]

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis

The killing of Muhandis came after a week of violence,
much of which was orchestrated by Kataib Hezbollah.
On Dec. 27, the group attacked the K1 military base near
the Iraqi city of Kurkuk, killing an American contractor
and wounding several American and Iraqi personnel.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad
was stormed, as a crowd of protesters set fires and militia
members tried to enter the embassy. On Thursday, U.S.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper warned Iran and its
"proxy militias" that the U.S. would retaliate.

Muhandis developed a reputation as being able to effectively
corral dozens of Iraqi militias into a relatively cohesive fighting
force. The reason he could do this, Knights says, is because he
had the backing of Soleimani. "Muhandis was a politician,"
Knights says. "He was an Eisenhower, not a Patton."

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/04/7936...commander-also-killed-in-baghdad-drone-strike

 

[bodysong]

Horse before the cart- a dusty, ancient expression

Trump and the Trump loyalists decide over the Winter holiday
and New Years break, to kill-

Trump orders the assassinations.

Then , they cook up a cover-story to hide the truth-

Trump’s collapsing rationalization for the Soleimani strike as ‘imminent’

January 13, 2020

A president who reflexively defends an erroneous tweet about
the nonexistent threat posed to Alabama by a hurricane cannot
be considered a reliable source of information on matters of
much more risk and significance.

Shortly before Trump reportedly authorized the killing of
Soleimani, then-acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan
introduced new restrictions on the sharing of information
with members of Congress. (But, it is OK for Trump to
blab on FUX TV during an interview, about it.)

The idea Soleimani was preparing imminent strikes against
Americans has been embraced by Republicans as a rationale
to defend Trump’s decision or to cast their opponents as
sympathetic to Iran.

(Were Trump loyalists rationalizing their plans to assassinate leaders
centered around this ?-

the threat must be so extreme and imminent that it
would be unreasonable to seek the necessary approvals
before taking action to defend the country

Trump is fighting two fights at once as he seeks to rationalize
the Soleimani strike, particularly in casting it as a response
to an imminent attack by Soleimani.


"It’s a compelling idea, politically speaking:
Soleimani stood poised to attack the United States —
perhaps targeting four embassies! —
but Trump acted quickly to prevent it."

"It’s just not supported by the available evidence."

- Philip Bump

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...ng-rationalization-soleimani-strike-imminent/

Killing of top Iranian general occurred alongside a secret, failed mission in Yemen, officials say

Jan. 10, 2020

Officials said both Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani and Shahlai were on approved military targeting lists, which indicates a deliberate effort by the U.S. to cripple the leadership of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. Officials would not say how the mission failed.

The Pentagon declined to discuss the highly classified operation.

“We have seen the report of a Jan. 2 airstrike in Yemen, which is long-understood as a safe space for terrorists and other adversaries to the United States. The Department of Defense does not discuss alleged operations in the region,” said Navy Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a Pentagon spokeswoman.


https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-01-10/la-fg-trump-iran-yemen-airstrike-report

U.S. officials confirmed Friday that the same day Soleimani was killed, a second airstrike attempted to take out the top Quds Force commander in Yemen.

Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the airstrike targeting Abdul Reza Shahlai was not successful, but they declined to share additional details of the classified mission.

The Pentagon declined to discuss the failed airstrike, first reported by The Washington Post.

 

[bodysong]

Does this appear to be normal, to you ?

"State Department officials involved in US embassy security
were not made aware of imminent threats to four specific
US embassies"

State Department Officials Were Not Alerted to ‘Imminent Threats’
to Four Embassies


Today CNN is reporting that while the State Department sent
a warning to US embassies before the strike on Soleimani,
“it was not directed at specific embassies and did not warn
of an imminent attack”

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/state-d...-threats-to-four-embassies-trump-claimed-cnn/

 

[Schlank]

Trump spoke for about an hour and 20 minutes before the U.S. Congress on Tuesday and largely stuck to the script, successfully avoiding any tirades about the ongoing Senate impeachment trial.


But even on message, the president’s State of the Union speech was all over the place.


He boasted about achievements in promoting peace between Israelis and Palestinians even though his plan makes fighting between them even more likely. He claimed he is protecting preexisting conditions in health care, even though he has repeatedly tried to kill the Affordable Care Act. He bragged about the healthy economy as a strong indicator of the success of his presidency, when much of the economy’s success is due to factors outside of Trump’s control.


Like most Trump speeches, the address was chock-full of statements that misrepresented his record and policy positions. Here are some of the highlights.




“I have also made an ironclad pledge to American families: We will always protect patients with preexisting conditions ― that is a guarantee,” Trump said.



He’s been making versions of that claim since he first became president. But it was a lie then and it is a lie now. He spent most of 2017 working with the Republican Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act, including with legislation that would have undermined or eliminated entirely the key parts of the law ― including a requirement that insurers charge everybody the same premiums, regardless of medical status, and that all policies include comprehensive benefits.


The repeal effort failed, but Trump has kept at it by using his executive authority. In 2018, his administration allowed the sale of “limited duration” plans that would allow insurers to charge higher premiums, or deny coverage altogether, to people with preexisting conditions.


And things could get worse. The administration is backing a lawsuit that, if successful, would wipe out the Affordable Care Act. Most legal experts think the case is a joke, but it’s now won support in two federal courts. A hearing before the Supreme Court could be next.


Beyond general comments on health care, Trump returned to a specific lie from last year: the claim that he’s tackling the prevalence of AIDS. “We will eradicate the AIDS epidemic in America by the end of the decade,” he said. In fact, the president’s efforts to stop reproductive health providers from talking about abortion by cutting off government funding are making it harder to prevent the transmission of AIDS both within the U.S. and abroad.



Trump’s comments on immigration were typically misleading and incendiary.


He provided an especially flagrant misrepresentation on so-called sanctuary cities that restrict cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.


“In sanctuary cities, local officials order police to release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public, instead of handing them over to ICE to be safely removed,” Trump said.


That’s not actually how it works. There’s no set definition for a sanctuary city ― some referenced under the term, like California, aren’t actually cities at all ― but it broadly means one with policies that allow people to be released from police custody whenever they otherwise would be, even if ICE has requested they be held longer. Dangerous people remain locked up if they’re convicted or denied bail or bond. Some federal judges have ruled it unconstitutional to keep people longer than they would be on only an ICE request.


While there are examples of people being released and going on to commit other crimes ― as Trump noted ― multiple researchers have found there is no link between “sanctuary” policies and crime.


Trump gave himself and Republicans sole credit for the economy, again calling it a “blue-collar boom.” “If we hadn’t reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witnessing this great economic success,” Trump said in the speech.


While it’s true the economy has grown stronger since the Great Recession, improvements predate Trump. Much of the blue-collar wage growth he boasted about in his State of the Union speech most likely results from state minimum wage increases rather than Trump’s policies. And in the first annual comprehensive review of Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Congressional Research Service reported that the legislation did not live up to its promises. According to the CRS, the gross domestic product grew at 2.9%, which shows no significant boost to the economy given its positive trend before the bill passed.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trum...RFiVZ5ay8ynuspT9Mv9Sz-ARRAExuvlu_qRwfliY4_axe

 

[bodysong]

The Democrats saw a fascist party sitting across from them
- Daily Kos

As the president ascended the rostrum, he handed a copy
of his speech to Pelosi, barely making eye contact.

Pelosi extended her hand; if Trump saw it, he did not react.
Leaving afterward, Trump did not even turn in Pelosi’s
direction.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...78856c-4771-11ea-ab15-b5df3261b710_story.html

Nancy Pelosi ✓
Twitter › SpeakerPelosi

Our Founders put safeguards in the Constitution to protect
against a rogue president. They never imagined that they
would at the same time have a rogue leader in the Senate
who would cowardly abandon his duty to uphold the
Constitution.

10 minutes ago

The most important table in America is the kitchen table.
Tomorrow, we will pass the #PROAct to protect Americans’
rights to join a union and raise the purchasing power of
families across America.

#ForThePeople

1 hour ago

Nancy Pelosi, the Columbia of Our Age

Tore up the copy, while the Rotten Orange lied to the public-

She was asked on her way out why she did it and she replied,
"Because it was a manifesto of mistruths."

https://www.salon.com/2020/02/05/st...al-and-angry-with-way-too-much-rush-limbaugh/

This moment after the farce called the State of the Union address
comes courtesy of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

It was a farce, defiling all of the institutions we hold dear.
And Nancy Pelosi expressed that disgust when, with
Trump's final bullshit spew still ringing, she very carefully
and pointedly ripped up his speech.

Wonkette
Twitter › Wonkette


Donald Trump Read His Speech.

Nancy Pelosi Ripped It Right Up

@DoktorZoom

30 minutes ago

Trump is clearly furious and reportedly plotting his revenge
30 minutes ago