[annatar1914]

President Trump said on Sunday that he would remove Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who issued a stinging rebuke of the president when he announced his resignation last week, from his post by Jan. 1, two months before he had planned to depart. One aide said that although Mr. Trump had already seen the resignation letter when he praised Mr. Mattis, the president did not understand just how forceful a rejection of his strategy Mr. Mattis had issued.

The president has grown increasingly angry as the days have passed, the aide said. In all probability he learned from Fox and Friends that he had just been dissed.

Mr. Trump, in a Twitter post, said that Patrick M. Shanahan, Mr. Mattis’s deputy, would serve as the acting defense secretary.

At the rate Donald's cabinet secretaries are exiting I would not be surprised if, in 2 more years, he will have surrounded himself with a full cadre of yes men such as :

@jimjam

JJ, I don't understand where you're coming from. Surely the departure of an insane warmonger who wants America to be some Global Hegemon, a virulently Sino-phobic and Russo-phobic Cold War nut like Gen. Mattis, you would see as a good thing for President Trump to have done?

But instead you use the departure of Gen. Mattis as something to attack President Trump for?

What gives? Because I simply don't get it.

[jimjam]

Ah, you realize many consider them brilliant?

I could not agree more but Donald ,being the deep thinker he is, would not realize that he is being patronized.

[jimjam]

@jimjam

JJ, I don't understand where you're coming from. Surely the departure of an insane warmonger who wants America to be some Global Hegemon, a virulently Sino-phobic and Russo-phobic Cold War nut like Gen. Mattis, you would see as a good thing for President Trump to have done?

But instead you use the departure of Gen. Mattis as something to attack President Trump for?

What gives? Because I simply don't get it.

I guess I was slightly off topic on that one. Something I am frequently guilty of. I was referring more to the revolving door/high turnover rate amongst all of Trump's "staff". I cannot imagine how anybody, save Pence, would want to even be in the same room with such a repulsive human.

[annatar1914]

@jimjam

I was referring more to the revolving door/high turnover rate amongst all of Trump's "staff".

President Trump has, by the admission of some officials in government, a group of embedded staff that are actively working against at cross purposes with what he is trying to do. You may or may not think that's a great thing, but there it is

Also, however, there is President Trump's management style. I know people who know him. Here's a guy who has never not been in charge of his own businesses, and he expects results or his expects the person to leave so he can find someone who will produce those results he wishes.

And American politicians and bureaucrats are not the sort from which results are expected or even desirable in some cases, operating under another management style and rhetoric than what President Trump operates with

I cannot imagine how anybody, save Pence, would want to even be in the same room with such a repulsive human.

You say; ''I cannot imagine''.... And so you didn't understand why he won in 2016, don't understand why he won't be impeached or removed from office or assassinated or imprisoned, nor will you be able to imagine why President Trump will run for re-election and win by a decent margin in 2020 too.

I get this guy. I don't have to like or dislike him one bit to see that he's going to make some profound changes to America. Some of those things we may not like, but it's going to happen. He isn't going to be hobbled by judges appointed by his enemies or a feckless Congress for long. And forget the stupid ''Russia'' BS; there's nothing to it, Trump is a product of an Elite faction that includes Israeli and Saudi Arabian interests but is very much American home grown. Knowing Russia and the geopolitics it's laughable that they'd want Trump in as President, however wise it would be for Russia and America to work together.

Unless you want superpower confrontation and a possible nuclear war with a Russia that has it's back to the wall?

But anyways, sure, President Trump is a supreme Egotist ( and note that most of our recent Presidents have been evil monstrous liars or empty suits), and you may disagree with his politics, but he's going to be around for a good long while.

[skinster]

JJ, I don't understand where you're coming from. Surely the departure of an insane warmonger who wants America to be some Global Hegemon, a virulently Sino-phobic and Russo-phobic Cold War nut like Gen. Mattis, you would see as a good thing for President Trump to have done?

But instead you use the departure of Gen. Mattis as something to attack President Trump for?

What gives? Because I simply don't get it.

It's this weird liberal thing where now they'll embrace warpigs like Mattis, agencies like the CIA and FBI, just because of how they relate to Trump.

I suspect that Pres. Trump will be very careful with what he does about Israel and cannot be very explicit. He is already walking a very fine line and has the elites of the country totally united against him.

[foxdemon]

I have to agree with @annatar1914 .

The Western Establishment has become so conceited in the last 3 decades that they can no longer accept criticism. They believe they are always right and good and those against them are always wrong and bad. They consider anyone attempting to question this mindset to be a threat. It is this inability to accept criticism that prevents them from engaging in the sort of self reflection that would enable them to learn from their mistakes and understand themselves and their opponents.

This reflects a growing trend of absolutism amongst Western Elites. Despite defining themselves as liberal and democratic, they employ ‘rule by law’ rather than ‘rule of law’, attack democracy when they don’t get the result they want, while blaming their opponents for all the ills of the world in a vain attempt to legitimate they right to rule. And of course, those fit to join their ranks must show their fealty to the dogma of the Establishment, who are then elevated to power regardless of their merit.

Examples of ‘rule by law’ include recognising people as members of groups identified by the elite, then imposing differential laws which protect some groups while imposing rules on other groups. The elites have in fact co-opted the theme of emancipation by setting themselves up as the ones who chose which groups have what political status, thus giving themselves the power. But it ultimately breaks down ‘rule of law’.

Examples of patronage to positions of power include affirmative action, which undermines the notion of social mobility through merit.

We could add the tendency of the elites as a group to protect each other from being held to account for mistakes or outright corruption. The Clinton’s being a good example of how the Establishment protects their own from accountability for how they use they power.

Sure sounds like the mind set of want to be aristocrats. The net result has been an increase of incompetence and a need for oppressive measures to quell dissent. Oddly this faction is regarded as left wing by many. If we consider the origin of the left/right political spectrum, that was describing where one sat in the French revolutionary parliament, this contemporary Western Establishment is actual quite aristocratic and thus would sit of the far right wing.

It really is an abomination that these people can continue to describe themselves as the champions of liberal democracy when they represent the monarchal absolutism that liberalism coalesced as an ideological alternative to. They are about as anti liberal democratic as one could possibly be.

[jimjam]

he's going to be around for a good long while.

He took a drubbing in the last election. Won in 2016 by 80,000. Current approval rating @38%.

Neither of us can predict the future with 100% accuracy so ….. we'll see.

Simply because I think Trump is an asshole a crook and quite incompetent in a national and world wide economic environment, please do not assume that I have love or admiration for Mattis or the status quo. I hardly know/knew anything about Mattis. Shaking up a status quo heavy with opportunists and scum bags is a good thing as long as it doesn't cause irreparable damage. And, what I dislike most about the man, is his seeming complete lack of empathy for the 99% of Americans I am certain he considers "losers" while, at the same time, facilitating the extreme polarization of wealth. He talks a good game about helping the losers but a simple following of where his actions/policies are directing the money reveals the truth that he represents the 1% plutocratic class.

Plus @7 or 9 lies per day it is difficult to take the man for anything other than a circus con artist.

I do appreciate your measured and well thought out ideas annatar.

[One Degree]

I agree basically with you guys , but I don’t think Trump will be re-elected. I think the establishment has won due to most Americans not being able to see different views anymore. Their conceit just makes them easy puppets for the establishment.

[annatar1914]

@jimjam

You replied that;

He took a drubbing in the last election. Won in 2016 by 80,000. Current approval rating @38%.

I suspect, with the Clinton machine that rigged the primaries against Sanders, that likewise there was a great deal of voter fraud in the general election, hacking of machines, etc.. So that whatever the case he had the electoral collage votes.

I mean, seriously... Hillary Clinton has all the charm of a cement block, and I know prostitutes less shameless than her in her pursuit of money and power. She ran for President in the Democratic primaries against a weird unknown guy with a weird name and background and managed to lose against him in 2008. I knew she would lose in 2016. Hell, I wondered for a moment if all this wasn't some terrible kabuki theater, all a WWE kind of act, and thought maybe she took a fall both times, and that her and Obama and Trump are all part of the same secret club...

Neither of us can predict the future with 100% accuracy so ….. we'll see.

Yes, we'll see. Some things I do pretty much know 100%, but those matters I generally don't even bother mentioning.

Simply because I think Trump is an asshole a crook and quite incompetent in a national and world wide economic environment, please do not assume that I have love or admiration for Mattis or the status quo. I hardly know/knew anything about Mattis. Shaking up the status quo is a good thing as long as it doesn't cause irreparable damage. And, what I dislike most about the man, is his seeming complete lack of empathy for the 99% of Americans I am certain he considers "losers" while, at the same time, facilitating the extreme polarization of wealth. He talks a good game about helping the losers but a simple following of where his actions/policies are directing the money reveals the truth that he represents the 1% plutocratic class.

And the others did not represent them?

President Trump was hired to fix things for Them, and he is doing a pretty good job of that so far, even though another faction of the Elites are too stupid and delusional to see what he's up to for their own good if not ours, and fight him every step of the way. Although that could be a bit of shadowboxing too...

Plus @7 or 9 lies per day it is difficult to take the man for anything other than a circus con artist.

Words are weapons in that sort of world, tools to make things work, and people.

I do appreciate your measured and well thought out ideas annatar.

Thank you, JJ, I appreciate that. And I appreciate your comments as well.

[Rugoz]

Also, however, there is President Trump's management style. I know people who know him. Here's a guy who has never not been in charge of his own businesses, and he expects results or his expects the person to leave so he can find someone who will produce those results he wishes.

Silly. The people who leave/are fired are not from a previous administration, Trump hired them all. There's no "management style" here, only reality tv circus and people unable to deal with a petulant man-child.

If you had read my post you'd have noticed that I didn't say that Trump is a non-interventionist much less a very committed or purist one. For what it's worth, my personal view is that Trump isn't keen on long term military interventions overseas, especially if they are as murky and complex with little chance of a resolution or clearly defined victory as in Syria. In that context, he probably reckons that this is a high point - i.e. see his statement about having defeated ISIS - and it will only get worse from here.

Frankly I find the idea of a Trump that thinks offensive.

Point is, the Kurds have been the most reliable allies in the region. You don't fuck over people who have fought for you, not if you still need them or need other partners to trust you in the future. I'm not saying the US should guarantee them a state or anything, but at least autonomy within Syria and protection from Turkey.

[annatar1914]

Silly. The people who leave/are fired are not from a previous administration, Trump hired them all. There's no "management style" here, only reality tv circus and people unable to deal with a petulant man-child.

You are making a strawman of what I said, what I said was that ;

President Trump has, by the admission of some officials in government, a group of embedded staff that are actively working against at cross purposes with what he is trying to do.

The only ''petulance'' and ''tv circus'' going on is from a Liberal segment of US society that cannot come to grips with losing to this guy, yet persist (because of their retarded ideology) in continuing with the very things that cost them the election in the first place.

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but by all means persist in this attitude

[skinster]

Mattis should be sent to prison for the rest of his life, for his crimes in Iraq.

I mean, seriously... Hillary Clinton has all the charm of a cement block, and I know prostitutes less shameless than her in her pursuit of money and power.

[One Degree]

I would equate Trump’s election with a successful revolution. Once in power, the different factions are all given a voice as a reward. Over time, these basic disagreements surface and must be purged.

[Rugoz]

You are making a strawman of what I said, what I said was that ;

What? If Trump hires people who work against him he's dumb as fuck. Again, Trump's hire and fire is not a management style, it's incompetence. Luckily maybe.

[annatar1914]

What? If Trump hires people who work against him he's dumb as fuck. Again, Trump's hire and fire is not a management style, it's incompetence. Luckily maybe.

There's no stupidity or incompetence in it at all on Trump's part. Again, President Trump brought on people based on recommendations from others, as part of the grouping of factions who won when Trump did. People are being dumped when the disagreements surface and officials fail to produce the results expected of them. As both I and One Degree indicated.

It's great when your enemy is so arrogant and stupid that they presume stupidity in you even after you prove it to them that you aren't.

Trump's got all kinds of things up his sleeves in store for Liberals, you've seen nothing yet.

[Beren]

Asked by CNN’s State of the Union why Trump had decided to pull US troops out of Syria against the counsel of all his main advisers – including Mattis, McGurk, secretary of state Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, the national security adviser – Mulvaney replied: “He’s been telling people he was going to do this since the beginning, and if he has to fight against the defense department to do that he’s going to do that. It may have upset a lot of people, but the people who voted for him like it.”

So it's Trump's own push, not a Neocon headway, of course. How would Putin welcome it then?

[Verv]

It's this weird liberal thing where now they'll embrace warpigs like Mattis, agencies like the CIA and FBI, just because of how they relate to Trump.

See, I disagree.

Pres. Trump's daughter has become Jewish and he is the grandfather to a Jewish kid. He is definitely going to have some level of affinity for Israel, plus the Israel lobby in America is extremely strong.

I do not get this "Russia is the explanation" angle lat all.

[skinster]

If you click the see more bit in blue you'll see it's satire. There is no Russiagate, that was a smokescreen for that other thing (Israelgate)

[Rugoz]

There's no stupidity or incompetence in it at all on Trump's part. Again, President Trump brought on people based on recommendations from others, as part of the grouping of factions who won when Trump did.

Yes, and he was too fucking dumb to look up the people's CVs, let alone check whether their views are compatible with his, which was impossible of course since he didn't have any views in the first place.

Trump's got all kinds of things up his sleeves in store for Liberals, you've seen nothing yet.

As long as people are dumb enough to vote for him, sure. Stupid loves stupid.

[annatar1914]

Yes, and he was too fucking dumb to look up the people's CVs, let alone check whether their views are compatible with his, which was impossible of course since he didn't have any views in the first place.



As long as people are dumb enough to vote for him, sure. Stupid loves stupid.

Sure, believe what you want to believe about him and the people who voted for him, it will not matter in the slightest what you think in the end. And, you won't see any of it coming either.