The US Hamster Wheel

[TheGreenGoblin]

Chump dun good!

"Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Donald Trump's recent letter to him broke with "diplomatic and political courtesy."

The letter "was not in line with diplomatic and political courtesy. We will not forget this lack of respect. This is not a priority for us. But when the time comes we would like it to be known that we will take the necessary steps."

I have to be careful here having some interest in this neck of the woods but ain't this the truth?

[Boac]

The USA at war:
William McRaven, the US admiral who headed the hunt for Osama bin Laden, wrote in the New York Times: “Our republic is under attack from the president.”

Don't forget McRaven is, of course, a "loser" and is "the world's most overrated general admiral"

[BenThere]

Drives you nuts, doesn't it, Boac?

Couple of points:

Most of the senior generals were appointed by President Obama and vetted to be pro-gays in the military, moderate to left in political perspective, and as a perfectly sound conclusion, likely to be hostile to President Trump. While it has generally been bad form for present or former senior officers to critique politicians while or after serving, the current crop of retired generals appointed under President Obama seem to have largely shaken off such constraints. Their comments should be taken with that grain of salt. Around 2020 when a new flock of generals are appointed, you can expect a lot of MAGA. Interestingly, the generals in charge at the time of 9/11 were Clinton-appointed.

Second, President Trump has largely extricated the US from the border war between the Turks, Syrians, Iranians, Russians, and Kurds, in accordance with his very open stance that there is no US interest in getting bogged down at great expense to involve ourselves, absent a clear mission objective. Should Turkey seriously threaten the Kurds, our ally, I expect President Trump to offer Turkey a deal they can't refuse, backed up by consequences.

Finally, Erdogan deserved and got a slap in the face. A further crippling of the already weak Turkish economy will hopefully tend to hamper his Islamist megalomania.

Think it through. Once again, President Trump is a step ahead.

[Boac]

Good luck, Ben.

[BenThere]

Boac,

To you as well. I enjoy crossing swords with you. It's never personal at my end; we just disagree on some issues. Civilly disagreeing, with respect, is a tradition that should be treasured in a Free society.

[Boac]

The Chump tried to quote Mark Esper in a tweet, but instead he referred to him as “Mark Esperanto”.

He wrote: “Mark Esperanto, Secretary of Defense, “The ceasefire is holding up very nicely. There are some minor skirmishes that have ended quickly.”

It must be difficult to remember the rapidly changing names - he changes his officials almost more frequently than I change my under-crackers.

His second, corrected twat, was better.

[TheGreenGoblin]

The Chump tried to quote Mark Esper in a tweet, but instead he referred to him as “Mark Esperanto”.

Kia kompleta stultulo Trump estas!

[Boac]

Obviously the "Great and Unmatched Wisdom" extends into linguistics (in more ways than one, I see from a recent book)

Ben - I should reply "Drives you nuts, doesn't it, Boac?" - not at all, Ben - nothing like the DDS for you.

More a huge entertainment as he stumbles and crashes, clown-like, around the world stage, tinged with a sense of dread for what he is doing to the USA.

[BenThere]

for what he is doing to the USA

Yeah, making it great again is a thankless job.

[Boac]

He just hasn't got a clue, has he? Sunday Telegraph:

As President Donald Trump claimed that he was "bringing soldiers home", he was contradicted by his defence secretary, Mark Esper, who said the troops were instead headed for Syria's neighbour to join an existing US force of 5,000.

“The current game plan is for those forces to re-position into western Iraq,” Mr Esper said late on Saturday, not ruling out that they would conduct counterterrorism missions from Iraq into Syria. The timeframe for the transfer to be completed was "weeks, not days,” he added.

[TheGreenGoblin]

He just hasn't got a clue, has he? Sunday Telegraph:

As President Donald Trump claimed that he was "bringing soldiers home", he was contradicted by his defence secretary, Mark Esper, who said the troops were instead headed for Syria's neighbour to join an existing US force of 5,000.

“The current game plan is for those forces to re-position into western Iraq,” Mr Esper said late on Saturday, not ruling out that they would conduct counterterrorism missions from Iraq into Syria. The timeframe for the transfer to be completed was "weeks, not days,” he added.

Perhaps Trump really does think in Esperanto, the addled loon that he is? The thought that such a man is anywhere near a nuclear arms launch system is really worrying!

[Boac]

I suspect he probably has less access to the nookleer button than he imagines.

Things gone a bit quiet on the Chinese 'distraction'?

[TheGreenGoblin]

Meanwhile American troops face a disgrace that is really Trump's alone...

American troops pelted with vegetables...

[Boac]

So, Chumpers - how is it going?:
"President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that he is "bringing soldiers home" from Syria"

It's only Monday and that didn't work, did it? Don't you just lurv short term policies. Anything else gone to poop? Take your time. You are looking at a POTUS with no control (or ideas) over US policy. Clarity is everything:

“I'm trying to get out of wars. We may have to get in wars, too. OK? We may have to get in wars,” Trump told reporters at the White House."

God help America.

[Boac]

WTF is going on?
"Trump is ‘fully prepared’ to take military action against Turkey if needed, Mike Pompeo says"

"Pompeo declined to lay out a red line for what action would prompt a U.S. military response, saying he did not want to “get out in front of the president’s decision about whether to take the awesome undertaking of using America’s military might.”

Little surprise there since no-one can guess what the fool will do or say next1

[TheGreenGoblin]

Boac this is where Trump is going...



He is not good, bad or ugly.

The man is a loon...

[Boac]

The big worry for all apart from Ben is that policy makers al over the world (including the US...) are struggling to determine US policy!

[Undried Plum]

WTF is going on?
"Trump is ‘fully prepared’ to take military action against Turkey if needed, Mike Pompeo says"

Article 5
The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.

[Boac]

Yes - as we say- whoops! Not sure NATO ever envisaged an attack BY a NATO member, though

I've lost track - did Humpty Dumpty actually leave NATO or just twat about it? If he has left - game on!

[BenThere]

The way I see it, Boac,the reality is that Turkey, since Erdogan took power, then seized more and more control to the point where he is now an autocrat, comparable to Putin. His seeming motive is to promote an Islamic State in Turkey, overturning the Ataturk tradition and the military role of reigning in central government when it crosses the line of rubbing out the secular democracy Ataturk established, and which held for a good, long time.

Now Turkey is as much a wild card as the Trump administration. I think Turkey's going to lose this one and pay a sobering price for Erdogan's bluster. While I'm pretty sure you won't agree, I think President Trump was wise to pull the US out of the middle of the conflict, recognizing that there was no military objective other than buffering between the warring entities, which recent history has shown is a losing proposition for valuable American soldiers' lives. I can only stand on my seat and cheer.

If Turkey attacks the Kurds on a large scale, I anticipate the F-35 squadrons deploying will intervene and make mincemeat of the Turkish air force, which has now chosen Russian technology and weapon systems to assure it's defense over American offerings which would have assured Turkey a seat in NATO along with providing assured air defense. I think that was a big, strategic mistake on Erdogan's part, but that's just me.

So the end result, as of today, is that the US is now on the sidelines for the most part in Syria, and our enemies, except for the Kurds, who have shown themselves worthy warriors defending hearth and home, are fighting it out. I want the US us to have the Kurds' back, and support arming them to the teeth, and prevent a Turkish genocide, visions of Armenia recurring. They deserve better. I have no sympathy for Turkey today. Under Erdogan Turkey has lost its way, and they voted for it, electorally sold on Erdogan's promoting chauvinism and Islamism's virtues. The tighter President Trump can squeeze Erdogan's economy, the better I'll like it.