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Yeah they wouldn't want such a prize idiot to be replaced in a hurry. But I suggest other forces can also come to bear.
Where is/can Donald Trump take US (sic)?
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Yeah they wouldn't want such a prize idiot to be replaced in a hurry. But I suggest other forces can also come to bear.
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Although everyone would love to see the NK talks succeed, my main fear is that it is very likely NK is not genuine (when have they ever been). If Trump is made to look a fool, being the narcissist he is, he may react irrationally without concern for the consequences.
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I guess you have to ask how stable Kim is and what he really wants.
If Russia decided to hold large scale exercises in Indonesia , wouldn't we be worried ?
I think a guarantee of no further exercises and removal of sanctions in return for genuine UN inspections of nuclear facilities in NK would be a good deal all round and would show how serious Kim is.
explod
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Had this thought also, build up the steam and with the full attention of all then declare war. Ego's on both sides of this one which does not bode well for any form of equality/agreement. IMHO
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Historians have said that NK had been genuine before, many times. An example being under Bill Clinton... not literally under him, during his admin.
The US, apparently, didn't hold up their end of the deal so the Kims decided to go back to Beijing and nukes.
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Another Trump aide gets fired, by Twitter...
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-14/trump-sacks-rex-tillerson-as-secretary-of-state/9545196
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-14/trump-sacks-rex-tillerson-as-secretary-of-state/9545196
Tisme
Apathetic at Best
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You really need to watch Designated Survivor ....... life imitating art in many ways.
We only have to wait for the latest netflix episode to see what Trump will do next.
PZ99
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Trump's biggest gift would be to give the net the flick 
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The choice Donald Trump is making to replace Rex Tillerson is as Secretary of State is downright scary.
Under Pompeo, a Foreign Policy That Fits the President’s Worldview
By DAVID E. SANGERMARCH 13, 2018
Continue reading the main story Share This Page
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The sudden firing on Tuesday of Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil chief executive who never managed to capture the role of chief diplomat, makes room for a true believer in President Trump’s “America First” views and a bitter critic of the Iran nuclear deal — but also a deep skeptic about whether negotiations will persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal.
Mr. Tillerson’s anticipated replacement, Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, was among the harshest critics of the 2015 nuclear agreement that world powers brokered with Iran. If confirmed, Mr. Pompeo will take over the State Department just as the president is weighing whether to ditch the deal altogether — even if it outrages European allies.
The move would also put Mr. Pompeo, who has been immersed in the details of Pyongyang’s nuclear program, in a central role in running the negotiations with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator whom Mr. Trump has said he will meet by May.
For all the criticisms of Mr. Tillerson — and there were many, particularly in the State Department as he moved to slash its size — he was considered a restraining influence on Mr. Trump. Mr. Pompeo, in contrast, has been an enthusiastic defender of the president’s policies, to the point that many senior current and former C.I.A. officials worried that he was far too political for the job.
In his public comments — including his dubious contention on Sunday that Mr. Trump has done more to constrain North Korea than any other president — Mr. Pompeo seemed to know that he would probably soon switch from giving the president his daily intelligence brief to carrying out Mr. Trump’s blunt America First vision worldwide.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/13/...o-foreign-policy-america-first-tillerson.html
Under Pompeo, a Foreign Policy That Fits the President’s Worldview
By DAVID E. SANGERMARCH 13, 2018
Continue reading the main story Share This Page
Photo
The sudden firing on Tuesday of Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil chief executive who never managed to capture the role of chief diplomat, makes room for a true believer in President Trump’s “America First” views and a bitter critic of the Iran nuclear deal — but also a deep skeptic about whether negotiations will persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal.
Mr. Tillerson’s anticipated replacement, Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, was among the harshest critics of the 2015 nuclear agreement that world powers brokered with Iran. If confirmed, Mr. Pompeo will take over the State Department just as the president is weighing whether to ditch the deal altogether — even if it outrages European allies.
The move would also put Mr. Pompeo, who has been immersed in the details of Pyongyang’s nuclear program, in a central role in running the negotiations with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator whom Mr. Trump has said he will meet by May.
For all the criticisms of Mr. Tillerson — and there were many, particularly in the State Department as he moved to slash its size — he was considered a restraining influence on Mr. Trump. Mr. Pompeo, in contrast, has been an enthusiastic defender of the president’s policies, to the point that many senior current and former C.I.A. officials worried that he was far too political for the job.
In his public comments — including his dubious contention on Sunday that Mr. Trump has done more to constrain North Korea than any other president — Mr. Pompeo seemed to know that he would probably soon switch from giving the president his daily intelligence brief to carrying out Mr. Trump’s blunt America First vision worldwide.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/13/...o-foreign-policy-america-first-tillerson.html
wayneL
VIVA LA LIBERTAD, CARAJO!
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Scary yes, but for who, bas?
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Everything with a pulse.
wayneL
VIVA LA LIBERTAD, CARAJO!
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Well, Trump et al are a whole lot less scary than most of the other villains and despots around the world.
If course that doesn't fit the PM narrative, did it.
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Really and truly Wayne ? You actually believe that? So which other villains and despots have their hands on unlimited nuclear weapons and has fired anyone who seems likely to question their hyper aggressive approaches?
And then of course choosing a new Secretary of State who is gungho on tearing up the nuclear agreement with Iran (which absolutely no one believes has been violated !) and has only developed military options to deal with North Korea.
Perhaps you should nominate the Don for Father of Year award next. That would also fit the picture wouldn't it ?
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The beginning of the end for Trump ?
Democrats win Pennsylvania by-election.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-...s-democratic-pennsylvania-midterm-win/9550164
Democrats win Pennsylvania by-election.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-...s-democratic-pennsylvania-midterm-win/9550164
PZ99
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Putin. And maybe the Rocket Man
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Putin. And maybe the Rocket Man
Can't say I have noticed Putin threatening to totally destroy any particular countries. And to my recollection Kim Jon-un has developed a handful of nuclear missiles to have some sort of credible counter attack capacity to a US that is determined to achieve regime change by whatever means possible.
I'm not suggesting these people are that nice. I just don't believe they are as bat sxhit crazy and therefore dangerous as Donald Trump.
By the way the article Rumpy posted develops this idea in detail.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-...s-democratic-pennsylvania-midterm-win/9550164
PZ99
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My first thoughts are Crimea and the "reunification" of Korea. China's pretty good at taking land that don't belong to them too. And they're abolishing fixed terms for the president.
That's for starters.
Actually come to think of it the Bush administration was probably more dangerous - particularly if we believe the 911 conspiracy theories
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From the ABC article noted above.
"Mr Trump's approval is well below 50 per cent — the death zone for a president's party in the midterm elections. Even in this reliably Republican district, Mr Trump's approval was 49 per cent going into the election, with 49 per cent disapproval. And he still lost the seat.
The deeper issue was captured best by Peggy Noonan, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan and hagiographer of his legacy. Writing in the Wall Street Journal last weekend, she caught Mr Trump's attention with these words:
"Everything you've learned from life as a leader in whatever sphere — business, local public service — tells you this: Crazy doesn't last. Crazy doesn't go the distance. Crazy is an unstable element that, when let loose in an unstable environment, explodes.
"And so your disquiet. Sooner or later something bad will happen — an international crisis, or damaging findings from the special counsel. If the president is the way he is on a good day, what will he be like on a bad day?
"It all feels so dangerous. A president who has relative prosperity and relative peace should be at 60 per cent approval. This is why he is about 20 points lower."
"Mr Trump's approval is well below 50 per cent — the death zone for a president's party in the midterm elections. Even in this reliably Republican district, Mr Trump's approval was 49 per cent going into the election, with 49 per cent disapproval. And he still lost the seat.
The deeper issue was captured best by Peggy Noonan, a former speechwriter for Ronald Reagan and hagiographer of his legacy. Writing in the Wall Street Journal last weekend, she caught Mr Trump's attention with these words:
"Everything you've learned from life as a leader in whatever sphere — business, local public service — tells you this: Crazy doesn't last. Crazy doesn't go the distance. Crazy is an unstable element that, when let loose in an unstable environment, explodes.
"And so your disquiet. Sooner or later something bad will happen — an international crisis, or damaging findings from the special counsel. If the president is the way he is on a good day, what will he be like on a bad day?
"It all feels so dangerous. A president who has relative prosperity and relative peace should be at 60 per cent approval. This is why he is about 20 points lower."
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The presumed new head of the CIA will be Gina Haspel. Her most significant claim to fame was overseeing a 'black site' prison in Thailand where the CIA tortured terrorism suspects.
So what happened under her enthusiastic command? Hold your stomachs if you want to understand what was done in the name of the US and the CIA under the person who will now control this organisation.
What Happened at the Thailand 'Black Site' Run By Trump's CIA Pick
The Senate's 2014 report on torture details what "enhanced interrogation" really entailed.
Abu Zubaydah, the first prisoner to be subjected to the CIA's "enhanced interrogation techniques" at a CIA black site in Thailand U.S. Central Command / AP / Picsfive / 19srb81 / Shutterstock / The Atlantic
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The committee released a declassified summary of its report in 2014. Among other key conclusions, the committee’s majority held that the CIA had not only misled policymakers and the public about the nature of its interrogation programs, but also that the techniques used were ineffective as well as brutal. Though Haspel’s name never appears in the declassified summary, other reports have identified her as having been in charge of the Thailand site, which the summary refers to as “Detention Site Green.” That site was closed by the end of 2002; it would take another four years for Abu Zubaydah to be transferred from CIA custody to Guantanamo, where he has been incarcerated for more than 11 years.
What follows is an excerpt, lightly edited for length, of the Intelligence Committee’s summary report dealing with what happened at CIA black sites, including at Detention Site Green.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/03/gina-haspel-black-site-torture-cia/555539/
So what happened under her enthusiastic command? Hold your stomachs if you want to understand what was done in the name of the US and the CIA under the person who will now control this organisation.
What Happened at the Thailand 'Black Site' Run By Trump's CIA Pick
The Senate's 2014 report on torture details what "enhanced interrogation" really entailed.
Abu Zubaydah, the first prisoner to be subjected to the CIA's "enhanced interrogation techniques" at a CIA black site in Thailand U.S. Central Command / AP / Picsfive / 19srb81 / Shutterstock / The Atlantic
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Related Stories
- The 'First Woman CIA Director' Is a Smokescreen
- A Controversial Record of Torture, but Maybe Not a Deal-Breaker for Democrats
The committee released a declassified summary of its report in 2014. Among other key conclusions, the committee’s majority held that the CIA had not only misled policymakers and the public about the nature of its interrogation programs, but also that the techniques used were ineffective as well as brutal. Though Haspel’s name never appears in the declassified summary, other reports have identified her as having been in charge of the Thailand site, which the summary refers to as “Detention Site Green.” That site was closed by the end of 2002; it would take another four years for Abu Zubaydah to be transferred from CIA custody to Guantanamo, where he has been incarcerated for more than 11 years.
What follows is an excerpt, lightly edited for length, of the Intelligence Committee’s summary report dealing with what happened at CIA black sites, including at Detention Site Green.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/03/gina-haspel-black-site-torture-cia/555539/
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