The explanation is simple: authoritarian leaders use foreign conflict as distraction when domestic collapse accelerates. War focuses attention outward, demands loyalty, justifies expanded executive power, and lets you punish dissent as treason. Trump doesn’t need a coherent Iran policy, he needs an enemy. The actual geopolitics don’t matter, the performance of strength does.
The felon had 1 freaking event in public Mon. An event with the Angel Families, whose members have family who were victims of crimes conducted by undocumented immigrants. His immigration strong suit.
and look how vacant his face is. dementia. & getting worse.
What are we doing here? While I am a devoted American, please don't include me in the "we" regarding Trump. I was in Russia working for our government when Trump came, visited the Beverly Hills nightclub which touted underage prostitution, and I knew then he was caught. Yes, there were photos, but they all sit on Putin's desk.
I agree with you and with Johan - Iran is a distraction from DHS/ICE, from his failing tariffs, his potential role in the Guthrie kidnapping, the fact that Christian followers are running in the opposite direction, and so forth. His reign is collapsing and he sees it.
I won't waste my time listening to him talk this evening in the "State of the Union" speech.
Everything Trump touches dies. I agree with Johan. And Leu2500. He is not healthy or sane. And all because he’s a creepy sex pest/predator and he’s too soft for prison.
Lisa, thank you for quoting the title of Rick Wilson's excellent 2018 book about the sociopathic fascist. Instead of the Midas touch, this cretin has the touch of death. Like you, I completely agree with Johan's assessment of the situation.
As stated in Paul's article, the current POTUS is giving the nation the middle finger and isn't bothering to get congressional approval or the support of the American people for this second bombing of Iran or any other of his illegal military actions. At least after 9/11, the Bush administration sought support from the American people and got congressional approval for the invasion of Iraq. Of course, the case was built on nothing but lies upon lies and ushered in one of the greatest military debacles in our history.
The aim of the possible Iraq misadventure is to deflect attention from Drumph's plummeting poll numbers, his fears that the Epstein affair is moving closer and closer to ensnaring him or just simply to make up for the plethora of shortcomings inherent in this thin-skinned, unhinged racist narcissist. Hell to the Chief.
I am also a big fan of Steve Schmidt and the Warning. I meant what I said in his post. I hope seeing the Survivors in the Democrats’ seats causes the biggest meltdown and avalanche of truth ever to come out of that fat liar’s mouth.🤬
Oh, when Steve Schmidt opens up a can of whoop ass on the lunatic, it is always a tour de force. The words just roll off his tongue like acid. His delivery somewhat reminds me of the great Lawrence O'Donnell's opening remarks at the beginning of The Last Word. He was the first person to call the lunatic an "ignoramus."
Lisa, you know the monster will not be able to contain himself and will ignore the teleprompter and go on an unhinged rant. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts foaming at the mouth and Little Mikie "Bible Thumper" Johnson will have to escort the raving madman off the dais.
I think a bombing campaign is very likely because Trump likes dropping big bombs if there's minimal risk to American servicemen. He doesn't have the ovaries for serious military activity. Evil man that I am I hope a goodly number of the Islamic Republcian Guard and regime figures are eliminated. They are drenched in the blood of innocent people. Then the forces will go away, Trump will declare victory and nothing will have been achieved at all.
Certainly, TFG has lost his mind. But also, follow the money on TFG and dropping bombs:
These defense contractors have their headquarters in the D.C. area:
Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, MD), General Dynamics (Reston, VA), Northrop Grumman (West Falls Church, VA), and Boeing (Arlington, VA). They are there to steer defense dollars to themselves - they are not near any production facilities.
(Boeing has announced a plan to return their defense business HQ back to St. Louis- so we will see).
The fact that Trump tore up the 2015 agreement should be mentioned often when his reasons for "needing" to go to war are discussed. Thanks for doing so. A lot of young voters are probably unaware of the agreement or of his foolishness and vanity in scrapping it. Just another illustration of his erratic, clownish behavior for young voters to ponder. I'm still having trouble understanding how so many of them jeopardized their futures by voting for him in 2024.
I suspect that many of us are expecting the State of the Union address to be a George Bush Iraq rerun, declaring a shock-and-awe attack on Iran to restore a treaty banning weapons of mass destruction that Trump himself tore up. That will leave Israel as the sole regional nation with nukes.
As soon as I heard that the Shah's son is in America as a "refugee", I figured out a possible motive. What would anyone like to bet that Trump made a deal with Shah, Jr. to install him, swapping out the ayatollah? So, they get a (Trump-compliant) shah instead of an ayatollah! What could possibly go wrong? Uh, haven't we been here before? Deja vu all over again.... Hint: I hear that Iran has oil. And/Or creating a market for the weapons that US companies will lose since Europe is going to buy European as they beef up their defenses. And/Or getting involved in a war allows the president to claim even more powers. And/Or it would please Israel so he can move on with the development of Trump-Gaza. Oh, the distraction of it all! Take your pick.
MY COMMENT/QUESTION: Has Trump finally found "totally loyal" generals with the same type of "blind loyalty" he thinks Hitler's generals had?
QUESTION FOR GOOGLE AI: Did Trump once say he wished he had the kind of generals Hitler had?
GOOGLE AI ANSWER: Yes, according to his former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Donald Trump did say he wished he had the kind of generals that Adolf Hitler had. [YouTube +1]
Kelly, a retired Marine general, stated that Trump frequently complained about the lack of loyalty from his appointed military leadership and expressed a desire for them to show him the same blind loyalty that Nazi generals showed Hitler during World War II. [The Hill +1]
Key details regarding this report:
• The Context: The comments were made during private conversations while in office, with Kelly noting that Trump expressed frustration that in a democracy, he could not simply order generals to do things they considered illegal or immoral.
• The Exchange: According to Kelly, when he tried to explain that Hitler’s generals had tried to kill him, Trump disregarded the information and maintained that they were "totally loyal".
• Confirmation: Kelly confirmed these details to The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg and to The New York Times in October 2024, noting that Trump’s admiration for dictators extended to such remarks.
• Other Reported Comments: Kelly also alleged that Trump remarked on more than one occasion that "Hitler did some good things," specifically citing the rebuilding of the German economy.
• Denial: Donald Trump has denied making these comments, telling reporters "I never said that" and calling Kelly's account a "made-up" story. The Trump campaign has stated that Kelly "totally beclowned himself" and described the reports as "debunked". [PBS +7]
The report was further supported by authors Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, who documented a similar, earlier exchange in their book The Divider: Trump in the White House. [The Atlantic]
It's the latest sequel to "Wag the Dog"! Everything old is new again. One can only hope that this production, like the original, will bomb -- wait a minute, maybe I should rephrase that...
And again, TrumpCo says it is willing to allow Iran to enrich some uranium, but only for welfare purposes (power, medical) and not to weapons grade. This will of necessity require inspections by others, such as the IAEA.
So in other words - the same deal Obama worked out in 2015, and from which Trump's GOP withdrew in 2018. Trump also made the Congressional GOP caucus block the bipartisan border security bill they had helped craft, because it would give the Ds a win.
The GOP is a self-serving, anti-American party, willing to wreak havoc if it means their local electorates will vote them back into office.
The explanation is simple: authoritarian leaders use foreign conflict as distraction when domestic collapse accelerates. War focuses attention outward, demands loyalty, justifies expanded executive power, and lets you punish dissent as treason. Trump doesn’t need a coherent Iran policy, he needs an enemy. The actual geopolitics don’t matter, the performance of strength does.
The felon had 1 freaking event in public Mon. An event with the Angel Families, whose members have family who were victims of crimes conducted by undocumented immigrants. His immigration strong suit.
and look how vacant his face is. dementia. & getting worse.
What are we doing here? While I am a devoted American, please don't include me in the "we" regarding Trump. I was in Russia working for our government when Trump came, visited the Beverly Hills nightclub which touted underage prostitution, and I knew then he was caught. Yes, there were photos, but they all sit on Putin's desk.
I agree with you and with Johan - Iran is a distraction from DHS/ICE, from his failing tariffs, his potential role in the Guthrie kidnapping, the fact that Christian followers are running in the opposite direction, and so forth. His reign is collapsing and he sees it.
I won't waste my time listening to him talk this evening in the "State of the Union" speech.
It’s one helluva distraction, dabbling in warfare to start WWIII?
Everything Trump touches dies. I agree with Johan. And Leu2500. He is not healthy or sane. And all because he’s a creepy sex pest/predator and he’s too soft for prison.
Lisa, thank you for quoting the title of Rick Wilson's excellent 2018 book about the sociopathic fascist. Instead of the Midas touch, this cretin has the touch of death. Like you, I completely agree with Johan's assessment of the situation.
As stated in Paul's article, the current POTUS is giving the nation the middle finger and isn't bothering to get congressional approval or the support of the American people for this second bombing of Iran or any other of his illegal military actions. At least after 9/11, the Bush administration sought support from the American people and got congressional approval for the invasion of Iraq. Of course, the case was built on nothing but lies upon lies and ushered in one of the greatest military debacles in our history.
The aim of the possible Iraq misadventure is to deflect attention from Drumph's plummeting poll numbers, his fears that the Epstein affair is moving closer and closer to ensnaring him or just simply to make up for the plethora of shortcomings inherent in this thin-skinned, unhinged racist narcissist. Hell to the Chief.
I am also a big fan of Steve Schmidt and the Warning. I meant what I said in his post. I hope seeing the Survivors in the Democrats’ seats causes the biggest meltdown and avalanche of truth ever to come out of that fat liar’s mouth.🤬
Oh, when Steve Schmidt opens up a can of whoop ass on the lunatic, it is always a tour de force. The words just roll off his tongue like acid. His delivery somewhat reminds me of the great Lawrence O'Donnell's opening remarks at the beginning of The Last Word. He was the first person to call the lunatic an "ignoramus."
Lisa, you know the monster will not be able to contain himself and will ignore the teleprompter and go on an unhinged rant. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts foaming at the mouth and Little Mikie "Bible Thumper" Johnson will have to escort the raving madman off the dais.
That’s what I am hoping for🤞🏼❣️
Trump: “You know, the people of Iran are a lot different than the leadership of Iran. And it’s a very very sad situation.”
Same here, buddy. Same here.
I think a bombing campaign is very likely because Trump likes dropping big bombs if there's minimal risk to American servicemen. He doesn't have the ovaries for serious military activity. Evil man that I am I hope a goodly number of the Islamic Republcian Guard and regime figures are eliminated. They are drenched in the blood of innocent people. Then the forces will go away, Trump will declare victory and nothing will have been achieved at all.
I’m President and I can do whatever I want! (And there’s the SOTU when I’m very low in the [fake] polls.)
Certainly, TFG has lost his mind. But also, follow the money on TFG and dropping bombs:
These defense contractors have their headquarters in the D.C. area:
Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, MD), General Dynamics (Reston, VA), Northrop Grumman (West Falls Church, VA), and Boeing (Arlington, VA). They are there to steer defense dollars to themselves - they are not near any production facilities.
(Boeing has announced a plan to return their defense business HQ back to St. Louis- so we will see).
Rationale? Donald the Only has the deep moral authority of a desperate molester—you need more?
The fact that Trump tore up the 2015 agreement should be mentioned often when his reasons for "needing" to go to war are discussed. Thanks for doing so. A lot of young voters are probably unaware of the agreement or of his foolishness and vanity in scrapping it. Just another illustration of his erratic, clownish behavior for young voters to ponder. I'm still having trouble understanding how so many of them jeopardized their futures by voting for him in 2024.
Sigh. 😮💨 This will not go well.
I suspect that many of us are expecting the State of the Union address to be a George Bush Iraq rerun, declaring a shock-and-awe attack on Iran to restore a treaty banning weapons of mass destruction that Trump himself tore up. That will leave Israel as the sole regional nation with nukes.
As soon as I heard that the Shah's son is in America as a "refugee", I figured out a possible motive. What would anyone like to bet that Trump made a deal with Shah, Jr. to install him, swapping out the ayatollah? So, they get a (Trump-compliant) shah instead of an ayatollah! What could possibly go wrong? Uh, haven't we been here before? Deja vu all over again.... Hint: I hear that Iran has oil. And/Or creating a market for the weapons that US companies will lose since Europe is going to buy European as they beef up their defenses. And/Or getting involved in a war allows the president to claim even more powers. And/Or it would please Israel so he can move on with the development of Trump-Gaza. Oh, the distraction of it all! Take your pick.
MY COMMENT/QUESTION: Has Trump finally found "totally loyal" generals with the same type of "blind loyalty" he thinks Hitler's generals had?
QUESTION FOR GOOGLE AI: Did Trump once say he wished he had the kind of generals Hitler had?
GOOGLE AI ANSWER: Yes, according to his former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Donald Trump did say he wished he had the kind of generals that Adolf Hitler had. [YouTube +1]
Kelly, a retired Marine general, stated that Trump frequently complained about the lack of loyalty from his appointed military leadership and expressed a desire for them to show him the same blind loyalty that Nazi generals showed Hitler during World War II. [The Hill +1]
Key details regarding this report:
• The Context: The comments were made during private conversations while in office, with Kelly noting that Trump expressed frustration that in a democracy, he could not simply order generals to do things they considered illegal or immoral.
• The Exchange: According to Kelly, when he tried to explain that Hitler’s generals had tried to kill him, Trump disregarded the information and maintained that they were "totally loyal".
• Confirmation: Kelly confirmed these details to The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg and to The New York Times in October 2024, noting that Trump’s admiration for dictators extended to such remarks.
• Other Reported Comments: Kelly also alleged that Trump remarked on more than one occasion that "Hitler did some good things," specifically citing the rebuilding of the German economy.
• Denial: Donald Trump has denied making these comments, telling reporters "I never said that" and calling Kelly's account a "made-up" story. The Trump campaign has stated that Kelly "totally beclowned himself" and described the reports as "debunked". [PBS +7]
The report was further supported by authors Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, who documented a similar, earlier exchange in their book The Divider: Trump in the White House. [The Atlantic]
It's the latest sequel to "Wag the Dog"! Everything old is new again. One can only hope that this production, like the original, will bomb -- wait a minute, maybe I should rephrase that...
And again, TrumpCo says it is willing to allow Iran to enrich some uranium, but only for welfare purposes (power, medical) and not to weapons grade. This will of necessity require inspections by others, such as the IAEA.
So in other words - the same deal Obama worked out in 2015, and from which Trump's GOP withdrew in 2018. Trump also made the Congressional GOP caucus block the bipartisan border security bill they had helped craft, because it would give the Ds a win.
The GOP is a self-serving, anti-American party, willing to wreak havoc if it means their local electorates will vote them back into office.