Obamas hands also bigger.
As the McMaster/Mattis branch gain power and influence in the Trump Administration, the war of words escalates and perhaps actual warfare to follow? Iâm not counting the forewarned 59 missile hello given the other day.
Some are speculating this is all a setup for Putin to back off from Syria while gaining sanctions relief in return, but it doesnât feel that way to me right now.
I donât think McMaster plays that game. Maybe this thing is spinning out of Putinâs control?
Wow, theyâre really pushing this arenât they?
@pshah I think weâre all in the dark about whatâs really going on, and what the endgame plan is. And anyone who claims to know is a magical thinker.
Hopefully, the line about not doing it ourselves is a little brushback pitch for Trump. Or Ivanka. Or whoever is pushing his buttons at this particular moment.
The US people âshould ask themselves, âWhat are we doing here?ââŚâ
Fixed it.
Seriously, Trump is trying to distract us from his criminal acts and corruption by threatening to starting wars with Syria, Russia, and North Korea.
OK. McMaster sent to Foxâprobably asked by all the other networks. The man who knows the most, sent to talk to the audience least able to interpret what he says. On the other hand, guaranteed to see questions ahead of time and RATINGS.
Edit:maybe he gets to choose where he goes, thank you. Questions ahead of time: no chance for a stumble, no awkward situations.
But what if this is all just an ad hoc response to a capricious Mr McGoo-like military strike by Trump, mediated, some say, by Ivanka and there is no end game. That is, there is no plan, and McMaster is trying to pick up the pieces and formulate a âplanâ after the fact to make it appear as if everyone knew what they were doing in the first place. All âplanningâ is contingent on Trumpâs whimsy and keeping his mental instability contained.
Personally, I think this is entirely about keeping up appearances.
There âhas to be a significant change in the nature ofâ Syrian leader Bashar al-Assadâs regime. DTâs next move in Syria will draw on the US successes with the Bush Doctrine in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Well, dealing with Trump, everything is at least partially about appearances. Thatâs the Long Con.
I donât know what exactly is going on, hence all the question marks in my post.
But McMasterâs statements are a dramatic shift from a couple days back (even for the Trump Administration) when it appeared weâd basically accepted Assadâs leadership of Syria.
We know Brannonâs no longer officially on the NSC and, now this morning, McFarland. So it at least appears weâre heading in the direction of a more traditionally Republican foreign policy - one that John McCain would love, and Putin most certainly not.
But, hey, tomorrowâs another day and the wind may blow from a different direction.
Edit: At the very least. McMaster is consolidating power and therefore, his views most likely will prevail.
I donât think thatâs possible. Trump is capricious but heâs a) too inexperienced and b) too much of a coward to not be relying on the military brass around him, and Iâll guarantee they have a plan. Theyâve had it for years.
edited to fix my oops on the link. Hereâs the correct link.
And that, in turn may entirely depend on Trumpâs latest conversation with Ivanka and Jared. Should Ivanka plead with him on behalf of staving kids in sub- Saharan Africa, will he divert resources there? Will he start a bombing campaign in the Sudan. Who the fuck knows?
Somehow, I donât think the verbal encouragements of McMaster, Tillerson, or Haley are going to make any difference with Assad, Putin, or for that matter, Trump.
This item would seem to make it look like it is spinning out of Putinâs control:
Scroll all the way to the end. Interesting.
McMaster: There âHas To Be Significant Change In The Nature Ofâ Assad Regime
⌠or what?
YesâŚitâs one thing to keep other countries guessing and on edge, but feels nauseating to have it directed inward. Especially when itâs not a strategy, itâs just that our Dear Leader is capricious and unstable.
Sort of OT 26dr but the lady with the PhD professors lived in Fairfield cty, CT. I have to wait to go back there because I had too many postsâfair enough. You win the guessing game.
Itâs like a blueprint, or even a conceptual development vs the actual buildout. True, they have a plan. But oh, contingencies, donât we love them? What if âIvankaâ doesnât âgetâ to her dad. What if Jaredâs helicopter gets shot down by an RPG wielded by an IS fighter? And the biggest contingency of all is Trump himself. The best laid plans oâ mice and menâŚEmbrace the unthinkable.
"Russia should ask themselves, âWhat are we doing here?â
Why are we supporting this murderous regime that is
committing mass murder of its own population and using
the most heinous weapons available?â"
JeebusâŚ
Iâll guarantee ya the Russians have a plan McMasterâŚ
And Itâs part of a long term end game âŚ
AND they donât really give a fuck about what you think â
Just keep mentally McMasterbating ⌠While Darth Vlader says âŚ
