Goodbye, Kirstjen. edit: And also 'Tex'

08 April 2019, 07:57 PM

quote:
Originally posted by well-tempered gardener:
Yea, and he has no qualms about undoing any decision made at any level if the whim strikes him.

Like I wuz sayin:

quote:
President Donald Trump has declared on more than one occasion that he’s smarter than America’s military leaders.

And with his unprecedented decision Monday to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist group, he’s setting up another test of that thesis.

Trump chose to overrule the Pentagon after National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo advised that the top brass' warnings about risks to U.S. troops are overblown, several officials with direct knowledge of the deliberations told POLITICO.

The president’s move came despite Pentagon officials’ warnings that it could lead to retaliatory attacks against U.S. troops by Iranian-backed forces in the Middle East and threats from Iranian leaders that U.S. troops could face “consequences.”

“Like most things Iran-related, DoD opposed,” said a senior defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing tensions between the White House National Security Council, which has mounted a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, and a Pentagon brass that has cautioned against unnecessary provocations.

Iran's response:

quote:
In response to Monday's decision, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif asked Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to declare U.S. Central Command, the American military headquarters responsible for the Middle East, a terrorist organization, Iranian state-run media reported.

Well, that went well.

https://www.politico.com/story...ard-pentagon-1261448

08 April 2019, 08:38 PM

Daniel

Does she have a middle name? We have two threads about her. Maybe we can have three.

08 April 2019, 09:27 PM

Piano*Dad

Dana Milbank was much less charitable than Max Boot, and more accurate, I think...

Nielson's Attempt to Suck Up Ended Badly. It Always Does

And this gem about those who choose to work in this depraved government.

quote:
“Flailing administration seeks Cabinet secretary willing to sacrifice dignity for employer’s vanity. No relevant experience needed. Successful candidate must be morally flexible. Familiarity with abusive personalities a plus. Willingness to be publicly humiliated required. Employee will be fired in about 12 months and thereafter be permanently unemployable. Non-disclosure agreement mandatory. Interested candidates should contact the prison warden.”

10 April 2019, 06:50 AM

jon-nyc

“Ms. Nielsen consistently stood
For evil and said it was good.
She fears this endeavor
May haunt her forever,
And yes, absolutely, it should.”

(From twitter)

10 April 2019, 11:41 AM

Nina

+ 1000 to those last two posts from P*D and jon. And also

.

Nielsen reminds me of the person in a dysfunctional couple who always thinks they'll be the one to "change" the other person. Nope, not ever. You'd think she'd have learned this lesson before now (assuming that she's even learned it now).

10 April 2019, 12:44 PM

QuirtEvans

The people who are trying to make sure Nielsen doesn't get a soft landing:

https://www.vox.com/2019/4/9/1...roHe4gnHPzyXT0CYvK9k

10 April 2019, 08:17 PM

Piano*Dad

Dan Drezner thinks they'll succeed.

Does Nielson Deserve Rehabilitation

Drezner thinks it not, and that it's unlikely anyone will take the risk publicly.

Love this line about working in the Trump administration:

quote:
More generally, we are clearly in a new equilibrium when it comes to new Trump hires. Before, Trump’s toxicity and hostility to mainstream GOP hands meant that he was scraping the bottom of the GOP barrel. As more and more policy principals leave the administration with their reputations in tatters, recruitment will be a problem. Trump is now scraping the bottom of the bottom of the barrel.

Like Cain and Moore.